James Earl Jones was born inArkabutla, Mississippi, on January 17, 1931,[12][13] to Ruth (née Connolly; 1911–1986), a teacher and maid, andRobert Earl Jones (1910–2006), a boxer, butler, and chauffeur. His father left the family shortly after James Earl's birth and later became a stage and screen actor in New York andHollywood.[14] Jones and his father did not get to know each other until the 1950s, when they reconciled. He said in interviews that his parents were both of mixed African-American, Irish, and Native American ancestry.[15][16]
From the age of five, Jones was raised by his maternal grandparents, John Henry and Maggie Connolly,[12] on their farm inDublin, Michigan; they had moved from Mississippi in theGreat Migration.[17] Jones found the transition to living with his grandparents in Michigan traumatic and developed a stutter so severe that he refused to speak. He said, "I was a stutterer. I couldn't talk. So my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school."[17] He credited his English teacher, Donald Crouch, who discovered he had a gift for writing poetry, with helping him end his silence.[14] Crouch urged him to challenge his reluctance to speak through reading poetry aloud to the class.[18][19]
In 1949, Jones graduated from Dickson Rural Agricultural School[20] (now Brethren High School) inBrethren, Michigan, where he served as vice president of his class.[21]
He attended theUniversity of Michigan where he was initially apre-med major.[14] He joined theReserve Officers' Training Corps and excelled. He felt comfortable within the structure of the military environment and enjoyed the camaraderie of his fellow cadets in thePershing Rifles Drill Team andScabbard and Blade Honor Society.[22] After his junior year,[23] he focused on drama with the thought of doing something he enjoyed before, he assumed, he would have to go off to fight in theKorean War. Jones graduated from the university in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in drama.[12][24][25]
With the Korean War intensifying, Jones expected to receive orders to active duty and be deployed as soon as he received his commission as a second lieutenant. While he waited for his orders, he worked on the stage crew and acted at theRamsdell Theatre inManistee, Michigan.[26] Jones was commissioned in mid-1953, after the Korean War's end, and reported toFort Benning to attend the Infantry Officers Basic Course. He attendedRanger School and received hisRanger Tab. Jones was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 38th Regimental Combat Team.[27] He was initially to report toFort Leonard Wood, but his unit was instead sent to establish a cold-weather training command at the formerCamp Hale nearLeadville, Colorado.[28] His battalion became a training unit in the rugged terrain of theRocky Mountains. Jones was promoted tofirst lieutenant prior to his discharge.[29]
Jones moved to New York City, where he studied at theAmerican Theatre Wing and worked as a janitor to support himself.[30][31]
Jones began his acting career at theRamsdell Theatre inManistee, Michigan. In 1953, he was a stage carpenter, and between 1955 and 1957, he acted and was a stage manager. In his first acting season at the Ramsdell, he portrayedOthello.[33] His early career also included an appearance in theABC radio anthology seriesTheatre-Five.[34] In 1957, he made his Broadway debut as understudy toLloyd Richards in the short-lived play,The Egghead, byMolly Kazan.[35] The play ran only 21 performances,[36] but three months later, in January 1958, Jones created the featured role of Edward the butler inDore Schary'sSunrise at Campobello at theCort Theatre.[37]
Jones performsOthello's Act I, scene III monologue fromShakespeare'sOthello at theWhite House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word on May 12, 2009
In 1969, Jones participated in making test films for the children's education seriesSesame Street; these shorts, combined with animated segments, were shown to groups of children to gauge the effectiveness of the then-groundbreakingSesame Street format. As cited by production notes included in the DVD releaseSesame Street: Old School 1969–1974, the short that had the greatest impact with test audiences was one showing bald-headed Jones counting slowly to ten. This and other segments featuring Jones were eventually aired as part of theSesame Street series itself when it debuted later in 1969 and Jones is often cited as the first celebrity guest on that series, although a segment withCarol Burnett was the first actually to be broadcast.[14] He also appeared on the soap operaGuiding Light.[23]
In 1970, Jones reunited with Jane Alexander in the film adaptation ofThe Great White Hope. This would be Jones's first leading film role. Jones portrayed boxerJack Johnson, a role he had previously originated on stage. His performance was acclaimed by critics and earned him anAcademy Award nomination forBest Actor. He was the second African-American male performer afterSidney Poitier to be nominated for this award.[14]Variety described his performance declaring, "Jones' recreation of his stage role is an eye-riveting experience. The towering rages and unrestrained joys of which his character was capable are portrayed larger than life."[44] InThe Man (1972), Jones starred as a senator who unexpectedly becomes the first African-American president of the United States.[23]
