{{Short description|American dancer (1953–1989)}} {{Infobox person | image = Reed Jones 1971 West Linn High School.jpg | name = Reed Jones | birth_date = June 30, 1953 | birth_place = Portland, Oregon | death_date = June 19, 1989 | death_place = Sherman Oaks, California | occupation = Dancer, choreographer }} '''Reed Jones''' (June 30, 1953 – June 19, 1989) was a dancer and choreographer whose credits included Skimbleshanks in the original cast of ''Cats'' and Big Deal in the Jerome Robbins revival of ''West Side Story''.
== Early life == Jones was born in Portland, Oregon.
==Performances== Originally cast as an understudy, Jones originated the role of Skimbleshanks, the Railway Cat in the original Broadway company of ''Cats''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brantley |first=Ben |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ozBB7mkKcQC&dq=%22Reed+Jones%22+dancer&pg=PA41 |title=The New York Times Book of Broadway: On the Aisle for the Unforgettable Plays of the Last Century |date=2001-11-14 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-28411-4 |pages=41 |language=en}}</ref> He replaced originally cast member Willie Rosario in the pre-opening rehearsal period, after Rosario suffered a prolonged knee injury. Other Broadway credits included ''Peter Pan'' (1979 revival, dance captain), ''West Side Story'' (1980 revival), ''America'' (1981), ''Play Me a Country Song'' (1982, dance captain),<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Dietz |first=Dan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ux5UCwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Reed+Jones%22+dancer&pg=PA142 |title=The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals |date=2016-02-18 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-6092-4 |pages=141–142, 451 |language=en}}</ref> ''A Chorus Line'' (1983),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stevens |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uEreRwyNhMMC&dq=%22Reed+Jones%22+dancer&pg=RA1-PA233 |title=The Longest Line: Broadway's Most Singular Sensation, A Chorus Line |date=1995 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=978-1-55783-221-4 |pages=233 |language=en}}</ref> ''You Can't Take it With You'' (1983, choreographer),<ref name=":0" /> ''As Is'' (1985), ''The Loves of Anatol'' (1985).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wallach |first=Allan |date=1985-03-07 |title=A romantic comedy set in old Vienna |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-a-romantic-come/142070397/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |work=Newsday (Nassau Edition) |pages=190 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He also toured as a dancer with Sandy Duncan in 1979.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Gerry |date=1979-04-18 |title=Sandy Duncan a delightful act |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-sandy-duncan-a/142070182/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |pages=46 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Price |first=Hardy |date=1979-03-03 |title=Duncan rated G (for great) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-duncan-rated-g-for-gre/142070547/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |work=Arizona Republic |pages=104 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
On screen, Jones appeared in an episode of ''Live from Lincoln Center'' (1979) and as a dancer in the film adaptation of ''A Chorus Line'' (1985). He was also credited as a choreographer in ''The Fan'' (1981), starring Lauren Bacall, and for musical staging when ''You Can't Take it WIth You'' was shown on ''Great Performances'' in 1984.
==Death== Jones died due to AIDS-related illness on June 19, 1989, eleven days before his thirty-sixth birthday, in Sherman Oaks, California.
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|id=0429080}} * {{IBDB name|id=73580}} * Martha Swope, "Reed Jones in a scene from the Broadway musical ''Cats"'' (photograph), in the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Reed}} Category:1953 births Category:1989 deaths Category:American male dancers Category:American choreographers Category:Artists from Portland, Oregon Category:20th-century American dancers Category:AIDS-related deaths in California