January Jones biography

Synopsis

Aspiring Model

Actress and model January Jones was born on January 5, 1978, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Growing up, Jones worked as a life guard and at a local Dairy Queen. "I hung out with dudes in high school. We were hippies into the Dead, Zeppelin, Phish," she told GQ. Jones was a typical teenager in many regards. Her father Marv told People magazine that she tried to sneak out of the house on a number of occasions. "One night she went out the basement window. Our dog was barking, which got her caught. Next time, she tried taking the dog with her."

After graduating high school, Jones decided to try her luck in New York City. "Everything was a culture shock. The people were different, the sights were different, the food was different . . . I was experiencing a freedom I hadn't before," she told WWD magazine. Jones started out as a model. Not tall enough for some jobs, she appeared in commercial advertisements for such companies as Abercrombie & Fitch and Clearasil. "I didn't really enjoy it. It was a means to an end for me," Jones once said.

Jones took a break from modeling, spending a few months in Paris. Among other pursuits, she read the works of Ayn Rand and visited the grave of rocker Jim Morrison while there. Jones then returned to New York briefly before moving out to Los Angeles to launch her acting career.

Breaking into Acting

In 1999, she had a small role in the television movie Sorority. Jones also appeared in the pilot episode of Get Real with Jon Tenney. She became well known for her relationship with Ashton Kutcher rather than for her acting talents. According to an interview in GQ magazine, Kutcher was not supportive of Jones' efforts to become an actress. Jones and Kutcher broke up in 2001. That same year, she appeared on the big screen in the crime caper Bandits, with Bruce Willis. Jones continued to land film work, with parts in the horror film Taboo (2002), and the romantic comedy, Full Frontal (2002). In the comedy Anger Management (2003), Jones played a lesbian porn star opposite Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson.

Continuing to pursue comedy, Jones had a supporting role in American Wedding (2003), the third installment of the American Pie films. She also worked with writer/director Richard Curtis on the ensemble dramatic comedy Love Actually (2003). The following year, Jones appeared in the poorly received Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

Working with legendary actor Tommy Lee Jones, Jones appeared in the critically acclaimed drama The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005). In the film, she played the wife of a border patrol officer who kills an illegal immigrant.