Daniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actorA character actor is one who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading ones. Character actor roles can range from bit parts to secondary leads...
, singer/
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
, and
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
ist.
Cox, the third of five children, was born in
CloudcroftCloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico and is within the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 749 at the 2000 census. At above sea-level in an otherwise arid region, the mild summer makes it a popular tourist attraction in West Texas and New Mexico...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
, the son of Lounette (
néeA married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage, and in speaking of the many cultures where the practice is traditional for women, the maiden name is the family name that the married name replaces....
Rucker) and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a
dairyA dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. Typically it is a farm or section of a farm that is concerned with the production of milk, butter and...
. He grew up in
PortalesPortales is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States. The population of Portales and its near suburbs, contained in Zip Code 88130, was nearly 17,000 people in 2007, not including a majority of the city's college students. 2007 census...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. Cox tours regularly with a band, performing at theatres and folk music festivals. On September 10 1960, he married Mary Cox. She died in 2006; they had two children.
Daniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actorA character actor is one who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading ones. Character actor roles can range from bit parts to secondary leads...
, singer/
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
, and
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
ist.
Personal life
Cox, the third of five children, was born in
CloudcroftCloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico and is within the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 749 at the 2000 census. At above sea-level in an otherwise arid region, the mild summer makes it a popular tourist attraction in West Texas and New Mexico...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
, the son of Lounette (
néeA married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage, and in speaking of the many cultures where the practice is traditional for women, the maiden name is the family name that the married name replaces....
Rucker) and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a
dairyA dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. Typically it is a farm or section of a farm that is concerned with the production of milk, butter and...
. He grew up in
PortalesPortales is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States. The population of Portales and its near suburbs, contained in Zip Code 88130, was nearly 17,000 people in 2007, not including a majority of the city's college students. 2007 census...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. Cox tours regularly with a band, performing at theatres and folk music festivals. On September 10 1960, he married Mary Cox. She died in 2006; they had two children. He graduated from
Eastern New Mexico UniversityEastern New Mexico University , frequently called Eastern, is a state university in Portales, Roosevelt County, New Mexico, USA...
in 1963 with a double major in theater and speech correction.
Career
As an actor, he is probably best known for his debut performance as Drew Ballinger in the acclaimed 1972 film
DeliveranceDeliverance is a 1972 thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox, and Ned Beatty in his film debut. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey, who has a small role in the film as a...
in which he plays the instrumental "
Dueling Banjos"Dueling Banjos" is an instrumental composition made famous by the 1972 motion picture Deliverance. A scene depicts Billy Redden playing it opposite Ronny Cox, who joins him on guitar. Redden plays "Lonnie" — a mentally retarded, inbred, but extremely gifted banjo player. The song went to #2 for...
" on his guitar with a mentally retarded
banjoThe banjo is a stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments.The name banjo is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza...
-playing mountain boy named Lonnie, played by child actor
Billy ReddenBilly Redden is an American actor best known for his role as Lonnie, the banjo-playing boy, in the 1972 movie Deliverance....
. Cox has also appeared as Lieutenant/Captain/Chief of Police Andrew Bogomil in
Beverly Hills CopBeverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American action-comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Ronny Cox. Murphy stars as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop, who heads to Beverly Hills, California to solve the death of his best friend...
and
Beverly Hills Cop IIBeverly Hills Cop II is a 1987 action-comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Tony Scott. It is the first sequel in the Beverly Hills Cop series. Murphy returns as Detroit police detective Axel Foley, who returns to Beverly Hills, California to track down a group of international...
, Richard "Dick" Jones in
RoboCopRoboCop is a 1987 science fiction film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is murdered brutally and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
, Mars Administrator Vilos Cohaagen in
Total Recall, and Senator/Vice-President Robert Kinsey in
Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1 is an American-Canadian military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
. Cox also portrayed
John RamseyJohn Bennett Ramsey is the father of homicide victim JonBenét Ramsey. He was the first to discover JonBenét's body in the wine cellar of the Ramseys' 15-room home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996, just hours after her murder....
in the 2000 TV movie
Perfect Murder, Perfect TownPerfect Murder, Perfect Town is a 2000 American television miniseries directed by Lawrence Schiller. The teleplay by Tom Topor is based on Schiller's book of the same title....
