TV Actor & Prolific Playwright Was 75

Deadline • April 1, 2026 • entertainment

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Jessie Jones, a veteran TV character actor known for guest roles on popular series like Murphy Brown, Newhart, and Night Court, has died at age 75 after a long illness.
Born in Texas in 1950, Jones began her screen career in the late 1980s and appeared regularly on numerous hit TV shows throughout the 1990s.
She had a memorable role as Mrs. Betty Hooley in Murphy Brown and a series-regular role on the short-lived sitcom You’re the One in 1998.
Transitioning to playwriting by the mid-2000s, Jones co-wrote over two dozen Southern-themed comedies, including the widely produced Dearly Departed, which inspired the film Kingdom Come.
Jones, along with her partners Jamie Wooten and Nicholas Hope, became one of the most produced female American playwrights, with their works performed across all U.S. states and over 25 countries.