James Earl Jones, (b. January 17, 1931, Arkabutla, Mississippi) leading stage roles in Shakespeare's Othello and in The Great White Hope, a play about the tragic career of the first African American heavyweight boxing champion, loosely based on the life of Jack Johnson. Beginning in the 1970s, he appeared frequently on television and in film.
His father, the actor Robert Earl Jones, left his family before James Earl Jones was born, and the youth was raised largely by his grandparents in Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan (B.A., 1953), majoring in drama, and, after a brief stint in the U.S. Army, went to New York City, studying at the American Theatre Wing with Lee Strasberg. He acted in his first Off-Broadway production in 1957 and subsequently with the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1961–73. He won a Tony Award for his boxer role in Howard Sackler’s The Great White Hope (1968) and later starred in the film version (1970). He received critical acclaim for the two-character stage play Paul Robeson (1978) and in the title role of Othello (1981), opposite Christopher Plummer's Iago. In 1987, Jones starred in the Broadway premiere of August Wilson's Fences. His later Broadway credits include a 2008 production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that featured an all-black cast, as well as productions of Driving Miss Daisy (2010), Gore Vidal's The Best Man (2012), and George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's You Can’t Take It with You (2014).
A part in the film Dr. Strangelove (1964) began a prolific career in pictures for Jones, whose roles included an evil ruler in the fantasy film Conan the Barbarian (1982), a coal miner fighting for the right to form a union in John Sayles' Matewan (1987), an African king who lets his son (played by Eddie Murphy) travel to the United States in the comedy Coming to America (1988), and the author of Terence Mann in Field of Dreams (1989). He appeared as Admiral James Greer in the film adaptations of Tom Clancy's novels about CIA agent Jack Ryan: The Hunt for Red October (1990), Patriot Games (1992), and Clear and Present Danger (1994). In 1995, he portrayed the Reverend Stephen Kumalo in the film version of Alan Paton's classic novel Cry, the Beloved Country. Jones next starred opposit Robert Duvall in A Family Thing (1996). His big-screen appearances diminished in the 21st century, though he did take occasional supporting roles. Jones received an honorary Academy Award in 2011.
Known for his deep, resonant voice, Jones was cast in many voice-over roles in television advertising and in films, both as a narrator and for animated characters. He is perhaps best known for giving voice to the villain Darth Vader in the Star Wars series of movies, which began in 1977. In 1994 he provided the voice of the wise Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King. Jones’s television work also includes a role as a private detective in Gabriel’s Fire (1990–91; retitled Pros and Cons, 1991–92), for which he won an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. He continued to make guest appearances on television into the 21st century
Known for his deep, resonant voice, Jones was cast in many voice-over roles in television advertising and in films, both as a narrator and for animated characters. He is perhaps best known for giving voice to the villain Darth Vader in the Star Wars series of movies, which began in 1977. In 1994 he provided the voice of the wise Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King. Jones’s television work also includes a role as a private detective in Gabriel’s Fire (1990–91; retitled Pros and Cons, 1991–92), for which he won an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. He continued to make guest appearances on television into the 21st century
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