Rashida Jones (Actor)

Rashida Jones stars on Unhitched. (Photo: Fox)

About Rashida Jones

With her striking features and collected manner, Rashida Jones injected a dose of exotic beauty and unpredictability into NBC’s breakout comedy hit, “The Office” (NBC, 2005- ) with her third-season addition to the cast. The exotic beauty – who unwittingly throws a monkey wrench into the workplace flirtation of the show’s fabled couple, Jim and Pam – had powerful genes on her side – being the daughter of composer and record producer (1982’s Thriller) Quincy Jones and leggy, blonde actress Piggy Lipton, of “Mod Squad” (ABC, 1968-1973) fame.

Born in Los Angeles, CA on Feb. 25, 1976, this product of a racially mixed family was raised in the swanky enclave of Bel Air, along with her older sister, Kidada. Not surprisingly, the youngster – whose name, Rashida, was Arabic for “wise” – was artistically and academically inclined from the start. While she was an avid reader by age five, she learned music primarily by ear. She would later say that while her photographic memory served her well when it came to listening to music and playing it back to near-perfection, she consequently did not learn to read music as well. Her father insisted that she must learn the fundamentals and theory as well. Nevertheless, even as a youngster, Jones was playing classical concerts and winning awards, no doubt making her musical genius father extremely proud. Despite her parents’ great love for one another, the couple divorced when Rashida was 10 years-old, leaving the two girls to move in with their mother.

After finishing at Buckley School with academic honors, Jones went on to attend Harvard University, where she studied religion and philosophy, as well as performed in college theater productions. While in school, she served as the music director of the Harvard a cappella group called The Harvard Opportunities, and was a composer for Harvard’s infamous “Hasty Puddings” theatricals. She also sang back-up for the band Maroon 5, providing vocals for the tracks “Tangled” and “Secret,” on their 2002 debut album, Songs About Jane. Accompanied by her father’s vocals, she also contributed to a tribute Tupac Shakur album, The Rose that Grew From Concrete. The family participation stemmed greatly from the fact that older sis, Kidada, had been engaged to the gangsta rapper at the time of his murder on the Vegas Strip in 1996.

Jones graduated Harvard in 1997, and started her acting career that same year with a role in CBS’ “The Last Don” – a telefilm adapted from the book of the same name by Godfather writer Mario Puzo. In 2000, she appeared in the indie film, “East of A,” and in HBO’s “If These Walls Could Talk II.” She also played school bully Karen Scarfolli in an episode of “Freaks and Geeks (Fox, 2000) entitled, “Kim Kelly is My Friend.”

Her popularity grew with her role of assistant principal Louisa Fenn on the acclaimed David E. Kelley drama, “Boston Public,” (Fox, 2000-04). Although it was a supporting role, she made enough of an impact to be nominated for an NAACP Image Award. On top of proving her mettle as a quality actress, Jones’ unique beauty was getting its share of attention as well. In 2002, the newcomer appeared on People magazine’s highly publicized list of “50 Most Beautiful People.”

Continuing to pay her acting dues, Jones appeared in a bit part in the feature film “Full Frontal” (2002), in the independent film “Now You Know” (2002) and in the low budget mockumentary, “Death of a Dynasty” (2003). She also made two appearances in the wildly popular and cutting edge comedy program, “Chappelle’s Show” (Comedy Central, 2003-04) – first, in the fifth episode of the first season, followed by an appearance in the fourth episode of the second season. She continued honing her comedy chops with an appearance in the pilot for the 2005 improvisational comedy series, “Stella,” also on Comedy Central.

After playing a larger supporting role as Dr. Rachel Keyes in the widely panned romantic comedy “Little Black Book” (2004) starring Brittany Murphy, Jones landed a starring role in the British television series, “NY-LON” (2004), in which she played a bohemian New York City record store clerk who embarks on a doomed romance with a stockbroker visiting from London. That part helped lead to a recurring role as Det. Carla Merced in the series, “Wanted” (TNT, 2005).

But it was the part of Karen Filippelli on “The Office” that brought Jones her most widespread attention to date. Playing a part that, with her ravishing good looks, could easily have been a ruthless vixen, Jones brought a softness and a down-to-earth sensibility to Karen, which made her a believable match for ordinary guy Jim Halpert (John Krasinski). Although fans were mixed over the emergence of Karen, following the separation of the program’s beloved couple, Jim and Pam (Jenna Fischer), Jones was so unthreatening, that fans came to enjoy her goofy antics as much as the rest of the Dunder-Mifflin misfits. Interestingly enough, Jones did, in fact, at one time reportedly date Krasinski, as well as “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 1975- ) cast member Seth Myers, actor Tobey Maguire and DJ Mark Ronson.

Using her time in the spotlight wisely, Jones was scheduled to appear in a Paul Reiser project and to co-star in a planned ABC sitcom entitled, “Our Thirties,” as well as appear in the film, “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men,” directed by none other than “Office” co-star, Krasinski.

Notes

"I had a big depression in college and theater was the only thing that kept me going. Acting was a way to channel all that angst and express myself in a set of circumstances where there were no real consequences." - quoted in Us, Jan. 22, 2001

"I told my dad I wanted to be the first black Jewish woman president!" - Jones on her high hopes, to Us, Jan. 22, 2001

Jones has contributed writing to Teen Vogue magazine and a chapter of her father’s autobiography Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones.

Jones has modeled for Harper's Bazaar.

Jones was featured along with her father on a track on the Tupac Shakur tribute album The Rose that Grew From Concrete, a collection of friends reading poetry from his early years.