Dean Jones, the star of nearly a dozen live action movies from Walt Disney studios, died on Tuesday after suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
With his good natured personality and commanding yet amicable voice, Jones starred in many motion pictures throughout the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. In 1965, after an array of supporting roles in film, television and theatre, he was cast as the heroic FBI agent in Walt Disney‘s That Darn Cat. The success of this film, and of Jones in particular, led to him being repeatedly cast as the male lead by Disney Studios. Among them were Blackbeard’s Ghost with Peter Ustinov, screwball comedy Snowball Express and, of course, The Love Bug, the all time classic about a stock car racer who befriends a Volkswagen named Herbie with a mind of its own. This became his signature role and he was cast in the sequel Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo.
Thanks to the continued airing of these films during the school’s summer or Christmas break, Dean Jones became a staple of family entertainment and will no doubt still bring joy to generations of parents and children to come.