.
From 1974-1975, Cox starred in the short-lived
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
family-oriented dramatic series entitled
Apple's WayApple's Way is a television dramedy which aired on CBS from 1974-1975. It was created by Earl Hamner, Jr..-Premise:The Apples, a family from Los Angeles, seek refuge from the hectic pace of city living and relocate to the father's hometown of Appleton, Iowa, which was founded by the father's...
created by Earl Hamner, who created
The WaltonsThe Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name, starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. The show centered on the titular family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and...
. He appeared as "Mr. Webb" in a television production of
Our TownOur Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. The play is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, modeled upon several New Hampshire towns in the Mount Monadnock region: Jaffrey, Peterborough, Dublin, and others. Using metatheatrical devices, Wilder sets the play...
.
One of his most memorable roles was that of Dr. John Gideon during the final season of the television medical drama
St. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is a U.S. drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood. The hospital's nickname, "St...
. Cox's character was famously mooned by Dr. Donald Westphall (
Ed FlandersEdward Paul Flanders was an American actor best known for his role as Dr. Donald Westphall in the television series St. Elsewhere.- Biography :...
) at the end of the third episode of season six.
Cox made a notable appearance on
Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Created about 21 years after the original Star Trek, and set in the 24th century about 80 years after the orginal series, the program features a new crew and a new...
as Captain Edward Jellico in the two-part episode "
Chain of Command"Chain of Command" is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that aired in two parts during the sixth season of the series. It was developed to establish the Cardassians as the main villains of the then forthcoming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
". Most recently he played Henry Mason, the father of Bree Hodge (played by
Marcia CrossMarcia Anne Cross is an American actress, known for her portrayals of Bree Hodge on the TV show Desperate Housewives and Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the prime-time soap opera Melrose Place.-Career:...
) on
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
.
He also had a role in
The Starter WifeThe Starter Wife is a USA Network television series based on the miniseries by the same name, and based on the novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer. It premiered on October 10, 2008. The series stars Debra Messing as Molly Kagan, the now ex-wife of former studio executive Kenny Kagan...
. He played Pappy McCallister, the husband of Molly Kagan's best friend Joan.
Filmography
- Beverly Hills Cop IV (2010)
- Imagine That (2009)
- Tell Me You Love Me
Tell Me You Love Me was an American cable television drama series that premiered on HBO and on The Movie Network on September 9 2007.The series was created by Cynthia Mort and originally conceived as sexlife. The pilot episode was produced and directed by Patricia Rozema and shot in Winnipeg,...
(2007) TV Series
- Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
(2006) TV Series
- Commander in Chief
Commander in Chief is an American drama television series that focused on the fictional administration and family of Mackenzie Allen , the first female President of the United States, who ascended to the role after the previous chief executive, Teddy Bridges , died in office from a sudden cerebral...
(2006)
- Angel in the Family (2004) (TV)
- Killzone
Killzone is a first-person shooter exclusive to the PlayStation 2 game console, developed by Netherlands-based Guerrilla Games and released on November 2, 2004 in North America. A sequel, Killzone: Liberation was released on the PlayStation Portable and another followup, Killzone 2 was released for...
(2004) (voice) Video Game
- The Agency
* A nickname for the Central Intelligence Agency* The Agency * The Agency * The Agency * The Agency * The Agency * The Agency...
(2001) TV Series
- Losing Grace (2001)
- American Outlaws
American Outlaws is a 2001 Western film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, and Ali Larter.- Cast :*Colin Farrell - Jesse James*Scott Caan - Cole Younger*Ali Larter - Zee Mimms*Gabriel Macht - Frank James...
(2001)
- Perfect Murder, Perfect Town
Perfect Murder, Perfect Town is a 2000 American television miniseries directed by Lawrence Schiller. The teleplay by Tom Topor is based on Schiller's book of the same title....
(2000) TV movie
- FreeSpace 2
FreeSpace 2 is a 1999 space combat simulation computer game developed by Volition, Inc. as the sequel to Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War. It was completed ahead of schedule in less than a year, and released to great critical acclaim...
(1999) (voice) Video Game
- Deep Blue Sea
Deep Blue Sea is a 1999 science fiction thriller film that stars Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film was directed by Renny Harlin and was released in the United States on July 28, 1999.- Plot :...
