Jones’ death was confirmed by his grandson, Erté deGarces. DeGarces shared that Jones died surrounded by his family. Born Judge Ellis McQueen on August 19, 1927 in Beaumont, Texas, Jones attended the University of Texas at Austin where he met Sue Lewis, his wife of 23 years. The two divorced in the 1970s. McQueen got his stage name, LQ Jones, with his first film role in Raoul Walsh’s 1955 film Battle Cry. Jones would carry the name throughout his screen career. His most recent series came in 2006 with Robert Altman’s latest film A Prairie Home Companion. Jones worked with several of Hollywood’s most accomplished directors of the mid-20th century, including Walsh, Don Siegel on “An Annapolis Story,” and Mervyn LeRoy on “Into the Unknown.” He was also a regular understudy in Sam Peckinpah’s gritty Westerns, with roles in “The Wild Bunch,” “Ride the High Country,” “Major Dundee,” “The Battle of Cable Hogue” and “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.” Near the turn of the century, Jones also had roles in Martin Campbell’s The Mask of Zorro, Roland Emmerich’s The Patriot, and Martin Scorsese’s Casino. Along with amassing 60 film credits during his career, Jones has been a regular in the world of television. He mainly appeared in western series including “Gunsmoke”, “The Virginian”, “Wagon Train”, “Rawhide”, “The Rifleman”, “Have Gun – Will Travel” and “The Big Valley”. LQ Jones on the set of ‘Cheyenne’ in the 1950s. Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Jones’ career also extended beyond screen acting, producing four independent films during his lifetime. He produced, directed and wrote the 1975 feature A Boy and His Dog, which is adapted from Harlan Ellison’s novel of the same name. Jones began the project as an executive producer, but took over writing and directing responsibilities as the other collaborators dropped out. A post-apocalyptic black comedy, “A Boy and His Dog” follows a teenager and his telepathic dog as they struggle for survival in the American Southwest of 2024, a time when nuclear fallout is taking over the world. Starring a young Don Johnson and Jason Robards, Jones’ co-star Peckinpah, the film has gained a reputation as a cult classic over the years, with Jones stating that director George Miller cited it as an influence for his series “Mad Max”. Jones is survived by his sons, Randy McQueen and Steve Marshall, and his beloved daughter, Mindy McQueen.
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