Ronny Cox (1938)

 Personal life

Cox, the third of five children, was born in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, the son of Lounette (née Rucker) and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a dairy. He grew up in Portales, New Mexico. Cox graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1963 with a double major in Theater and Speech Correction. On September 10, 1960, he married Mary Cox. They had two children; she died in 2006. Cox tours regularly with a musical band, performing at theatres and folk music festivals.

 Career

As an actor, he made his debut in the acclaimed 1972 film Deliverance, in a scene of which he plays the instrumental "Dueling Banjos" on his guitar with a banjo-playing mountain boy, played by child actor Billy Redden. Twelve years later, in the low-budget film Courage, Cox once again played a member of a small group of men who are, this time, lost in the Nevada desert and being chased by bloodthirsty locals.

In the period 1974-1975, Cox starred in the short-lived CBS family-oriented dramatic series entitled Apple's Way created by Earl Hamner, who created The Waltons. He appeared as "Mr. Webb" in a television production of Our Town.

One of his roles was that of Dr. John Gideon during the final season of the television medical drama St. Elsewhere. Cox's character was famously mooned by Dr. Donald Westphall at the end of the third episode of season six.

In 1987, Cox was cast in the "seminal" Paul Verhoeven film RoboCop, in the memorable role of corporate arch-villain Richard "Dick" Jones.

In 1990, he co-starred as Los Angeles Police Chief Roger Kendrick in the short-lived Cop Rock, presenting a striking physical resemblance to the real-world incumbent, Chief Daryl Gates. He also appeared as the antagonistic Mars Administrator Vilos Cohaagen in Total Recall the same year.

Cox made a notable appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation as the "efficient but impersonable" Captain Edward Jellico in the two-part episode "Chain of Command". He has also played Henry Mason, the father of Bree Van de Kamp on Desperate Housewives.

In 1997, Cox portrayed the fictional President of the United States Jack Neil in the movie Murder at 1600. Cox also portrayed John Ramsey in the 2000 television film Perfect Murder, Perfect Town.

Cox has also appeared as Lieutenant/Captain/Chief of Police Andrew Bogomil in Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop II, and Senator/Vice-President Robert Kinsey in Stargate SG-1.

He had a role in The Starter Wife TV series. He played Pappy McCallister, the husband of Molly Kagan's best friend Joan.

Cox has occasionally done animation-voice work, lending his voice to the Tyrusian deserter Doc in Invasion America, and Senator McMillan in Todd McFarlane's Spawn.

Cox guest starred in an episode of Matthew Perry's 2011 series Mr Sunshine with Beverly Hills Cop co-star John Ashton.

Cox played Walter Kenney in Dexter season six episode three ("Smokey and the Bandit")