Henry Jones Sr.

A scholar who sought knowledge first, but found family in the end.

Professor Henry Walton Jones, Sr. A driven academic and author of many books, he is known for his professional speaking tours on historical subjects worldwide. His life was largely dedicated to researching the Holy Grail, documented in his famous Grail diary. While often characterized by an indifferent relationship with his son due to conflicting approaches, they shared a deep mutual fondness for history. Born in Scotland on December 12, 1872, and a graduate of the University of Oxford in 1893, Henry is portrayed by Sean Connery in his debut film and by Lloyd Owen in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Quick Facts

Series: Indiana Jones
First: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Full name: Henry Walton Jones, Sr.
Occupation: Archaeologist; Professor of Medieval Literature
Spouse: Anna Mary Jones (wife) (deceased)
Gender: Male
Children: Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (son); Susie Jones (daughter) (deceased)
Religion: Christian

Lore & Background

Henry Jones Sr. was born in Scotland on December 12, 1872, receiving his degree from the University of Oxford in 1893 before becoming a professor at Princeton, described by his son as 'the one the students hope they don't get.' A devout Christian who slapped young Indiana for using Jesus' name in vain, Henry struggled with parenting after his wife Anna died of influenza in 1912. He claimed this distance taught 'self-reliance,' but Indy felt he was less important than people dead for five hundred years. The rift widened when Indiana enlisted in the Belgian Army in 1916 without his consent; they went three years without seeing each other, and Indy embraced Marcus Brody as a father figure. When Indy guns down a pair of Nazis, Henry exclaims 'Look what you did!'

Reader's Guide

Henry Jones Sr. acts as the intellectual anchor to Indiana's physical prowess, preferring elegant solutions like flapping an umbrella at seagulls to disable a Nazi plane rather than direct combat. He suffers from a fear of rats and acrophobia, often declaring 'This is intolerable!' in trying circumstances. His relationship with his son transformed significantly during their 1938 adventure; he finally stopped calling him 'Junior' and used the name 'Indiana' when convincing him to abandon the Grail.

Henry also revealed that Indiana's nickname came from his dog. In later media, such as The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, he invited Helen Seymour to tutor young Indy after a successful 1909 book on chivalry. By the time of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Henry has died: the novelization places his death roughly two years before the film, while the DK book Indiana Jones the Ultimate Guide lists it as 1951.

Did You Know?

Sean Connery was only twelve years older than Harrison Ford, surprising the cast when he was cast as Henry Sr.
Connery ad-libbed the line 'She talks in her sleep' to explain how Henry knew Elsa Schneider was a Nazi, causing the crew to laugh so hard the first take had to be dropped.
Henry Jones Sr. refers to his son only as 'Junior' throughout most of The Last Crusade, finally calling him 'Indiana' only when asking him to let go of the Grail.
In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a framed photo of Henry is seen on Indy's desk, and Indy repeats his father's catchphrase 'This is intolerable!' while escaping Soviets.