Ike Jones

Ike Jones (December 23, 1929 – October 5, 2014) was a producer and actor who was perhaps best known for coming forward after the death of actress Inger Stevens with the claim of being her "secret" husband. He also had the distinction of being the first black graduate of UCLA Film School in June 1953 (with a degree in film studies) and the first black person to serve as a producer on a major motion picture.

Background

Jones, a native of Santa Monica, California, studied motion picture production at UCLA. While at UCLA, he was also star end for the Bruins football team.

Career

After graduating from UCLA, Jones was drafted in the 25th round by the Green Bay Packers in the 1953 NFL Draft.

That same year, Jones worked as an actor in bit parts and served as an assistant director on The Joe Louis Story. Later on in the decade, Jones worked as an assistant producer for Hill-Hecht Lancaster Company. After that production company folded, Harry Belafonte hired him as vice president of development for Harbel Productions.