James Earl Jones - ©Theda Bara

The actor and voice actor I bring to you today began his career in a small town theater in northern Michigan and his talent took him to Hollywood.

Born on January 17, 1931, in the city of Arkabutla, Mississippi, United States, James Earl Jones passed away yesterday, Monday, September 9, 2024, in Dutchess County, New York, United States, at the age of 93.

Jones stuttered for many years as a child, but overcame his stutter after being encouraged by a teacher who made him read aloud for years. After overcoming his diction flaw, he became famous for his strong and distinctive voice, including the legendary “Darth Vader” in “Star Wars”, which also featured a paused breathing pattern created by the actor and voice actor. Jones was also the official announcer for CNN International.

His career began in theater and on stage, including many plays by William Shakespeare (1564-1615). He won two Tony Awards, in 1969 for “The Great White Hope” and in 1987 for “Fences”.

His first film role was in the 1964 film “Doctor Strangelove”, playing the character “Lt. Lothar Zogg”. This film began a career that earned him dozens of awards and recognition from the film industry.

In 1970, he was invited to play his first major role on the big screen: the boxer “Jack Jefferson”, in: “The Great White Hope”. His performance earned him an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category, but he did not win. Although Jones did not win an Oscar for acting, he received an Honorary Oscar in 2011.

The actor and voice actor also had important roles in films such as: “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), playing the character “Thulsa Doom”; in: “Coming to America” (1988), playing the character “King Jaffe Joffer”; and “Admiral Greer” which he played three times in: “The Hunt for Red October” (1990); “WarGames” (1992) and “Clear and Present Danger” (1994).

For his television career, in 1991 he broke a record and became the first actor to win two Emmys in the same year: for his role in the series: “Gabriel’s Fire” and in the feature film: “Heat Wave”. As a voice actor, in 1977 he was chosen by George Lucas (1944-), creator of the “Star Wars” saga, to voice the character “Darth Vader,” even though he was not the actor inside the black suit. Jones also voiced the lion “Mufasa” in the 1994 animated film “The Lion King.” He has also voiced several characters on “The Simpsons”. Jones is also responsible for CNN’s US slogan, “This is CNN”, as well as “This is CNN International”, and the opening of the morning show CNN New Day. 

His career awards include two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award. He has also received a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 1992, he received the National Medal of Arts from U.S. President George W. Bush [Sr.] (1924–2018), in 2019 he was honored by Disney.  In 2011, when James Earl Jones turned 80, he received an honorary Oscar for his career spanning over a hundred films and voiceovers.

James was married twice. First, to American actress and singer Julienne Marie (1937–) from 1968 to 1972, from whom he divorced; and to American actress Cecilia Hart-Ceci Jones (1948–2016) from 1982 to 2016, who left him a widower. From this relationship, he had one son, American actor Flynn Earl Jones (1982–).

James Earl Jones passed away without having his star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, a great injustice for this Hollywood icon.