Home   Actors   Actresses   Supermodels  Movies  Musicians Athletes

                                            ACTORS

                      A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Link To Us

James Earl Jones

Biography  Filmography   Links   Contact  Galleries

Biography

Possessing one of the most instantly recognizable voices in entertainment history, James Earl Jones is one of America's most distinguished and versatile actors. Although best-known to many people as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars or as the booming "Voice of CNN," Jones has led a decades-old career encompassing film, television, and the stage.

Born Todd Jones on January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, Mississippi, Jones was the son of prize-fighter-turned-actor Robert Earl Jones, whom he would not know for many years. At a young age, he moved to Dublin, Michigan, where he was raised on the farm of his mother's parents. Ironically enough, given that his voice would one day make him famous, Jones suffered from a severe stutter as a child, and he seldom spoke as a result. It was with the help of a high school teacher that he began to use his voice to its full potential. After entering the University of Michigan, where he went to study medicine, Jones continued to develop his voice with acting lessons. The lessons gave Jones an appetite for further theatrical experience, and he quit medicine to devote his attentions to drama study. He made his stage debut in a community theatre production in Manistee, Michigan, his last appearance for a while, as he subsequently served time in the military.

After his discharge, Jones moved to New York, where he attended the American Theatre Wing to further his training and worked as a janitor to earn a living. In 1957, he made his Broadway debut, and during the subsequent decade, he became one of the stage's most in-demand African-American actors. His best-known stage role was as a boxing champion in The Great White Hope, which in 1969 won him the first of two Tony Awards (the second was for August Wilson's Fences in 1987). During this time, Jones began working on television, appearing as a doctor on the daytime dramas Guiding Light and As the World Turns. In doing so, he became one of the first black actors to perform regularly on soaps. Jones also crossed over to the big screen, making his film debut as one of Slim Pickens' flight crew in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). In 1970, he reprised his role in The Great White Hope for the screen, earning Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal of the proud yet conflicted boxer.

Jones continued to work on the stage, screen, and television throughout the '70s, appearing in everything from documentaries about Martin Luther King, Jr. to the 1974 comedy Claudine to King Lear (1977). In 1977, a few days of uncredited voiceover work for the character of Darth Vader led to a measure of screen immortality, as part of the enormous success of Star Wars was the iconic menace of the screen villain's voice. Jones also gave life to Vader's vocal chords for the next two films in the Star Wars trilogy.

During the '80s and '90s, Jones continued to work steadily on the stage, screen, and television. For the latter, he found particular acclaim in 1991, winning both a Best Actor Emmy for his work in Gabriel's Fire and a Best Supporting Actor Emmy for his role in Heat Wave. The acclaim he earned on TV was ably complemented by that he found in film, as he appeared in an impressive scope of work by diverse directors in disparate genres. In the late '80s, he could be seen doing some of the best work in his film career, first as an oppressed coal miner in John Sayles' Matewan (1987), then as an embittered, Salinger-like author in Field of Dreams (1989). Jones spent the next decade branching out into the blockbuster action genre with his work in The Hunt for Red October (1990) and its two sequels, Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). He also did strong dramatic work in such films as Cry, the Beloved Country (1995) and A Family Thing (1996), the latter of which cast him as Robert Duvall's estranged half-brother. Somewhat ironically, it was the actor's voice that endeared him to a new generation when he voiced the character of lion patriarch Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King (1994).

