JONAS BLEDSOE
Miguel Ferrer
Character Biography:
Jonas Bledsoe was born in Chicago, Illinois to Isaiah and Denise Bledsoe. Isaiah was a prominent trader on the Chicago Board of Trade until his death in 1954 of a massive coronary. Denise Bledsoe remained unmarried, raising Jonas alone in Winnetka, Illinois. Jonas started school at Crow Island elementary, going on to attend Washburn Middle School and New Trier High School where he graduated in the top ten percent of his class. During high school Bledsoe excelled at swimming, leading his team to the state championships. He was known for his sharp debating skills and during his final two years, he had a weekly morning radio program where he showcased the works of new jazz artists like Lonnie Smith, Les McCann and Bill Doggett.
After graduation, Bledsoe enrolled at West Point Military Academy. He graduated in 1975 and was stationed in Saudi Arabia. As the Lebanese Civil War escalated, Bledsoe was sent to Beirut as a military observer. Despite the official mandate, Bledsoe broke protocol in an ultimately doomed attempt to rescue civilians in the Tel al-Zaatar refugee camp massacre. While disciplinary action was taken, his actions caught the attention of General Garrigus. Bledsoe was reassigned to Garrigus’ detail and quickly rose through the ranks. When Garrigus retired in 1987 Bledsoe held the rank of a Major. Bledsoe was assigned to Okinawa where he observed China’s growing military strength. His report, entitled The New Nuclear Power was largely ignored until after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.
Bledsoe returned to the United States in 1990, where he was stationed at Fort McNair in Washington, DC. During the Gulf War, Bledsoe was responsible for tracking new initiatives in warfare and weaponry, including the use of RPV drones and Navstar GPS. It was during his research of these new weapons that Bledsoe encountered Anthony Anthros, a pre-eminent scientist in the field of bio-tech engineering.
By the end of the war, Bledsoe, now a Colonel, headed several research
initiatives for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the
Clinton Administration. It was in his role as an advisor to the JCOS
that Colonel Bledsoe testified before the Senate Committee on technology
and new types of warfare. His testimony outlined scenarios for World
War Three. Congress and the Pentagon were unprepared for Bledsoe’s
doomsday scenario. He was forced into early retirement. In the
wake of 9/11, Bledsoe’s detractors decried his vision of the
future and called him a technological Cassandra, noting that he failed
to take into account box cutters.
Actor Biography:
The son of Academy Award winner Jose Ferrer and singer Rosemary Clooney, Miguel Ferrer was most recently known for his role in the series Crossing Jordan. One of his earliest and most memorable performances was playing FBI Agent Albert Rosenfeld on David Lynch's Twin Peaks. Ferrer is a fan of the sci-fi genre and was the voice of the Weather Wizard on the Justice League animated series. Interestingly, he played a very similar role in a CBS pilot for a live-action Justice League TV series that never surfaced. In addition to acting, Ferrer directed four episodes of Crossing Jordan. He is a member of the band The Jenerators alongside fellow TV actor Bill Mumy.
Profile Contributors:
Craig Byrne