Held at the Pierre Hotel, the musical tribute, inspired by Jones' career in theatre, film and television, was directed by Nick Corley.
Performers included Annaleigh Ashford, Elizabeth Ashley, Anna Chlumsky, Tyne Daly, Kelsey Grammer, Julie Halston, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, James Monroe Iglehart, Jefferson Mays, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kristine Nielsen, Estelle Parsons, Phylicia Rashad, Christopher Sieber, Richard Thomas, John Douglas Thompson, Dylan Walsh, Leslie Uggams, Susyn Waldman, Alton Fitzgerald White and the Broadway casts of You Can’t Take It With You and Jersey Boys.
Special guests included Alan Cumming, Robert and Michelle King, Mark Saks, Judith Light, Michael Mayer, Gretchen M. Michelfeld, Patina Miller, Diane Paulus and David Rockwell.
Jones was one of the first African-American actors to appear regularly in daytime soap operas (playing a doctor in both "The Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns"), and made his film debut in 1964 in Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove." In 1969 Jones won a Tony Award for his performance as boxer Jack Johnson in The Great White Hope (which also garnered him an Oscar nomination for the 1970 film adaptation). His stage work also includes The Best Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Othello and Paul Robeson. His film credits include "Matewan," "Field of Dreams" and "Cry, the Beloved Country" and voice work in "Star Wars" and "The Lion King."
The Drama League also recognized the "The Good Wife" as its 2015 Arts Ally in recognition of executive producers Robert and Michelle King and casting director Mark Saks.
Saks accepted the recognition from Tony Award-winning actor Alan Cumming, currently starring in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Cabaret and as a series regular on "The Good Wife."
Previous honorees include Neil Patrick Harris, Liza Minnelli, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Chita Rivera, Rosie O’Donnell and Terrence McNally.
The event was produced by Roger T. Danforth and Trevor Tamashiro.