In addition to the entertainment industry awards he has received over the course of his career, Jones has been the recipient of a number of other honors, including The National Medal of Arts (awarded to him by President George Bush in 1992) and honorary doctorates from Yale, Princeton, and Columbia Universities. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Star Wars: Episode III (2005) (voice) .... Darth Vader
2004: A Light Knight's Odyssey (2003) (TV) (voice) .... The Professor
Magic 7, The (2003) (TV) (voice)
Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Black Indians: An American Story (2001) .... Narrator
Papp Project, The (2001) .... Himself
"Feast of All Saints" (2001) (mini) TV Series .... Older Marcel
... aka "Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints" (2001) (mini) (USA: complete title)
Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street (2001) (V) .... Santa Claus
Finder's Fee (2001) .... Avery Phillips
Tina Turner: One Last Time Live in Concert (2000) (V) (voice) .... Announcer
Twister: A Musical Catastrophe (2000) (V) (archive footage) .... Applause
Antietam: A Documentary Drama (2000) (voice) .... Narrator
Inside the Making of Dr. Strangelove (2000) (V)
Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove, The (2000) (V) .... Himself
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light (2000) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
... aka American Masters: Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light (2000) (TV) (USA: series title)
On the Q.T. (1999) .... Leo
Our Friend, Martin (1999) (V) (voice) .... Daddy King
Undercover Angel (1999) .... The Judge
Fantasia/2000 (1999) .... Host (segment "Carnival of the Animals")
In Search of Liberty Bell 7 (1999) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator
Santa and Pete (1999) (TV) .... Grandpa Nicholas
Annihilation of Fish, The (1999) .... Fish
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (1999) (VG) .... Gen. James Solomon
... aka Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun Firestorm (1999) (VG) (USA)
New York City... Come Visit the World (1998)
Summer's End (1998) (TV) .... Dr. William Blakely
Lion King II: Simba's Pride, The (1998) (V) (voice) .... King Mufasa (In Simba's Dream)
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998) (TV) .... Himself
Merlin (1998/II) (TV) (voice) .... Mountain King
Primary Colors (1998) (voice) .... CNN Voiceover
... aka Mit aller Macht (1998) (Germany)
... aka Perfect Couple (1999) (Japan: English title)
... aka Primary Colors (1998) (France)
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood (1998) (TV) (archive footage) .... Himself
Alone (1997/I) (TV) .... Grey
... aka Horton Foote's Alone (1997) (TV) (USA: complete title)
What the Deaf Man Heard (1997) (TV) .... Archibald Thacker
Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) (V) (voice) .... Kibosh
Gang Related (1997) .... Arthur Baylor
Sports on the Silver Screen (1997) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Second Civil War, The (1997) (TV) .... Jim Calla
Good Luck (1997) (uncredited) .... James Bing
... aka Gimps (1997) (Australia: video title)
... aka Guys Like Us (1997)
... aka Ox and the Eye, The (1997)
"3rd Rock from the Sun" (1996) TV Series (uncredited) .... Narrator (1996)
... aka "3rd Rock" (1996) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka "Life As We Know It" (1996)
Timepiece (1996) (TV) .... Lawrence
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996) (TV) .... Dr. McDuffie
... aka Rebound (1996) (TV)
Looking for Richard (1996) .... Himself
Family Thing, A (1996) .... Ray Murdock
"Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1995) TV Series (voice) .... Additional Voices
Making of 'Jurassic Park', The (1995) (V) .... Narrator
Signs and Wonders (1995) (TV) .... Diamond
Cry, the Beloved Country (1995) .... Rev Stephen Kumalo
Judge Dredd (1995) (voice) (uncredited) .... Narrator
Jefferson in Paris (1995) .... Madison Hemings
... aka Jefferson à Paris (1995) (France)
"Under One Roof" (1995) TV Series .... Neb Langston
