Sam J. Jones

Sam J. Jones (born August 12, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, often credited as Sam Jones. 6'4", husky, and stunningly handsome, he has long been a favorite of beefcake fans. Often cast as a hero in action films, he has also played several villians since the early 1990's.

Jones made his first film appearance opposite Bo Derek in the 1979 film 10. Today he is largely remembered now for his portrayal of the comic book hero Flash Gordon in the 1980 film of the same name, which today enjoys a cult status strengthened by the recent re-release on DVD with audio commentary by Brian Blessed.

The critical failure (at the time) of Flash Gordon effectively stalled a promising career in American film. Since then his work has largely been in television and in low-budget action films, notably in the role of Chris Rorchek in the TV series Code Red (1981-1982), and more recently in action films such as Obsession Kills (1995), Fists of Iron (1995), American Strays (1996), American Tigers (1996), Gangland and Psychotic (2002). Jones also played the lead in a 1987 U.S. adaptation of Will Eisner's comics character The Spirit, and starred in the 1988 The Highwayman series on NBC. In 2001 he starred in the Animal Planet's family series Hollywood Safarias a park ranger. He also made a memorable appearance in an episode of Stargate SG-1 entitled "Deadman Switch".

Jones appeared in Playgirl magazine's June 1975 issue in a photo layout, using the name Andrew Cooper III which he has since admitted was an alias created by the editors to suggest he was a person of wealth. He is one of the very few former Playgirl models to carve a successful career for himself in Hollywood.

Sam Jones has been married twice and is the father of five children. .