Born in Seattle, Washington, USA, Jones first started a career in the prop deaprtament and worked as an actor before deciding to work as a makeup artist while working in the makeup labs of friens Steve Neill and Rick Stratton. In 1992 he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special for his work on the television sport drama Babe Ruth, shared with Michael Westmore.