In 1974, Jones co-starred withDiahann Carroll in the filmClaudine,[13] the story of a woman who raises her six children alone after two failed and two "almost" marriages. The film is aromantic comedy and drama, focusing on systemic racial disparities black families face. It was one of the first major films to tackle themes such as welfare,economic inequality, and the typical marriage of men and women in the African American community during the 1970s. Jones and Carroll received widespread critical acclaim andGolden Globe nominations for their performances.[48] Carroll was also nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Actress.[49]
WhenLinda Blair did the girl inThe Exorcist, they hiredMercedes McCambridge to do the voice of thedevil coming out of her. And there was controversy as to whether Mercedes should get credit. I was one who thought no, she was justspecial effects. So when it came to Darth Vader, I said, no, I'm just special effects. But it became so identified that by thethird one, I thought, OK I'll let them put my name on it.[51]
Jones played lead characters on television in three series.Gabriel's Fire[23] and a revamped version calledPros and Cons aired onABC between 1990 and 1992. In both formats of that show, Jones played a former policeman wrongly convicted of murder who, upon his release from prison, becomes a private eye. In 1995, Jones starred inUnder One Roof as Neb Langston, a widowed African-American police officer sharing his home inSeattle with his daughter, his married son and children, and Neb's newly adopted son.[60] The show was a mid-season replacement and lasted only six weeks, but earned him another Emmy nomination. He also portrayed Thad Green on "Mathnet", a parody ofDragnet that appeared in thePBS programSquare One Television.[61] In 1998, Jones starred in the widely acclaimed syndicated programAn American Moment (created byJames R. Kirk and Ninth Wave Productions). Jones took over the role filled byCharles Kuralt, upon Kuralt's death.[62]
He also voiced theCNN tagline, "This is CNN", as a part of the network's tenth anniversary in 1990. As of 2024, the tagline is still used by CNN.[73][74] He lent his voice to the opening forNBC's coverage of the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics.[62] Jones narrated all 27 books of theNew Testament in the audiobookJames Earl Jones Reads the New Testament.[75] Although uncredited, Jones's voice is possibly heard as Darth Vader at the conclusion ofStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). When specifically asked whether he had supplied the voice, possibly from a previous recording, Jones toldNewsday: "You'd have to askLucas about that. I don't know."[51]
In 2019, he reprised his voice role of Mufasa for theCGI remake ofThe Lion King, directed byJon Favreau, in which he was the only original cast member to do so.[91][92] According to Favreau, Jones's lines from the original film remained mostly the same.[93][94]Chiwetel Ejiofor, who voiced Mufasa's evil brotherScar in the remake, said that "the comfort of [Jones reprising his role] is going to be very rewarding in taking [the audience] on this journey again. It's a once-in-a-generation vocal quality."[93] Jones also reprised the role of King Jaffe Joffer inComing 2 America (2021), the sequel toComing to America (1988); this was his final screen credit.[95][96]
In 2022, his voice was used viaRespeecher software forDarth Vader in theDisney+ miniseriesObi-Wan Kenobi.[97] During production, Jones signed a deal withLucasfilm authorizing archival recordings of his voice to be used in the future to artificially generate the voice of Darth Vader.[98] In September 2022, Jones announced that he would retire from the role of voicing Darth Vader with future voice roles for Vader being created by that means.[99]
In 1968, Jones married actress and singerJulienne Marie, whom he met while performing asOthello to herDesdemona in 1964.[100][101] They had no children and divorced in 1972.[102] In 1982, he married actressCecilia Hart, who played Desdemona to his Othello shortly after they wed,[103] and with whom he had a son, Flynn.[104][105] Cecilia Hart died of complications fromovarian cancer on October 16, 2016. She was 68 years old.[106]
In April 2016, Jones spoke publicly for the first time in nearly 20 years about his long-term health challenge withtype 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed in the mid-1990s after his doctor noticed he had fallen asleep while exercising at a gym.[107]
Jones was a devoutRoman Catholic, having converted during his time in the military.[108][57] He described his narration of theNew Testament as "his greatest honor".[109]
