About Simon Jones (actor)
Simon Jones (born 27 July 1950) is an English actor. He is best known for originating the role of Arthur Dent, protagonist of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He also played the role of Donald Shellhammer in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), appeared in Brideshead Revisited (1981) as Lord Brideshead, and as King George V in the film Downton Abbey (2019), and as Bannister in The Gilded Age. == Early life == Jones was born 27 July 1950, in Charlton Park, Wiltshire, England. When young, his family moved to Broad Town near Wootton Bassett, travelling often to visit elderly aunts in Salisbury. Jones studied at King's College, Taunton, before going up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, at age 25. == Career == Jones appeared in various television series, including Brideshead Revisited, in which he played the Earl of Brideshead, or 'Bridey', heir to the Marquess of Marchmain, and the second series of Blackadder (1986), playing Sir Walter Raleigh in the episode "Potato". His films have included Club Paradise (1986), Privates on Parade (1982), Miracle on 34th Street and The Devil's Own (1997). Jones was studying at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he was a member of the Footlights and met Douglas Adams. This led to him being cast in Out of the Trees and later The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
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