Anissa Jones
Encyclopedia
Mary Anissa Jones was an American
child actress known for her role as Buffy on the CBS
sitcom
Family Affair
. She died from combined drug intoxication
at the age of 18.
. Her maternal grandparents were Lebanese
; her middle name means little friend in Arabic
(rhyming with Lisa, rather than Melissa). Her parents were students at Purdue University
at the time of her birth and they soon moved to Playa Del Rey, California
. When she was two years old her mother enrolled Jones in dance classes. In 1964 when she was six, Jones' mother took her to an open audition for a breakfast cereal
commercial, which became her first television
appearance. She attended Paseo Del Rey Grammar School (and later, Orville Wright Junior High School).
sitcom Family Affair
(1966). In the opening plotline her character was one of three siblings sent to live with her Uncle Bill (Brian Keith
) and his butler Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot
) after the children's parents died in a car accident. By July 1969 the series was a hit and Jones became a popular child celebrity. That year she also had a small role in the Elvis Presley
comedy film The Trouble with Girls.
Family Affair was a grueling, full-time, year-round job for Jones. She was often either shooting or promoting the show in public seven days a week. Through the first three seasons, up to 30 episodes were broadcast. This contrasts with later American television series that shoot fewer than 25 episodes each season, allowing more breaks in filming and requiring fewer promotional appearances for the actors. In April 1969, Jones broke her leg on a playground
and the producers had her injury written into the show's scripts.
Jones' Buffy character had a doll
named "Mrs. Beasley" which she claimed talked to her, often making funny comments. When the show became a hit, the doll was marketed by Mattel
and became a best-seller in North America. Jones took part in several other lucrative Family Affair product marketing campaigns
such as Buffy paper doll
s, lunch box
es, a clothing line, coloring book
s and a 1971 cookbook
with her picture on the cover.
Family Affair was cancelled in 1971 after five seasons and 138 episodes. By then Jones was 13 years old and said she was happy at the thought of no longer needing to be seen with the doll. She wanted to act in films but, as can happen with any successful actor, child or adult, Jones couldn't find the kind of work she wanted. She auditioned unsuccessfully for the part of Regan MacNeil in the film The Exorcist
. Meanwhile Brian Keith kept in touch with her through letters and offered Jones a young-adult role on The Brian Keith Show
(1972–1974). Keith told her she would not need to audition for the part, but by then Jones did not want to work in television.
. She enrolled in Westchester High School
and returned to a life outside the entertainment industry.
Jones' parents had gone through a bitter divorce in 1965 and carried on a long feud over custody of Anissa and her younger brother, Paul. In 1973, custody was awarded to their father, but he died of heart disease shortly thereafter. When her brother went to live with their mother, Jones moved in with a friend and began skipping school
. Her mother reported Jones to the police as a runaway
. She was sent to juvenile hall and spent many months in state custody, after which she was allowed to live with her mother; however, Jones began shoplifting
and taking drugs. In 1975, she dropped out of high school altogether and briefly worked at a Playa Del Rey doughnut shop.
On her 18th birthday in March 1976, Jones gained control of saved earnings from her work in Family Affair, about USD
180,000 (roughly equal to $700,000 in 2009) which was being held in a trust fund and U.S. Savings Bonds. Jones and her brother Paul then rented an apartment together not far from their mother.
with her new boyfriend Allan (Butch) Koven and others, Jones was found dead in the bedroom of a house belonging to the parents of a 14-year-old friend named Helen Hennessey. The coroner
's report listed her death as an accidental drug overdose
. Cocaine
, PCP
, Quaaludes
and Seconal were found in her body during an autopsy
. The coroner who examined Jones reported she had died from one of the most severe drug overdoses he had ever seen.
Jones had no funeral and was cremated
. Her ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean
. She left $63,000 in cash and more than $100,000 in savings bonds when she died.
In 1984 her brother John Paul Jones, Jr. also died of a drug overdose.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
child actress known for her role as Buffy on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Family Affair
Family Affair
Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional...
. She died from combined drug intoxication
Combined drug intoxication
Combined drug intoxication , also known as multiple drug intake or lethal polydrug/polypharmacy intoxication, is an unnatural cause of human death...
at the age of 18.
Early years
Jones was born in West Lafayette, IndianaWest Lafayette, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific...
. Her maternal grandparents were Lebanese
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
; her middle name means little friend in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
(rhyming with Lisa, rather than Melissa). Her parents were students at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
at the time of her birth and they soon moved to Playa Del Rey, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. When she was two years old her mother enrolled Jones in dance classes. In 1964 when she was six, Jones' mother took her to an open audition for a breakfast cereal
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
commercial, which became her first television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearance. She attended Paseo Del Rey Grammar School (and later, Orville Wright Junior High School).
Career
Jones was eight when her acting skills drew the attention of television producers and she was cast as Elizabeth "Buffy" Patterson-Davis on the CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom Family Affair
Family Affair
Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional...
(1966). In the opening plotline her character was one of three siblings sent to live with her Uncle Bill (Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
) and his butler Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot
Sebastian Cabot (actor)
Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot was an English film and television actor, best remembered as the gentleman's gentleman, "Giles French," opposite Brian Keith's character, in the 1960s sitcom Family Affair. He was also known for playing Dr...