Under a Killing Moon (1994) (VG) .... The Big P.I. in the Sky
Bah, Humbug!: The Story of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' (1994) (TV) .... Narrator/Ebenezer Scrooge
... aka Bah, Humbug! (1994) (TV) (USA: short title)
Countdown to Freedom: 10 Days That Changed South Africa (1994) (voice) .... Narrator
... aka Countdown to Freedom (1994) (USA: short title)
Clear and Present Danger (1994) .... Admiral James Greer
Lion King: A Musical Journey with Elton John, The (1994) (TV) .... Himself
Lion King, The (1994) (voice) .... King Mufasa the Lion
Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics (1994) (TV) .... Host
Clean Slate (1994) .... John Dolby
Africa: The Serengeti (1994) (voice) .... Narrator
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) (uncredited) .... Himself
Confessions: Two Faces of Evil (1994) (TV) .... Charles Lloyd
Vernon Johns Story, The (1994) (TV) .... Vernon Johns
... aka Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story, The (1994) (TV) (USA)
Dangerous: The Short Films (1993) (V) (voice) .... Himself ('Superbowl Heal The World' video)
... aka Michael Jackson - Dangerous: The Short Films (1993) (V) (USA)
Dreamrider (1993) .... William Perry
Hallelujah (1993) (TV) .... Old Man Taylor
Percy & Thunder (1993) (TV) .... Percy
Meteor Man, The (1993) .... Earnest Moses
Excessive Force (1993) .... Jake
Sandlot, The (1993) .... Mr. Mertle
... aka Sandlot Kids, The (1993)
Sommersby (1993) .... Judge Isaacs
American Film Institute Salute to Sidney Poitier, The (1992) (TV) .... Himself
Magic of David Copperfield XIV: Flying - Live the Dream, The (1992) (TV) .... Himself
Second Coming, The (1992) .... Narrator
Lincoln (1992) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator
Diamonds on the Silver Screen (1992) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator
Sneakers (1992) .... Bernard Abbott, N.S.A.
Freddie as F.R.O.7 (1992) (voice) .... Narrator - American Version
... aka Freddie the Frog (1992)
Patriot Games (1992) .... Admiral James Greer
"Pros and Cons" (1991) TV Series .... Gabriel Bird
When It Was a Game (1991) (TV) (voice) .... Himself
Scorchers (1991) .... Bear
True Identity (1991) .... Himself
Convicts (1990) .... Ben
... aka Horton Foote's Convicts (1990) (USA: complete title)
Grim Prairie Tales (1990) .... Morrison
... aka Hellbent (1990) (Australia: video box title)
Teach 109 (1990) (TV) .... Dr. Winston
"Gabriel's Fire" (1990) TV Series .... Gabriel Bird
Ambulance, The (1990) .... Lieutenant Spencer
Ivory Hunters (1990) (TV) .... Inspector Nkuru
... aka Last Elephant, The (1990) (TV)
Heat Wave (1990) (TV) .... Junius Johnson
Last Flight Out (1990) (TV) .... Al Topping
By Dawn's Early Light (1990) (TV) .... Looking Glass General - 'Alice'
... aka Red Alert (1990) (TV) (USA)
Hunt for Red October, The (1990) .... Admiral James Greer
11-22-63: The Day the Nation Cried (1989) (TV) .... Host
... aka JFK: The Day the Nation Cried (1989) (TV) (USA)
Hunting of the Snark, The (1989) .... Narrator
Best of the Best (1989) .... Coach Couzo
Field of Dreams (1989) .... Terence Mann
Three Fugitives (1989) .... Dugan
Lone Star Kid (1988) (TV)
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues (1988) (V) .... Himself/Narrator
... aka Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues (1988) (V) (USA: video box title)
Terrorgram (1988) (voice)
Coming to America (1988) .... King Jaffe Joffer
... aka Prince in New York (1988) (Europe: video title English title)
"Mathnet" (1987) TV Series .... Thad Green (1987-88)
Soldier Boys (1987) (TV)
Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987) (voice) .... Emperor of the Night
Matewan (1987) .... 'Few Clothes' Johnson
Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987) .... Umslopogaas
Gardens of Stone (1987) .... 'Goody' Nelson
"Square One TV" (1987) TV Series .... Thad Green
My Little Girl (1986) .... Ike Bailey
Soul Man (1986) .... Professor Banks
... aka Imposter, The (1986) (USA: alternative title)
Flight of Dragons, The (1986) .... Ommadon
... aka Flight of the Dragon (1986)
City Limits (1985) .... Albert
"Me and Mom" (1985) TV Series .... Lou Garfield
