Tommy Lee Jones’ anecdote about firing his daughter, Victoria, when she was a teenager has resurfaced after the 34-year-old was found lifeless at a San Francisco hotel.
Tommy and Victoria appeared together in the neo-Western film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, which was also directed by Tommy.
Then 14, his daughter played a young Mexican girl, a role that she earned thanks to her “impeccable” Spanish, according to her father.
Highlights
- Tommy Lee Jones once "fired" his daughter Victoria during filming for the movie 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.'
- Victoria also acted alongside her father in 'Men in Black II.'
- Victoria, 34, was found lifeless at a San Francisco hotel on New Year's Day.
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In addition to the 2005 film, Victoria also appeared alongside Tommy in Men in Black II and had a smaller role in the popular teen drama series One Tree Hill.
One year after the release of The Three Burials, Tommy shared an anecdote about the challenges of mixing family and professional relationships.
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“She’s a good actress, has her SAG card, speaks impeccable Spanish,” he told The New Yorker in 2006.
The Oscar-winning actor, who also speaks Spanish, credited Victoria’s language skills to her nurse speaking to her in Spanish when she was a little girl.
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One day, he lost his patience and did what he believed was best for both the film— his directorial debut—and his teenage daughter.
“She had to get up at 5 a.m. for her part,” he recalled.
“One morning, she wouldn’t get out of bed. I said, ‘Honey, this is work.’ But she wouldn’t budge. So I fired her.”
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However, the production ultimately had the final say and gave Victoria another chance.
“Then, without telling me, the production staff went over and woke her and rushed her out to the set just in time.”
The film was inspired by the real-life crime against a Texas high school student, Esequiel Hernandez Jr., by United States Marines, as well as by the novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.
It also starred Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, Dwight Yoakam, and January Jones.
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Tommy’s ranch near Van Horn, Texas, served as one of the sets for the film. His wife, Dawn Laurel-Jones, contributed to the production as the on-set still photographer.
Victoria did not pursue an acting career beyond her teenage years. Still, she sometimes accompanied her father to film premieres and international festivals, including in 2018, when he was on the jury of the Tokyo film festival.
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She was the daughter of Tommy and his second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley, to whom he was married from 1981 to 1996. The former couple also share a 43-year-old son, Austin.
During the interview with The New Yorker, Tommy shared that Victoria began playing polo, a family hobby, at the age of six, describing her as “entirely fearless.”
Victoria was found lifeless early on New Year’s Day at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel in California. Authorities said foul play is not suspected, though the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
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The San Francisco Fire Department reportedly received a call for a medical emergency at 2:52 a.m.
According to The Daily Mail, a hotel guest alerted staff after finding Victoria unresponsive in a corridor.
Paramedics arrived shortly afterward and declared her deceased at the scene.
San Francisco police officers then arrived at approximately 3:14 a.m and met with medics at the hotel. The case was turned over to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Authorities have not yet confirmed an official cause to explain Victoria’s passing or released additional details.
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The San Francisco Police Department is urging anyone with information about the case to come forward.
Victoria had three run-ins with the law, including arrests in Napa County and Santa Cruz County on charges related to controlled substances, domestic battery, and elder ab*se, The Mirror reported.
She pleaded not guilty in the Napa County case and was released on bail.
Details about the circumstances surrounding her legal issues have not been publicly released.
Tommy won an Oscar and Golden Globe for his role in The Fugitive. He is also known for films such as JFK, Lincoln, In the Valley of Elah, and No Country for Old Men.
He has been married three times. His first marriage was to Kate Lardner from 1971 to 1978. He then married Kimberlea Cloughley in 1981, with whom he welcomed his two children.
In 2001, the actor married his current wife, Dawn Laurel‑Jones, the stepmother to Austin and Victoria.
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