Stoney Jackson facts for kids

Stonewall W. "Stoney" Jackson (born Alwyn Jackson on February 27, 1960) is an American actor from Richmond, Virginia. He became a familiar face on television and in movies, especially during the 1980s and 1990s. He was also a talented dancer who appeared in a famous music video.

Acting Career

Stoney Jackson started his acting career in the late 1970s. He was very popular with teenagers and was often featured in magazines like Right On, Teen Beat, and Tiger Beat.

Famous Roles on Television

Jackson played many memorable characters on TV. One of his first big roles was as Jesse Mitchell, a high school basketball player on the show The White Shadow. He later played Travis Fillmore on the popular comedy series 227.

He also made guest appearances on many other shows. These include Hardcastle and McCormick, The Jeffersons, and Walker, Texas Ranger. More recently, he has appeared in episodes of Everybody Hates Chris, Modern Family, and Psych.

Jackson's Movie Roles

Jackson has acted in many movies. In the 1994 Disney movie Angels in the Outfield, he played a baseball player named Ray Mitchell. He also appeared in the action film Streets of Fire. The director of that film, Walter Hill, liked working with him and cast him in two more movies, Trespass and Wild Bill.

In the 1993 comedy CB4, Jackson played a funny character named Wacky Dee. He even performed a song called "Dance" for the movie. In 1997, he played a supervillain called The Gangster Prankster in the movie Black Scorpion II. He played the same character again in the Black Scorpion TV series in 2001.

Dancing and Music Videos

Besides acting, Stoney Jackson is a skilled dancer. His most famous dance appearance was in Michael Jackson's iconic 1983 music video for the song "Beat It". He was one of the main dancers in the video's famous group dance scene.

He also appeared in the music video for Dan Hartman's song "I Can Dream About You". In the video, he lip-synced the lead vocals as part of a fictional group called "The Sorels." This was connected to his role in the movie Streets of Fire.

Legacy in Music

Stoney Jackson's name has been used in the titles of music albums. The artist Kool Keith named a song "Stoney Jackson" on his 2001 album Spankmaster. In 2010, the hip-hop group Strong Arm Steady named their second album In Search of Stoney Jackson.

Selected Film and TV Roles

Here are some of Stoney Jackson's most well-known roles.

Movies

• Roller Boogie (1979) - as "Phones"
• Streets of Fire (1984) - as Bird
• Jocks (1987) - as Andy
• Trespass (1992) - as Wicked
• CB4 (1993) - as Wacky Dee
• Angels in the Outfield (1994) - as Ray Mitchell
• Wild Bill (1995) - as Jubal Pickett
• Black Scorpion II (1997) - as Gangster Prankster
• Trippin' (1999) - as Kenyatta

Television

• The White Shadow (1980-81) - as Jesse B. Mitchell
• The Jeffersons (1985) - as Monk
• 227 (1989-90) - as Travis Filmore
• Family Matters (1993) - as Lee
• Walker, Texas Ranger (1997) - as Zack Russell
• Everybody Hates Chris (2006) - as Mr. Jackson
• Modern Family (2010) - as Referee
• Psych (2012) - as Fred Dozier