) after the children's parents died in a car accident. By July 1969 the series was a hit and Jones became a popular child celebrity. That year she also had a small role in the Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
comedy film The Trouble with Girls.
Family Affair was a grueling, full-time, year-round job for Jones. She was often either shooting or promoting the show in public seven days a week. Through the first three seasons, up to 30 episodes were broadcast. This contrasts with later American television series that shoot fewer than 25 episodes each season, allowing more breaks in filming and requiring fewer promotional appearances for the actors. In April 1969, Jones broke her leg on a playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
and the producers had her injury written into the show's scripts.
Jones' Buffy character had a doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
named "Mrs. Beasley" which she claimed talked to her, often making funny comments. When the show became a hit, the doll was marketed by Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
and became a best-seller in North America. Jones took part in several other lucrative Family Affair product marketing campaigns
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
such as Buffy paper doll
Paper doll
Paper dolls are figures cut out of paper, with separate clothes that are usually held onto the dolls by folding tabs. They have been inexpensive children's toys for almost two hundred years. Today, many artists are turning paper dolls into an art form....
s, lunch box
Lunch box
The lunch box, also referred to as a lunch pail or lunch kit, is used to store food to be taken to work or school. The concept of a food container has existed for a long time, but it wasn't until people began using tobacco tins to haul meals in the early 20th century, followed by the use of...
es, a clothing line, coloring book
Coloring book
A coloring book is a type of book containing line art for a reader to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media...
s and a 1971 cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
with her picture on the cover.
Family Affair was cancelled in 1971 after five seasons and 138 episodes. By then Jones was 13 years old and said she was happy at the thought of no longer needing to be seen with the doll. She wanted to act in films but, as can happen with any successful actor, child or adult, Jones couldn't find the kind of work she wanted. She auditioned unsuccessfully for the part of Regan MacNeil in the film The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
. Meanwhile Brian Keith kept in touch with her through letters and offered Jones a young-adult role on The Brian Keith Show
The Brian Keith Show
The Brian Keith Show is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1972 to March 1974. The series stars Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares.-Synopsis:...
(1972–1974). Keith told her she would not need to audition for the part, but by then Jones did not want to work in television.
Later teens
Jones believed she had been typecastTypecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
. She enrolled in Westchester High School
Westchester High School (Los Angeles)
Westchester High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Local District 3.It is located in Westchester , USA, a suburban neighborhood adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport and bordered by Playa Vista to the north, Inglewood to the east, El Segundo to the...
and returned to a life outside the entertainment industry.
Jones' parents had gone through a bitter divorce in 1965 and carried on a long feud over custody of Anissa and her younger brother, Paul. In 1973, custody was awarded to their father, but he died of heart disease shortly thereafter. When her brother went to live with their mother, Jones moved in with a friend and began skipping school
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
. Her mother reported Jones to the police as a runaway
Runaway youth
A runaway is a minor or a person under an arbitrary age, depending upon the local jurisdiction, who has left the home of his or her parent or legal guardian without permission, or has been thrown out by his or her parent and is considered by the local authorities to lack the capacity to live under...
. She was sent to juvenile hall and spent many months in state custody, after which she was allowed to live with her mother; however, Jones began shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
and taking drugs. In 1975, she dropped out of high school altogether and briefly worked at a Playa Del Rey doughnut shop.
On her 18th birthday in March 1976, Jones gained control of saved earnings from her work in Family Affair, about USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
180,000 (roughly equal to $700,000 in 2009) which was being held in a trust fund and U.S. Savings Bonds. Jones and her brother Paul then rented an apartment together not far from their mother.
Death
Five and a half months later, in the early morning hours of August 28, 1976 after partying all night in the beach town of Oceanside, CaliforniaOceanside, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...
with her new boyfriend Allan (Butch) Koven and others, Jones was found dead in the bedroom of a house belonging to the parents of a 14-year-old friend named Helen Hennessey. The coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
's report listed her death as an accidental drug overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
. Cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, PCP
Phencyclidine
Phencyclidine , commonly initialized as PCP and known colloquially as angel dust, is a recreational dissociative drug...
, Quaaludes
Methaqualone
Methaqualone is a sedative-hypnotic drug that is similar in effect to barbiturates, a general central nervous system depressant. The sedative-hypnotic activity was first noted by Indian researchers in the 1950s and in 1962 methaqualone itself was patented in the US by Wallace and Tiernan...
and Seconal were found in her body during an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
. The coroner who examined Jones reported she had died from one of the most severe drug overdoses he had ever seen.
Jones had no funeral and was cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
. Her ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. She left $63,000 in cash and more than $100,000 in savings bonds when she died.
In 1984 her brother John Paul Jones, Jr. also died of a drug overdose.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 to 1971 | Family Affair Family Affair Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional... |
Ava Elizabeth "Buffy" Patterson-Davis | 138 episodes |
| 1969 | The Trouble with Girls | Carol | |
| 1970 | To Rome With Love To Rome With Love To Rome With Love is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 1969 to September 1971.-Synopsis:To Rome With Love is the story of a widowed college professor, Michael Endicott, who decided to leave his native Iowa following the death of his wife and accept a new position as an instructor... |
Buffy Davis | Episode: "Roman Affair" |