Ernesto Cloma Briones Jr. (born August 7, 1965), known as Jon Jon Briones, is a

Filipino-American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

actor best known for his work in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

. He played the Engineer in the original casts in the West End revival of ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a sung-through musical theatre, stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madama Butterfly'', and similarly tells th ...

'' in 2014, for which he was nominated for the

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Award ...

, and reprised the part on Broadway in 2017.

Career

While an engineering student in the Philippines, Briones became involved with the original 1989 London production of ''

''. Briones had a friend who was a producer in the Philippines, who asked Briones to help "facilitate an audition" for the Cameron Mackintosh team who were holding auditions in the Philippines for ''Miss Saigon''. In addition to helping with the organization of the auditions, Briones himself auditioned for and then became a member of the ensemble. He has been involved with various touring productions of ''Miss Saigon'', as a swing and covering other roles, finally playing the Engineer. In 2014 he joined the original cast of the ''Miss Saigon'' West End revival, playing the Engineer. He was nominated for the

for playing this role and won the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He remained in the role until the production closed on February 27, 2016. In 2017, Briones transferred with the production to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

at the

Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

. Previews started on March 1, 2017, with an official opening on March 23. On April 30, 2019, Briones received the Visionary Award from

East West Players East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give ...

during their annual awards dinner and silent auction. The award is given to celebrate individuals that are able to raise the visibility of

Asian Pacific American Asian/Pacific American (APA) or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) or Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) or Asian American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) is a term sometimes used in the United States when including both Asian ...

s through their work. During his acceptance speech, Briones said that his "vision is that we change hearts and minds in Hollywood and in the theatre community so they see that we have a voice and a story – beautiful stories – to tell, and ''we'' are the ones who can and should tell it." In 2018, he appeared in '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'' as Modesto Cunanan, father of

Gianni Versace Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up ...

's murderer, Andrew Cunanan, and in '' American Horror Story: Apocalypse'' as Ariel Augustus. In 2020, Briones appeared in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

drama series '' Ratched'', portraying Dr. Richard Hanover. In 2022, Briones appeared in the second season of ''Star Trek: Picard''. His daughter, Isa Briones, is a main cast member on the series. In 2023, Jon Jon Briones played the role of Joseph in the movie 'The Last Voyage of the Demeter.' This drama/horror film tells the story of the crew of the merchant ship Demeter, who sail towards London to deliver a cargo of 50 unmarked wooden crates, only to discover that they are not alone. The presence of Dracula haunts them throughout the entire ship. In March 2024, Briones joined the cast of ''

Hadestown ''Hadestown'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice, a young girl looking for something to eat, goes to work in a hellish industrial vers ...

'' on Broadway, portraying

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

. He starred opposite his daughter, who made her Broadway debut as

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

Personal life

Briones was born in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

, Philippines and became a

United States citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constitu ...

in 2010.Wolf, Matt
"West End Star Jon Jon Briones on His 25-Year Journey in 'Miss Saigon', From Ensemble Member to Engineer"
broadway.com, May 7, 2014 In 1996, he married Megan Johnson. They have two children: Isa Briones (b. 1999) and Teo Briones (b. 2005). His wife and both children are also actors.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre credits

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Briones, Jon Jon 1965 births American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male musical theatre actors Filipino emigrants to the United States Living people Male actors from Manila Theatre World Award winners