Jessie Jones, a memorable character actor who guest-starred on fan-favorite TV shows like Murphy Brown, Night Court, and Designing Women, has died.
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The 75-year-old, also a successful playwright, passed away on March 20 in Washington, D.C., after a long illness. Her death was announced by her friend and writing partner, Jamie Wooten, according to Variety.
Jones was born in the Texas Panhandle on Aug. 21, 1950. After winning a high school essay contest, she attended the University of Texas at Austin. She began her acting career in the late 1980s, appearing in guest roles on Newhart and Hooperman, and continued to work consistently throughout the 1990s.
According to IMDb, her TV credits include some of the most popular shows of the time, such as Night Court, Designing Women, Perfect Strangers, Grace Under Fire, Melrose Place, Judging Amy, Cold Case, Weird Science and Who’s the Boss?
Jessie Jones Lands a Memorable Role on ‘Murphy Brown’
In the Season 3 premiere of Murphy Brown, she had a brief but memorable role as Mrs. Betty Hooley. Her character was chosen at random for an on-air interview with Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen). The segment, meant to highlight the challenges of American families, goes wrong when Hooley reveals herself to be a bigot.
😢Jessie Jones, a veteran TV character actor who guested on such popular series as Murphy Brown, Newhart and Night Court and also was a prolific comedy playwright, has died. She was 75. Her writing partner Jamie Wooten told Deadline that Jones died March 20 in Washington, D.C.,… pic.twitter.com/qz9jIfg6lI
— Sumner (@renmusb1) April 1, 2026
Jones was a series regular on The WB’s sitcom You’re the One, where she played the mother of co-lead Cynthia Geary. The interfaith romance series, which centered on a Southern woman and a New York man, was short-lived, airing only two episodes in April 1998. Additionally, Jones appeared in several 1995 episodes of the Saturday morning ABC comedy Fudge during its two-season run.
Jones also landed minor roles in a handful of feature films and several TV movies, including The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom, Caught in the Act, My Brother’s Keeper, and The Rescue of Baby Jessica, which starred Patty Duke and Beau Bridges.
Jessie Jones Becomes a Prolific Playwright
In the 2000s, Jones embarked on a new career path, becoming a prolific playwright. Among her best-known works is the Southern funeral comedy Dearly Departed, which premiered Off-Broadway and was later produced on numerous regional and community stages across the U.S. The play was also adapted into the film Kingdom Come, featuring an ensemble cast that included LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, Anthony Anderson, Toni Braxton, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Jones, along with her partners Wooten and Nicholas Hope, co-wrote more than two dozen other plays, primarily Southern-flavored comedies. Published by Concord Theatricals, their “Jones Hope Wooten” collaborations include titles such as The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, The Red Velvet Cake War, Christmas Belles, and The Savannah Sipping Society.
The trio’s works have been performed in every U.S. state and more than 25 other countries. Wooten also said that Jones was the most-produced female American playwright.
Jones is survived by her sisters, Ellen and Laura; brother-in-law, Jim McCarthy; niece, Margaret McCarthy; nephews, Tommy McCarthy, Todd Hyso, and Paul Hyso; and several grand-nieces and cousins.