L.Q. Jones, actor in Sam Peckinpah Classics and director of 'A Boy and His Dog', dies at 94

L.Q. Jones, a veteran character actor whose career spanned seven decades, died Saturday of natural causes at his home in the Hollywood Hills. He was 94 years old.

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 took on his stage name, L.Q. Jones, with his first film role in Raoul Walsh's 1955 film "Battle Cry." Jones would carry the name throughout his screen acting career. His most recent turn was in 2006 with Robert Altman's last film "A Prairie Home Companion".

Jones collaborated with many of Hollywood's most well-known directors of the mid-twentieth century, including Walsh, Don Siegel for "An Annapolis Story" and Mervyn LeRoy for "Toward the Unknown." He was also a regular supporting actor in Sam Peckinpah's action-packed westerns, with roles in "The Wild Bunch", "Ride the High Country", "Major Dundee", "The Battle of Cable Hogue" and " Pat Garrett and Billy the Child." Towards the end 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".

In addition to racking up 60 on-screen acting credits over the course of his career, Jones was a regular in the world of television. He mainly appeared in western series such as "Gunsmoke", "The Virginian", "Wagon Train", "Rawhide", "The Rifleman", "Have Gun - Will Travel" and "The Big Valley".

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L.Q. Jones on the set of 'Cheyenne' in the 1950s. Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Jones' career has also extended beyond film, producing four independent feature films in his lifetime. He produced, directed and wrote the 1975 feature film "A Boy and His Dog", which is adapted from Harlan Ellison's short story of the same name. Jones began the project as executive producer, but took over writing and directing responsibilities when other collaborators failed.

A post-apocalyptic dark comedy, "A Boy and His Dog" follows a teenager and his telepathic dog as they fight for survival in the American Southwest in 2024, a time when the fallout nuclear weapons are falling on the world. Starring a young Don Johnson and fellow Jones Peckinpah alum Jason Robards, the film has earned a reputation as a cult classic over the years, with Jones saying director George Miller cited him as an influence for his "Mad Max" series. /p>

Jones is survived by his sons, Randy McQueen and Steve Marshall, and his favorite daughter, Mindy McQueen.

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