Cherry Jones: I think probably I was for a while...I think I was born to it because I grew up in the woods of Tennessee and we would, you know, have our wooden swords and ropes and creeks to splash in. I was always sort of playing "warrior woman" in the woods.
on CUNY TV, January 10, 2003.Cherry Jones (born November 21, 1956 in Paris, Tennessee) is a two-time Tony award winner and one of the grande dames of the Broadway stage.
She has also appeared in supporting roles in several notable films, including The Horse Whisperer, Ocean's Twelve, Signs, The Cradle Will Rock, and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, among others.
However, her most extensive and impressive body of work is on the Broadway stage. Her list of theatre credits include Angels in America, The Heiress (for which she won a Tony award) and Doubt (ditto). She is, with very good reason, renowned as one of the country's greatest theatre talents.
She rose to prominence in the role of the staunch, idealistic President Allison Taylor on the hit television series 24, beginning with the show's seventh season, and quite decidedly proved that a 24 President doesn't have to be named David Palmer to be interesting. It clearly worked, as she won an Emmy for the role.
Later she starred as Dr. Judith Evans on NBC drama Awake (2012), a series which was cancelled after 13 episodes. She's also guest-starred as Nan Pierce in Succession.
She also narrated the audiobooks for Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series.
A Tennessee native, she graduated from the Carnegie-Mellon School of Drama.
She also caused quite a stir by removing her name from Emmy contention in 2010. She claims it has nothing to do with the rather spectacular mishandling of Allison Taylor's character during season 8.
She currently is playing Dorothea Dix on PBS's Mercy Street, and in Five Days at Memorial.
The Roles of Cherry Jones
- 1987: Light of Day, Cindy Montgomery
- 1987: The Big Town, Ginger McDonald
- 1992: Housesitter, Patty
- 1995: Polio Water (short film), Virginia
- 1997: Julian Po, Lucy
- 1998: The Horse Whisperer, Liz Hammond
- 1999: Cradle Will Rock, Hallie Flanagan
- 2000: Erin Brockovich, Pamela Duncan
- 2000: The Perfect Storm, Edie Bailey
- 2002: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Buggy Abbott
- 2002: Signs, Officer Caroline Paski
- 2004: The Village, Mrs. Clack
- 2004: Ocean's Twelve, Molly Star/Mrs. Caldwell
- 2005: Swimmers, Julia Tyler
- 2009: Amelia, Eleanor Roosevelt
- 2009: Mother and Child, Sister Joanne
- 2011: The Beaver, VP Morgan Newell
- 2011: New Year's Eve, Rose Ahern
- 2013: Days and Nights, Mary
- 2015: King of Cups, Ruth
- 2015: I Saw the Light, Lillie Williams
- 2016: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Geri Taub
- 2017: The Party, Martha
- 2018: Boy Erased, Dr. Muldoon
- 2019: Wine Country, Lady Sunshine
- 2019: A Rainy Day in New York, Mrs. Welles
- 2019: Motherless Brooklyn, Gabby Horowitz
- 2019: Our Friend, Faith Pruett
- 2021: The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Rachel LaValley
- 2022: The Sky Is Everywhere, Gram Walker
- 1986: Alex: The Life of a Child, Tina Crawford
- 1987: Spenser For Hire, Tracy Kincaid
- 1992: Loving, Frankie
- 1993: Tribeca, Tough Woman
- 1999: Murder in a Small Town and The Lady in Question, Mimi Barnes
- 2000: Cora Unashamed, Lisbeth Studevant
- 2001: What Makes a Family, Sandy Cataldi
- 2001: Frasier, Janet
- 2004: The West Wing, Barbara Layton
- 2004-05: Clubhouse, Sister Marie
- 2008-10: 24, President Allison Taylor
- 2012: Awake, Dr. Judith Evans
- 2015-19: Transparent, Leslie Mackinaw
- 2016: Mercy Street, Dorothea Dix
- 2016: 11/22/63, Marguerite Oswald
- 2016: Black Mirror, Susan
- 2017: American Crime, Laurie Ann Hesby
- 2018: Portlandia, Ms. Mayor
- 2018-19: The Handmaid's Tale, Holly Maddox
- 2019: Chimerica, Mel Kincaid
- 2019-23: Succession, Nan Pierce
- 2020: Defending Jacob, Joanna Klein
- 2022: Five Days at Memorial, Susan Mulderick
- 2023: Poker Face, Laura
- 2023: Extrapolations, President Elizabeth Burdick
- 1983: The Philanthropist, Liz
- 1984: The Ballad of Soapy Smith, Kitty Chase
- 1985-96: The Importance of Being Earnest, Cecily Cardew
- 1987: Claptrap, Sarah Littlefield
- 1987: Stepping Out, Lynne
- 1987: Tartuffe, Dorine
- 1988: Macbeth, Lady Macduff
- 1991: Our Country's Good, Rev. Johnson/Liz Morden
- 1991: Light Shining in Buckinghamshire
- 1992: The Baltimore Waltz, Anna
- 1992: Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Constance Ledbelly
- 1993-94 Angels in America, Understudy Angels
- 1993: And Baby Makes Seven, Anna
- 1993: Desdemona, Bianca
- 1995: The Heiress, Catherine Sloper
- 1996: The Night of the Iguana, Hannah Jelkes
- 1997-98: Pride's Crossing, Mabel Tidings/Bigelow
- 1999: Tongue of a Bird, Maxine
- 2000: A Moon for the Misbegotten, Josie Hogan
- 2001: Major Barbara, Barbara Undershaft
- 2002-03: Imaginary Friends, Mary McCarthy
- 2003: Flesh and Blood, Mary Stassos
- 2005-06: Doubt, Sister Aloysius
- 2006: Faith Healer, Grace
- 2010: Mrs. Warren's Profession, Mrs. Kitty Warren
- 2013-14 1, 2017 2: The Glass Menagerie, Amanda Wingfield
- 2014: When We Were Young and Unafraid, Agnes
- 2018: The Lifespan of a Fact, Emily
- 2002: American Experience: Miss America, Narrator
- 2020: Close Enough
- 2023: Velma, Victoria Jones
Awards and Nominations
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- 2009: 24
- Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- 2018-19: The Handmaid's Tale
- 2018 (nominated)
- 2019
- 2020-23: Succession
- 2020
- 2023 (nominated, winner TBA)
- 2018-19: The Handmaid's Tale
- Best Actress in a Play
- 1991: Our Country's Good (nominated)
- 1995: The Heiress
- 2000: A Moon for the Misbegotten (nominated)
- 2005: Doubt
- 2014: The Glass Menagerie (nominated)
- Outstanding Actress in a Play
- 1995: The Heiress
- 1998: Pride's Crossing
- 2005: Doubt
- 2006: Faith Healer (nominated)
- Drama Critics Circle Awards, Lead Performance
- 1996: The Heiress
- 2006: Doubt
- GLAAD Awards, Vito Russo Award
- 2004: for recognition of openly LGBTQ+ performers.
- Laurence Olivier Awards, Best Actress
- 2017: The Glass Menagerie (nominated)
- Obie Awards, Outstanding Performance
- 1992: The Baltimore Waltz
- 2006: Doubt
- Outer Critics Circle Awards, Outstanding Actress in a Play
- 2014: The Glass Menagerie
- Satellite Awards, Best Supporting Actress-Series, Miniseries or Television Film
- 2009: 24 (nominated)
- Screen Actors Guild Awards, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
- 2015: Transparent (nominated)
