Jonathan Joss: Native American Actor, Voice of John Redcorn

Born: December 22, 1965 · Died: June 1, 2025 · Age: 59 · Ethnicity: Native American · Known for: John Redcorn (King of the Hill), Chief Ken Hotate (Parks and Recreation) · Cause of death: Gunshot

Six facts in the case file, one pattern: the public knew Joss’s characters far better than his name.

Who Was Jonathan Joss?

Jonathan Joss was an American actor and musician of Native American ancestry, according to Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia). He was born December 22, 1965, in San Antonio, Texas, and he built a career out of Native American characters — the kind of roles that were rarely handed to Native actors in the 1990s and 2000s.

What Was Jonathan Joss’s Full Name?

• Full name: Jonathan Joss Gonzales

Biographical records list his full name as Jonathan Joss Gonzales; professionally, he went by Jonathan Joss. His husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, was named in reporting after his death.

The pattern: Joss played Native characters in two long-running network sitcoms — a run that made him a touchstone for Native representation in mainstream television.

What Was Jonathan Joss’ Ethnicity?

Joss was of Native American ancestry, per Wikipedia — the record is summarized in the key facts above. What the available reporting doesn’t specify is a particular tribal affiliation. For context on how Native identity and ancestry are documented in public records and pop culture — and how often they aren’t — see this explainer on Native American heritage, DNA, symbols, and sacred numbers.

Why this matters: when King of the Hill put a Native actor behind John Redcorn in the late 1990s, it set a template that Parks and Recreation would follow a decade later with Chief Ken Hotate.

When Was Joss Born?

Joss was born December 22, 1965, in San Antonio, Texas, as listed in the key facts above. He was 59 when he died in the same city on June 1, 2025.

The implication: a 59-year life spent mostly outside the celebrity spotlight, with a death that forced the spotlight on anyway.

Who Shot Jonathan Joss?

San Antonio police responded to a shooting call and found Joss wounded near a roadway in the city’s south side. Officers attempted lifesaving measures before EMS pronounced him dead. The man arrested and charged with murder — Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, a neighbor — is named in the key facts above.

News 4 San Antonio (local NBC affiliate) reported that Joss had returned to the site of his former home to collect mail, and that police initially characterized the shooting amid an ongoing neighborhood feud.

What Was the Cause of Death?

• Cause of death: gunshot injuries (Global News (Canadian news outlet))
• Pronounced dead: after EMS response at the scene (NBC New York)

Joss’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, alleged that the shooting was homophobic, per NBC New York (NYC NBC station). He also told reporters the suspect had used homophobic slurs before the attack, according to The Washington Post (national newspaper).

Police initially said they found no evidence the killing was related to Joss’s sexual orientation, per USA Today (national daily). Police Chief William McManus later called that assessment premature and retracted it, telling USA Today it “was issued before investigators had substantial information.”

The catch: a police department that retracts its own initial assessment has to work twice as hard to convince the public the next statement is the real one.

Why Is Jonathan Famous?

Joss’s two signature roles — John Redcorn in King of the Hill and Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation — are why headlines led with his name after his death, and why fans kept asking about the characters.

Who Voiced John Redcorn in the New Season?

• Original run: 1997–2009 (BBC News — see timeline)
• Revival casting: none documented in the reporting on Joss’s death

Joss voiced John Redcorn in the original King of the Hill run from 1997 through 2009, as the timeline below details. He was the character’s voice for the entire original series. As for any new season, no John Redcorn casting has surfaced in the reporting cited in this article.

Who Played Bad Face in Tulsa King?

• Show: Tulsa King (2024)
• Role: Bad Face

Joss played Bad Face in Tulsa King in 2024, a credit listed in the timeline below. It was one of the last major roles of his career.

What Are Jonathan Joss’s Other Notable Roles?

• Chief Ken Hotate — Parks and Recreation (NBC News; key facts above)
• John Redcorn — King of the Hill (BBC News; timeline above)
• Actor and musician — biographical profile (Wikipedia; above)

Beyond the two sitcoms, Joss added a crime-drama credit in 2024 and maintained a parallel identity as a musician, according to his biographical profile. He belongs to a short list of Native actors with prominent television roles; for another example, read our profile of Native American actor Kiowa Gordon: tribe, roles, and career.

Key Dates in Jonathan Joss’s Life

Four dates, one arc: a San Antonio-born actor who turned two Native roles into a lasting television legacy.

The pattern: two decades of steady television work, then a killing that cut the story short just as Tulsa King was introducing Joss to a new generation of viewers.

What’s Confirmed and What’s Not

What’s confirmed

• Joss died of gunshot injuries on June 1, 2025, in San Antonio (Global News)
• Police found him wounded near a roadway in south San Antonio (ABC7 News)
• Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, was arrested and charged with murder (NBC News)
• Joss voiced John Redcorn in King of the Hill from 1997 through 2009 (BBC News)
• Joss played Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation (NBC News)

What’s unclear

• Whether the killing was a hate crime — police initially said no, then the chief retracted that statement as premature (USA Today)
• Whether the suspect used homophobic slurs — Joss’s husband said he did; the claim has not been confirmed in court (The Washington Post)
• What role a neighborhood feud played — police initially cited it before walking back the hate-crime assessment (News 4 San Antonio)
• Net worth and private financial details — no verified figure has been published
• Tribal affiliation — not specified in the biographical records cited here

Why the distinction matters: for readers, the confirmed facts define Joss’s legacy; the unclear facts define what the investigation still owes his family and the public.

Key Quotes on Joss’s Death and Career

“US actor Jonathan Joss… died aged 59. Joss was shot dead.”

BBC News (UK public broadcaster), reporting on Joss’s death

“The initial statement was issued before investigators had substantial information.”

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, explaining the retracted no-hate-crime statement, via USA Today

Joss’s husband alleged the killing was a homophobic attack, and said the suspect had used homophobic slurs before the shooting.

Tristan Kern de Gonzales, Joss’s husband, via NBC New York and The Washington Post

Between those three statements sits the whole shape of this case: a confirmed death, a disputed motive, and a police department trying to correct course.

The Takeaway

Joss’s death leaves two legacies running in parallel. One is creative: John Redcorn and Chief Ken Hotate put Native characters — played by a Native actor — into mainstream living rooms for more than two decades. The other is investigative: a murder charge, a retracted police statement, and a family pressing for the motive to be taken seriously. For the San Antonio Police Department, the implication is clear: let the evidence decide whether this killing is prosecuted as a hate crime, or the public will keep asking why the first answer was allowed to stand.

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