Jones died at his home inPawling, New York, on September 9, 2024, at the age of 93 from diabetes. He died surrounded by his family.[110][95][111] In a statement,CNN said that Jones "was the voice of CNN and our brand for many decades, uniquely conveying through speech instant authority, grace, and decorum. That remarkable voice is just one of many things the world will miss about James."[112] Jones'salma mater, theUniversity of Michigan, paid tribute to him by posting a "We Are Michigan" video narrated by Jones onTwitter.[113][114] TheNAACP,SAG-AFTRA,The Public Theater, andMLB also paid tribute to Jones.[115] TheEmpire State Building in New York City was lit up to resemble Darth Vader.[116] Vice PresidentKamala Harris praised Jones, writing that "[He] used his voice to challenge America's thinking on civil rights and race, and he continued to move our nation forward through his art."[117] Former PresidentBill Clinton released a statement praising Jones as "a brilliant actor who brought to life some of the most iconic characters ever".[118] ActorDenzel Washington paid tribute to Jones calling him his "hero" adding, "I wasn't going to be as big as him. I wanted to sound like him. He was everything to me as a budding actor. He was who I wanted to be."[119] Numerous members of the entertainment industry also paid tribute to Jones includingGeorge Lucas,Mark Hamill,Kevin Costner,Arnold Schwarzenegger,Barry Jenkins,Spike Lee,Viola Davis,Whoopi Goldberg,Courtney B. Vance, andAlec Baldwin.[120][121][122][123][124]
Following his death,The New York Times described Jones's career as "a prodigious body of work" and called him "one of America's most versatile actors in a stage, film and television career".[12]The Hollywood Reporter referred to Jones as "one of the most-admired American actors of all time".[13]The Guardian film criticPeter Bradshaw wrote, "likeSidney Poitier orHarry Belafonte orPaul Robeson, [Jones] was an African American actor with a beautiful voice which was the key to his dignity and self-respect as a performer; it was how his characters rose above racism and cruelty", and described Jones as "movie royalty".[125]Academy Award–winning actressViola Davis said that Jones's career reflected "black excellence".[126]
Jones was recognized as a groundbreaker and pioneer for African Americans for his significant roles on stage and television.[12] In 1965, Jones became one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama acting inAs the World Turns.[127] CriticClive Barnes said that Jones's theater roles were "like a black avenging angel ... Even when corrupted by misery, his presence has an almost moral force to it, and his voice rasps out an agony nearly too personally painful in its nakedness".[128] In 2011, Academy Award-nominated actorAlec Baldwin called Jones "one of the greatest actors in American history".[5] In 2022, theCort Theatre was renamed after James Earl Jones, becoming the second Broadway venue named after a Black theatrical artist, the first being theAugust Wilson Theatre named after the playwrightAugust Wilson.[129] The Cort Theatre was the same stage on which Jones made his Broadway debut in 1958.[130]
On May 16, 2025, the online video gameFortnite Battle Royale added a Darth Vader non-playable character to the game, which players can converse with viagenerative AI modeled after Jones' voice.Fortnite developer Llama Productions LLC (which is wholly owned byEpic Games) received permission from Jones' estate to use his voice in the game and closely collaborated with his family to develop the AI voice model.[131]SAG-AFTRA filed an unfair labor practice charge with theNLRB against Llama Productions in response.[132]
Jones had an extensive career in film, television, and theater. He started out in film by appearing in the 1964 political satire filmDr. Strangelove as Lt. Lothar Zogg. He then went on to star in the 1970 filmThe Great White Hope as Jack Jefferson, a role he first played at Washington's Arena Stage in the world premier of Howard Sackler's play of thesame name.[133]
^abcdefgBandler, Michael J. (March 2008)."This is James Earl Jones".NWA World Traveler. Northwest Airlines. Archived from the original on March 20, 2008. RetrievedApril 3, 2008.
^Davies-Cole, Andrew (February 18, 2010)."The daddy of them all". Herald Scotland.Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. RetrievedNovember 5, 2011.
^abViagas, Robert; Hall, Margaret (September 9, 2024)."James Earl Jones Dies at 93".Playbill.Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 10, 2024.
^Luke, Bob (January 14, 2016).Integrating the Orioles: Baseball and Race in Baltimore. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company.ISBN978-1-4766-6212-1.
^Drayer, Shannon (June 3, 2013)."Audio treasure: Dave Niehaus reads 'Casey at the Bat'".710Sports.com.KTTH / 710 ESPN Seattle.Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2015.James Earl Jones more than did the piece justice in a recording with the Cincinnati Pops in 1996...
^Boedeker, Hal (December 26, 2002)."Awards Show Airs Tonight".Greensboro News and Record. Knight Ridder News.Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 10, 2024.
^"Jones, James Earl".Encyclopedia of African American History: 5-Volume Set. Oxford University Press. 2009. pp. 53–54.ISBN9780195167795.Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 2, 2024.
^Dudar, Helen (March 22, 1987)."James Earl Jones At Bat".The New York Times.Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 9, 2024.
^"2004 Summit Highlights Photo". 2004.Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. RetrievedDecember 8, 2020.Awards Council member and actor James Earl Jones presents the Academy's Golden Plate Award to Congressman John Lewis during the introductory evening of the 2004 International Achievement Summit in Chicago, Illinois.
Harvey Fierstein / Marco Paguia, David Oquendo, Renesito Avich, Gustavo Schartz, Javier Días, Román Diaz, Mauricio Herrera, Jesus Ricardo, Eddie Venegas, Hery Paz, and Leonardo Reyna / Jamie Harrison, Chris Fisher, Gary Beestone, and Edward Pierce (2025)
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