(1999)
- Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is an American-Canadian military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
(1998-2005) TV Series
- Murder at 1600
Murder at 1600 is a 1997 thriller film starring Wesley Snipes, Diane Lane, Dennis Miller, Ronny Cox, Daniel Benzali and Alan Alda. The 1600 in the title refers to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the address of the White House. The film is based on the novel Murder in the White House by Margaret Truman,...
(1997)
- Captain America (1990)
- Cop Rock
Cop Rock is a short-lived American television series that aired on ABC in 1990. The show, a police drama presented as a musical, was created by Steven Bochco, who also served as executive producer...
(1990) TV Series
- Total Recall (1990)
- St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is a U.S. drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood. The hospital's nickname, "St...
(1987-88) TV Series
- In The Line of Duty: The FBI Murders (1988)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Created about 21 years after the original Star Trek, and set in the 24th century about 80 years after the orginal series, the program features a new crew and a new...
(1987) TV Series
- RoboCop
RoboCop is a 1987 science fiction film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is murdered brutally and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
(1987)
- Beverly Hills Cop II
Beverly Hills Cop II is a 1987 action-comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Tony Scott. It is the first sequel in the Beverly Hills Cop series. Murphy returns as Detroit police detective Axel Foley, who returns to Beverly Hills, California to track down a group of international...
(1987)
- Vision Quest
Vision Quest is a 1985 coming of age drama starring Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino and Ronny Cox. It is based on the novel of the same name by author Terry Davis. In some countries it was released as Crazy For You to market on Madonna's emerging fame and the popularity of the song...
(1985)
- Beverly Hills Cop
Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American action-comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Ronny Cox. Murphy stars as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop, who heads to Beverly Hills, California to solve the death of his best friend...
(1984)
- Spencer
Spencer may refer to*A short, close-fitting jacket, worn by women and children in the early 19th century*A thin woolen vest, worn by women for extra warmth in winter-Surname:-Given name:*Spencer Breslin, American actor...
(1984) TV Series
- Jesse Owens Story (1984) (TV)
- The Beast Within
The Beast Within is a 1982 horror film directed by Philippe Mora. Screenplay by Tom Holland, based on the novel by Edward Levy. Starring Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, L.Q. Jones, Don Gordon, R.G...
(1982)
- Taps
Taps is a 1981 dramatic film, starring Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, George C. Scott, and then up and comers Tom Cruise, and Sean Penn. Hutton was nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1982 for his role in the film. The film was directed by Harold Becker. The screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen, James...
(1981)
- The Onion Field (film)
The Onion Field is a 1979 film adapted by Joseph Wambaugh from his book of the same name, and directed by Harold Becker. The Onion Field is rated R by the MPAA....
(1979)
- Gray Lady Down
Gray Lady Down is a 1978 disaster film by Universal Studios starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, and features the first film role for a young Christopher Reeve.-Plot:...
(1978
- Harper Valley PTA
Harper Valley PTA is a 1978 comedy movie starring Barbara Eden. The movie was inspired by the country music song written by Tom T. Hall of the same title. In 1981 it was adapted into a television series, with Barbara Eden reprising her role.-Plot:...
(1978)
- Bound for Glory (1976)
- The Car
The Car is a 1977 thriller/horror film directed by Elliot Silverstein and written by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate. It starred James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley, and Ronny Cox...
(1977)
- A Case of Rape
A Case of Rape is a 1974 television movie. It premiered on NBC on February 20, 1974.-Plot:The film tells the story of a wife and mother who is raped twice by the same man and her ordeals dealing with the actual rape and her subsequent dealing with the police and the trial...
(1974)
- Deliverance
Deliverance is a 1972 thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox, and Ned Beatty in his film debut. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey, who has a small role in the film as a...
(1972)
- The Mind Snatchers (1972)
Discography
- Acoustic Eclectricity
- Cowboy Savant
- Ronny Cox Live
- Ronny Cox: Songs, Stories... and Out & Out Lies (DVD)
- Ronny Cox At The Sebastiani Theater
- "How I love them old songs..." - Ronny Cox sings Mickey Newbury
- "Songs... with Repercussions" 2008 (CD)
Further reading
- Voisin, Scott, "Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting." BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 9-781593-933425.
External links