A technician, Jones worked in the film laboratory and other departments but his real interest lay behind the camera, creating the visual product.

While at Keystone, Dick Jones met and married Irene Lentz, a young actress who would go on to become one of Hollywood's leading costume designers.

In 1926, Jones was responsible for signing Mabel Normand to a contract with Roach Studios after health and drug addiction problems had kept the star actress out of films for three years.

At a time when a number of prominent silent film directors could not make the transition to sound, Jones' first effort was heralded for its quality and his future looked bright.

However, Jones soon fell ill, possibly from tuberculosis that ravaged Los Angeles in the early 1930s and that would claim the lives of stars such as Normand and Renée Adorée.