"Atlanta Child Murders, The" (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Major Walker
Vegas Strip War, The (1984) (TV) .... Jack Madrid
... aka Las Vegas Strip War (1984) (TV)
Star Wars (1983) (VG) (voice) .... Darth Vader
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) (voice) .... Voice of Darth Vader
... aka Return of the Jedi (1983) (USA: short title)
... aka Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (1997) (USA: video box title)
Blood Tide (1982) .... Frye
... aka Bloodtide (1982) (USA)
... aka Demon Island (1982) (USA: TV title)
... aka Red Tide, The (1982)
"Freedom to Speak" (1982) (mini) TV Series .... Frederick Douglass/Martin Luther King Jr.
"Faerie Tale Theatre" (1982) TV Series .... Genie (Aladdin)
... aka "Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre" (1982) (USA)
Conan the Barbarian (1982) .... Thulsa Doom
Amy and the Angel (1981) (TV) .... The Angel Gabriel
34th Annual Tony Awards, The (1980) (TV) .... Himself (presenter)
Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story, The (1980) (TV) .... Dane Oliver
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (uncredited) (voice) .... Darth Vader
... aka Empire Strikes Back, The (1980) (USA: short title)
... aka Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (1997) (USA: video box title)
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) (TV) .... Father Divine
... aka Mad Messiah, The (1980) (TV)
"Paris" (1979) TV Series .... Detective Capt. Woodrow 'Woody' Paris (1979-80)
Bushido Blade, The (1979) .... Harpooner
... aka Bloody Bushido Blade, The (1979)
Paul Robeson (1979) (TV) .... Paul Robeson
"Roots: The Next Generations" (1979) (mini) TV Series .... Alex Haley
Black Theatre: The Making of a Movement (1978) .... Himself
Star Wars Holiday Special, The (1978) (TV) (voice) .... Darth Vader
Making of 'Star Wars', The (1977) (V) (voice) .... Darth Vader
Piece of the Action, A (1977) .... Joshua Burke
Last Remake of Beau Geste, The (1977) .... Sheikh
Circus of the Stars #2 (1977) (TV)
Greatest Thing That Almost Happened, The (1977) (TV) .... Morris Bird, Jr.
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) .... Older Kokumo
Star Wars (1977) (voice) .... Voice of Darth Vader
... aka Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1997) (USA: video box title)
... aka Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1981) (USA: new title)
Greatest, The (1977) .... Malcolm X
"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977) (mini) TV Series .... Balthazar
... aka "Gesù di Nazareth" (1977) (mini) (Italy)
Deadly Hero (1976) .... Rabbit
River Niger, The (1976) .... Johnny Williams
"Vegetable Soup" (1976) TV Series .... Long John Spoilsport
Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, The (1976) .... Leon Carter, All-Star (C)
Swashbuckler (1976) .... Nick Debrett
... aka Scarlet Buccaneer (1976) (UK)
UFO Incident, The (1975) (TV) .... Barney Hill
... aka Interrupted Journey (1975) (TV) (USA)
Cay, The (1974) (TV) .... Timothy
Claudine (1974) .... Roop
King Lear (1974) (TV) .... King Lear
"Black Omnibus" (1973) TV Series .... Host (1973)
Malcolm X (1972) (voice) .... Biographical Narration
Man, The (1972) .... Douglass Dilman
Great White Hope, The (1970) .... Jack Jefferson
42nd Annual Academy Awards, The (1970) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself (Presenter, Best Film Editing/Best Original Screenplay)
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970) .... Commentator
End of the Road (1970) .... Doctor D
23rd Annual Tony Awards, The (1969) (TV) .... Himself (performer)
Comedians in Africa, The (1967) (uncredited) .... Himself
Comedians, The (1967) .... Dr. Magiot
... aka Comédiens, Les (1967) (France)
"As the World Turns" (1956) TV Series .... Dr. Jerry Turner (1966)
"Guiding Light, The" (1952) TV Series .... Dr. Jim Frazier #2 (1966)
... aka "Guiding Light" (1977) (USA: new title)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) .... Lieutenant Lothar Zogg
... aka Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Links

Contact

c/o Horatio Productions Inc.
PO Box 610
Pawling, NY 12564
USA