Ronny Cox

Last updated

Ronny Cox
Ronny Cox 2019.jpg
Cox in 2019
Born
Daniel Ronald Cox

(1938-07-23) July 23, 1938 (age 86)
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, U.S.
Alma mater Eastern New Mexico University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • storyteller
Years active1972–present
Spouse
Mary Cox
​
​
(m. 1960;died 2006)​
Children2
Website www.ronnycox.com

Daniel Ronald Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his acting work, appearing in numerous films and television series since his 1972 debut in Deliverance . Cox is also active as a musician, performing over 100 times per year at festivals and theaters each year as of 2012.

Contents

Personal life

Daniel Ronald Cox was born on July 23, 1938 [1] in the mountain town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, the third of five children to Lounette (née Rucker) and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a dairy. [2] [3] He grew up in Portales, New Mexico. Cox met his wife Mary when she was 11 and he was 14. They began dating when she was 15 and he was 18. They married in 1960 and had two sons. [4] Cox graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1963 with a double major in theater and speech correction. Mary died in 2006, 50 years to the day of their first date. Cox often talks about her during his music performances. [5]

Acting career

As an actor, Cox made his debut in the 1972 film Deliverance . In one scene, he plays the instrumental "Dueling Banjos" on his guitar with a banjo-playing mountain boy, played by child actor Billy Redden. He was hired for the role because he could play the guitar. [6] Cox published his autobiography in 2012, recounting his experiences making the film. [7]

In 1974–1975, Cox starred in the short-lived family-oriented series entitled Apple's Way, created by Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons . He also appeared as Mr. Webb in a television production of Our Town . In 1977, he appeared in the episode "Devil Pack" from the series Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected . In 1984, 12 years after Deliverance, Cox again played a member of a small group of men who are lost, this time in the Nevada desert, and being chased by bloodthirsty locals in the low-budget film Courage. One of Cox's roles was that of Dr. John Gideon during the final season of the television medical drama St. Elsewhere . His character was mooned by Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders) at the end of the third episode of season six. Cox's first role in a big-budget film came in 1984 as Lt. Andrew Bogomil in Beverly Hills Cop , and he returned to the role in Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987. That same year, Cox appeared in the Paul Verhoeven film RoboCop as corporate arch-villain Dick Jones. [8] In 1986, Cox played the mayor in season 3, episodes 1 and 2, "Death Stalks the Big Top", of the TV series Murder, She Wrote .[ citation needed ]

In 1990, Cox co-starred as Los Angeles Police Chief Roger Kendrick in the short-lived Cop Rock , presenting a striking physical resemblance to the real-world incumbent Chief Daryl Gates.[ citation needed ] He also appeared as the antagonistic Mars Administrator Vilos Cohaagen in Total Recall the same year. Cox had a guest role on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Captain Edward Jellico in the two-part episode "Chain of Command". He also played Henry Mason, the father of Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) on Desperate Housewives . In 1997, Cox portrayed the fictional President of the United States Jack Neil in the movie Murder at 1600 . Cox also portrayed John Ramsey in the 2000 TV film Perfect Murder, Perfect Town and Senator/Vice President Robert Kinsey in Stargate SG-1 .

Cox had a role in The Starter Wife . He played Pappy McCallister, the husband of Molly Kagan's best friend Joan. He occasionally has done animation work, lending his voice to the Tyrusian deserter Doc in Invasion America and Senator McMillan in Todd McFarlane's Spawn . Cox guest-starred in an episode of Matthew Perry's 2011 series Mr. Sunshine . [9] [ failed verification ]

Cox played Walter Kenney in Dexter , season six, episode three ("Smokey and the Bandit"). [10] His character was a serial killer known as "The Tooth Fairy", whom Dexter had idolized while growing up. He guest-starred in an episode of Diagnosis Murder entitled "The Pressure to Murder", episode 9, season three. Cox played Gideon Claybourne on season 6 of Nashville in 2018.

Starting in 2022, Cox reprised his role as now-Admiral Edward Jellico in several episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy .

Music career

Cox in 2006 Ronnycox.jpg
Cox in 2006

Despite having a successful acting career, Cox said that music now comes first in his life. He turns down about 90% of the acting jobs he is offered to play over 100 shows at festivals and theaters each year. [11] [12] He is accompanied by his band. [13] Cox also leads a musical tour to Ireland each year. [14]

On November 2, 2019, Cox was inducted into the New Mexico Music Hall of Fame. [15]

On July 25, 2021, Cox won the New Mexico Music Awards with the Norman Petty Producers Award going to Tom (Panda) Ryan for his recording of Ronny Cox's Live at the Kitchen Sink featuring the 2021 Best Folk Music Award with his song, "Portales". [16] Live at the Kitchen Sink was recorded at The Kitchen Sink Recording Studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. [17]

Filmography

Discography

YearTitle
2020Ronny Cox - Live at the Kitchen Sink
2014Ronny Cox Live in Concert – The Official Bootleg
2012Ronny, Rad and Karen
2009Songs... with Repercussions
2008How I Love Them Old Songs...
2006Ronny Cox at the Sebastiani Theatre
2006Ronny Cox: Songs, Stories... and Out & Out Lies (DVD)
2004Ronny Cox Live
2002Cowboy Savant
2000Acoustic Eclectricity
1993Ronny Cox

Books

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Billingsley</span> American actor (b. 1960)

John Billingsley is an American actor best known for his role as Doctor Phlox on the television series Star Trek: Enterprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Beatty</span> American actor (1937–2021)

Ned Thomas Beatty was an American actor. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in more than 160 films. Throughout his career, Beatty gained a reputation for being "the busiest actor in Hollywood". His film appearances included Deliverance (1972), White Lightning (1973), All the President's Men (1976), Network (1976), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Back to School (1986), Rudy (1993), Shooter (2007), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Rango (2011). He also had the series regular role of Stanley Bolander in the first three seasons of the hit NBC TV drama Homicide: Life on the Street.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop</i> 1984 film directed by Martin Brest

Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit detective who visits Beverly Hills, California, to solve the murder of his best friend. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff, Paul Reiser, and Jonathan Banks appear in supporting roles.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop II</i> 1987 buddy cop film directed by Tony Scott

Beverly Hills Cop II is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren, and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop and the second installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series. Murphy returns as Detroit police detective Axel Foley, who reunites with Beverly Hills detectives Billy Rosewood and John Taggart to stop a criminal organization after Captain Andrew Bogomil is shot and seriously wounded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Ferrer</span> American actor (1955–2017)

Miguel José Ferrer was an American actor. His breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in the 1987 film RoboCop. Other film roles include Harbinger in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), Quigley in Blank Check, Eduardo Ruiz in Traffic (2000) and Vice President Rodriguez in Iron Man 3 (2013). Ferrer's notable television roles include FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield on Twin Peaks, Dr. Garret Macy on Crossing Jordan (2001–2007) and NCIS Assistant Director Owen Granger on NCIS: Los Angeles (2012–2017).

<i>Beverly Hills Cop III</i> 1994 American action comedy film by John Landis

Beverly Hills Cop III is a 1994 American action comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, written by Steven E. de Souza, and directed by John Landis, who had previously worked with Murphy on Trading Places (1983) and Coming to America (1988). It is a sequel to Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and the third film in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Murphy again plays Detroit detective Axel Foley, who once again returns to Beverly Hills and teams up with detective Billy Rosewood to stop a gang of counterfeiters at a local amusement park called Wonder World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Weller</span> American actor (born 1947)

Peter Francis Weller is an American actor and television director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axel Foley</span> Fictional character

Detective Axel JamesFoley is a fictional character, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, and is the titular protagonist of the Beverly Hills Cop film series. He is ranked No. 55 on Empire magazine's 2008 and 2020 lists of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters. Sylvester Stallone was originally intended to be cast as Axel Foley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim O'Connor (actor)</span> American actor (1927–2018)

Timothy Joseph O'Connor was an American character actor known for his prolific work in television, although he made only a few appearances after the early 1990s. Before moving to California, he lived on an island in the middle of Glen Wild Lake, located in Bloomingdale, New Jersey, 30 miles from Manhattan. O'Connor specialized in playing officials, military men, and police officers.

