James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla,
Mississippi.
James Earl Jones's bithname is Todd Jones and as a child
he went by the nickname Todd. James is the son of prizefighter-turned-actor
Robert Earl Jones
At an early age Jones started to take dramatic lessons to
calm himself down, and the acting lessons to control his stutter.
Jones's first feature-film was a small role DR.
STRANGELOVE (1964).
James Earl Jones has done a lot of TV work which includes
ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATION, a police show, PARIS, and, in
his Emmy-winning role as an excon, GABRIELS FIRE.
Jones has beome famous for his deep and authoritative voice,
used most famously for impressive roles as leaders like Darth
Vader in the STAR WARS TRILOGY and Mufasa in THE LION KING
(1994) Jones was a dominant actor on Broadway throughout the
1960s and 1970s.
James recreated THE GREAT WHITE HOPE in an Oscar-nominated
performance in the film version of the same title,THE GREAT
WHITE HOPE (1970).
James Earl Jones was announced the forty-fifth greatest movie
villain of all time by Maxim Magazine's "Fifty Greatest Movie
Villains of all Time" list for his character of Darth Vader
in STAR WARS (1977).
In 1972 Jones played the first black president in THE MAN.
James Earl Jones won two Tony Awards: in 1969, Best Actor
(Dramatic), for THE GREAT WHITE HOPE and in 1987, Best Actor
(Play), FENCES. Jones received the John F. Kennedy Center
Honor in December 2002.
But it's Jones incredible voice that will remain his calling
card Millions of kids know Jones voice from THE LION KING
(1994), as the voice of Mufasa. Adults and children everywhere
recognize the asthmatic rasp of Darth Vader in STAR WARS,
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and RETURN OF THE JEDI, then there
are millions that hear Jones voice every half hour: "This
.. is CNN."
James "death" was announced during a live broadcast of an
NBA playoff game in April of 1998; the deceased was actually
James Earl Ray, who was the convicted assassin of Martin Luther
King.
James Earl Jones's other notable credits include...
