Television personality and AZfoothills.com columnist Nadine Toren is scouring the area, finding savvy Valley features, bringing readers “on the scene.” Every day she’ll introduce you to celebrities, athletes, and give you an inside look into local events and hot spots. She'll touch on topical issues, and keep AZ fans posted on all the big talkers around town.
He's quite the stud in movies and TV shows, but did you know actor Tank Jones has ties to the Valley?
He’s been in over 2 dozen films. He’s also toured as a hip-hop artist, hosted the pre-show for the Miss USA Pageant, has been in a handful of esteemed TV programs, starred in a number of commercials, and has made guest-spots on shows like Access Hollywood.And did I mention he’s a Sun Devil?
Yep, Tank Jones moved to the Valley after high school and attended ASU. The actor, speaker, and entrepreneur surely has his hands full, balancing quite the career and personal life. Lucky for me, the married father of two (and one on the way), gave me in the inside scoop on stardom and life as a Hollywood A-lister.
The tall, dark, and handsome man was nick-named “Tank” as a toddler. Turns out, it’s short for “little tank-head,” because he thought he had super-powers and could run through walls, refrigerators, etc.
“I'd hit them, fall down, get back up, dust myself off and go run into something else.”
Words to live by, right???
Tank grew up in a small Illinois farm town. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles, but stays with his dad in Mesa when he visits the Valley. He’s been a professional SAG member since 1997, and has loved life ever since.
“Acting gives you a chance to tell the stories of different people in amazing ways. You can put your spin on it. I enjoy everything about the process, even the hurry-up-and-wait aspect of it. It's a special feeling being on a setknowing you're a part of telling someone's story, fact or fiction.”
He’s been in big-time flicks like 3 Kings and Any Given Sunday, in addition to a slew of lower budget films such as The Controller (currently on Starz), Alien Invasion, and Easy Rider II (the sequel/prequel to the 1960s original). He’s also had parts on CSI and CSI: Miami, and most recently played a role in the hit, Breaking Bad.
The multi-talented man is also an artist—several of his songs have made it to the radio. And he’s even old pals with Regis Philbin.
“Interviews with Regis were a lot of fun. Interviews, in general, are fun. I don't know if I would consider it ‘stardom’ at this point, as people are still getting to know me. But, letting them know ‘Hey, it's me;’ that's fun, too.”
OK, so he’s an up-and-coming actor, but still has the skills to eventually land his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
And in his spare time (yeah right!), he heads Choices, a non-profit that he started back in 2003. He periodically speaks to students about creative ways to deal with life’s issues.
“We have multi-media school assemblies that talk about labeling, peer pressure, bullying and more. There has to be a counter balance in our lives, and if not, we tip the scales in the wrong direction. Choices makes sure we all know there are many, many options in life.”
And as for his two-cents to success…Tank says it’s all about believing in yourself.
For more on our celebrity Sun Devil, visit: www.tankjones.com
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