Ferris Bueller’s Day Off principal Ed Rooney was played by seasoned actor Jeffrey Jones, but there is plenty more you need to know about this iconic bumbling bad-guy.
Now …
You know that the Ferris Bueller principal is one of the great (supposed) good-guy villains in movie history.
After all, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off would have been a non-issue without the meddling, gotcha-chasing, jealousy of the school boss, right?
Ferris and friends would have just headed out into the Chicago sunshine, and no one would have ever been the wiser.
But even if you *think* you know all there is to know about the man, there are some basics you need to make sure you have nailed down when it comes to Ferris Bueller’s principal.
Because, if you don’t keep an eye on him, he might just sneak up behind you.
Ed Rooney was the principal’s name in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or Principal Edward R. Rooney if you want to be more exacting.
The “R” stands for … uh … would you believe, restive? Nah, me either, but Principal Rooney is certainly one of the most classic tight-asses to ever grace the big screen.
Jeffrey Jones played Principal Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Known for his comic but flustered deadpan, Jones already had a solid resume under his belt before Ferris tweaked his proverbial nose, but the film catapulted him to the top of the character-actor charts.
Since Ferris Bueller, Jones has scored more than 25 film roles and several runs on television, despite his run-ins with the law (See below).
Rooney flies around town looking for Ferris and his fellow delinquents in a sweet, sweet Plymouth Reliant K. Cherry ride, huh?
Sure, Cameron has that Ferrari and Jeanie drives a sporty little Fiero, but nothing says “I’ve made it” like a Reliant K.
Principal Rooney’s assistant is Grace, played by the inimitable Edie McClurg.
McClurg brought her trademark shrill voice, nervous authority, and daunting judgement to this role, only serving to ramp up Rooney’s own consternation all the more.
In 2002, Jones ran (way) afoul of the law, facing charges of possession of child pornography and soliciting a minor to pose for nude photos. He pled no contest to the second charge in exchange for the first being dropped.
His sentence included five years’ probation, counseling, and registering as a sex offender.
In subsequent years, Jones had a couple other legal issues arising from a failure to properly report his sex offender status.
Jeffrey Jones does still get acting work from time to time, as his IMDB filmography listing attests.
However, it’s hard to look at that resume and come to any other conclusion than that his legal troubles put a big-time dent in Jones’ acting career.
Whereas you could count on seeing him in at least one film, and generally multiples, each year leading up to 2002, he has just four movies and a few television appearances — including a 35-episode arc on Deadwood — to his credit.
(Like Ferris Bueller Principal? Then you might like our article on Tragedy Befell The Cast Of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, click here.)
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