Turlock-born Dot-Marie Jones — arm wrestler to actor — stars in film now streaming

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From arm-wrestling champion to Emmy-nominated actress, Turlock/Hilmar native Dot-Marie Jones is among the stars in a new streaming film.

Jones is among the leading cast members in “Don’t Tell Larry,” now available on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

She posted on Reddit in July about her role.

“I’m Dot-Marie Jones. You might know me from things like Glee, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Boondock Saints, Bros, and Lizzie McGuire,” the Reddit post said. “I’m starring in Don’t Tell Larry, a dark-office-comedy …”

Jones co-stars along with Patty Guggenheim and Ed Begley Jr.

She plays a detective in the film, which stars Guggenheim as Susan, an employee at Good Lakes Cruise, where Begley Jr.’s character, CEO Bruce, is about to retire, according to a review on Movie Jawn. Susan expects to take over his role, but Bruce hires coworker Larry, so Susan shuts him out of a retirement party for the outgoing CEO.

“After lying to her new eccentric coworker Larry about a company party, an ambitious corporate flunky must deal with the unexpected consequences,” according to a synopsis on IMDB.com.

The Movie Jawn reviewer says Jones shines in her role: “The real standout performance for me is Dot-Marie Jones as Kim, a police detective with a dangerous connection to Susan. … Her character is easily the most compelling even though we only get snippets of her backstory.”

Dot-Marie Jones speaks at a Power of the Purse Luncheon in 2013 at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto.

The Modesto-“Glee” connection

Jones is best known for her role as Coach Beiste in the Fox hit series “Glee,” a show with a history of Modesto connections.

The Ryan Murphy series was cast by Modesto native Robert Ulrich and his company. Ulrich also was the host and mentor on “The Glee Project,” a reality Oxygen TV series that awarded winners with roles on “Glee.”

Modesto native Lindsay Pearce competed on the reality series and was one of the first season’s runners-up, garnering her a two-episode run on “Glee.”

Ulrich’s casting career continues to thrive and he’s been nominated for several Emmys, including one win in 2011 for his work with “Glee.”

Pearce had a starring turn on Broadway as Elphaba in “Wicked” and has several acting credits, including tours in stage productions — the current being “Les Miserables” as Fantine.

Jones has appeared as a guest actress in several films and series, including those listed on her Reddit post above, as well as “9-1-1 Lonestar,” “American Horror Story,” “The Goldbergs” and “Modern Family.”

She was nominated in 2011, 2012 and 2013 for Emmy Awards as outstanding guest actress in a comedy series for “Glee.”

Jones was born in Turlock and raised in Hilmar, according to a 2015 story in The Fresno Bee. She went to Fresno State in 1984 after two years at Modesto Junior College. She entered and won her first arm-wrestling competition a year out of high school.

“The 6-foot-4 Jones went on to be a 15-time world and six-time national arm-wrestling champion,” the Fresno Bee story said.

She worked at Fresno County Juvenile Hall after graduating, according to the story, before launching her acting career.