Anissa Jones Biography

Mary Anissa Jones (March 11, 1958 – August 28, 1976) 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.

Early years

Jones was born in West Lafayette, Indiana. Her maternal grandparents were Lebanese; her middle name means friendly in Arabic (rhyming with Lisa, rather than Melissa). Her parents, John Paul Jones and Paula Tweel, 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).

Career

Jones was eight when her acting skills drew the attention of television producers, and she was cast as Ava Elizabeth "Buffy" Patterson-Davis on the CBS sitcom Family Affair (1966). In the opening plotline, Buffy, her twin brother, Jody (Johnny Whitaker) and older sister, Cissy (Kathy Garver) are sent to live with their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) and his valet Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) after the children's parents died in a car accident. By July 1969 the series had become 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 each of 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 dolls, lunch boxes, a clothing line, coloring books 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 for the part of Regan MacNeil in the film The Exorcist, but the director felt that, with Family Affair still in popular consciousness at the time through daytime reruns, movie audiences might think Buffy was the one being possessed. 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 no longer wanted to work in television.

Later teens

Jones believed she had been typecast. She enrolled in Westchester High School and returned to a life outside the entertainment industry.

Jones' parents initiated 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. While 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 Winchell's Donut shop in Playa Del Rey.

On her 18th birthday, in March 1976, Jones gained control of saved earnings from her work in Family Affair, about $180,000 (equal to $}} today), 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

In the early morning hours of August 28, 1976, after partying all night in the beach town of Oceanside, California 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 Hennessy. 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 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 1983, Hillary Carlip and her band, "Angel and the Reruns," recorded "Buffy, Buffy, Come Back To Me," a satiric tribute to the late Jones set to the tune of the Family Affair theme song.

In 1984, her brother, John Paul Jones, Jr., also died of a drug overdose.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966 to 1971	Family Affair	Ava Elizabeth "Buffy" Patterson-Davis	138 episodes
1969	The Trouble with Girls	Carol
1970	To Rome With Love	Ava Elizabeth "Buffy" Patterson-Davis	Episode: "Roman Affair"