Ken Jenkins is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Bob Kelso, the chief of medicine on the American comedy series Scrubs (2001–2009). He has also had notable appearances in many popular TV shows.

"Chain of Command" is a two-part episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It aired as the 10th and 11th episodes of the sixth season, the 136th and 137th episodes of the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ashton (actor)</span> American actor (born 1948)

John David Ashton is an American actor, known for his roles in the Beverly Hills Cop films, Some Kind of Wonderful, and Midnight Run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen McHattie</span> Canadian actor (born 1947)

Stephen McHattie Smith is a Canadian actor. Since beginning his professional career in 1970, he has amassed over 200 film and television credits. He won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Rocket, and a Gemini Award for Life with Billy.

Hiroaki Nakamura, better known by the stage name of Hiroshi Naka, is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator affiliated with Ken Production. He is originally from Ōita Prefecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Worthy</span> American actor (born 1967)

Richard Worthy is an American actor. He is best known for appearing in a variety of science fiction and fantasy television shows. He is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Simon O'Neill, Cylon model number four, in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.

Robert Treman Clendenin is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Dr. Tom Gazelian in ABC comedy series Cougar Town and Dr. Paul Zeltzer in the comedy series Scrubs.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop</i> (franchise) American action comedy franchise

Beverly Hills Cop is a film franchise of American action comedy films and an unaired television pilot based on characters created by Daniel Petrie Jr. and Danilo Bach. The films star Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop who travels to Beverly Hills, California to investigate a crime, even though it is out of his jurisdiction.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F</i> 2024 film by Mark Molloy

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by Mark Molloy and written by Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten from a story by Beall. Serving as the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series and a sequel to Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Axel Foley, with Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot reprising their roles from previous films in the franchise, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, and Kevin Bacon star in new roles.

<i>Star Trek: Prodigy</i> season 2 Second season of Star Trek: Prodigy

The second season of the American animated television series Star Trek: Prodigy follows a group of young aliens who join Admiral Kathryn Janeway on a mission to find the original crew of the USS Protostar, and to learn more about Starfleet as they train to be warrant officers. The season was produced by CBS Eye Animation Productions and Nickelodeon Animation Studio in association with Secret Hideout, Roddenberry Entertainment, and Brothers Hageman Productions. Kevin and Dan Hageman served as showrunners.

References

  1. ↑ "Cox, Ronny 1938–". Encyclopedia.com . Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Ronny Cox – Movies and Biography". Yahoo! Movies . Archived from the original on July 3, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Ronny Cox - Biography". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Ronny Cox - Actor, Singer/Songwriter, Storyteller". Ronny Cox. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  5. ↑ Duren, Rand (May 7, 2009). "Ronny Cox says songs cut to the heart even more since wife's death". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  6. ↑ Triplett, Gene (July 13, 2012). "Ronny Cox delivers on screen and concert stage". The Oklahoman . Oklahoma City. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ Lang, Brent (June 20, 2012). "Ronny Cox on 'Deliverance's' 40th Anniversary and Why the 'Total Recall' Remake is a Bad Idea". The Wrap . Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  8. ↑ "The death of Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) in Robocop". Movie Deaths Database. June 11, 2005. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013.
  9. ↑ "American Actor John Ashton".
  10. ↑ "Dexter: "Smokey and the Bandit" Review". IGN . Archived from the original on October 19, 2011.
  11. ↑ Riedl, Matt (August 24, 2012). "Music comes first for performer Ronny Cox". The Wichita Eagle .
  12. ↑ Cashill, Bob (June 25, 2012). "The Popdose Interview: Ronny Cox". Popdose.
  13. ↑ "Ronny Cox to perform at Stiefel February 22nd". Salina Post (Press release). February 8, 2015. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017.
  14. ↑ "2017 Ireland Music Tours – Ronny Cox". September 15, 2016. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016.
  15. ↑ "2019 Inductees". New Mexico Music Hall of Fame. 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  16. ↑ "2021 New Mexico Music Award Winners". New Mexico Music Awards. 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Live at the Kitchen Sink". RonnyCox.com. 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.