Jay R. Ferguson

Jay Rowland Ferguson Jr. is an American actor born on July 25, 1974, in Dallas, Texas. He first gained prominent television recognition in 1990 when he played the role of Ponyboy Curtis in the television series adaptation of S. E. Hinton's novel, The Outsiders.

Following his early television work, Ferguson secured the role of Taylor Newton on the CBS sitcom Evening Shade, appearing in the series from 1990 to 1994 across four seasons. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, he continued to build a steady career in television and film.

In feature films, Ferguson appeared as Billy in Higher Learning, Elmer Conway in The Killer Inside Me, and Keith Clayton in The Lucky One. His expanding television credits during this period included portraying Dr. Todd Hooper on Judging Amy, Rich Connelly in the 2005 NBC television series Surface, and Agent Warren Russell on the Showtime series Sleeper Cell.

Ferguson achieved further widespread television notice for his regular role as Stan Rizzo on the AMC drama series Mad Men, appearing in the show from 2010 to 2015. He subsequently starred as Pat O'Neal, the father of the family, in the ABC series The Real O'Neals.

In 2018, Ferguson played the character Chip Curry in the CBS sitcom Living Biblically. That same year, he joined the cast of the ABC sitcom The Conners as Ben Olinsky, the second husband of Darlene Conner, played by Sara Gilbert. He portrayed the character through 2025, and also appeared as Pastor Tom in a 2025 episode of Leanne.