The early life of James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones was born in Mississippi in 1931 to Ruth and Robert Earl Jones. Jones’ father left town shortly after his birth to work as an actor in New York and Hollywood, so the two were never close until their reconciliation in the 1950s.

From the age of five, Jones was raised by his paternal grandparents. As he grew up, he began to stutter and refused to speak at school. He credits an English teacher in elementary school with helping him overcome his stutter.

“(The teacher) looked at a poem I had written and said, ‘It’s too good for you to have written it. To prove that you wrote it, please stand up in front of the class and recite it from memory.’ And I did it without stuttering. So he used that as a program to get me to speak,” Jones said. The Hollywood Reporter.

James Earl Jones’ time in the military

Jones attended the University of Michigan, where he studied medicine and was a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. After realizing he was not cut out to be a doctor, he joined the school’s theater department, later graduating in 1955.

After the Korean War ended, Jones was assigned to the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1953. He was promoted to first lieutenant before being discharged. He later moved to New York, where he continued his studies at the American Theater Wing.

The Broadway debut of James Earl Jones

Before working on Broadway, Jones landed the role of Shakespeare’s Othello in a production in Michigan in 1955. It was the first of many times the actor would portray the character.

Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 in the short-lived play The Egghead by Molly Kazan. He was the understudy star for Lloyd Richards in the show, which was performed only 21 times.

Without wasting any time, Jones jumped into a leading role in 1958 as Edward, the house butler in Sunrise in Campobello by Dore Schary at the Cort Theater.

James Earl Jones’ Shakespeare success

Jones played various roles in numerous Shakespeare productions in the 1960s, including Othello, King LearA Midsummer Night’s Dream and hamletHe is considered one of the greatest Shakespeare actors of his time.

The marriage of James Earl Jones and Julienne Marie

Jones met Broadway actress Julienne Marie in 1964 while she was playing Othello. The two eventually married in 1968. They later divorced in 1972.

The marriage of James Earl Jones and Cecilia Hart

Jones met actress Cecilia Hart on the set of the Steven Bochco series ParisIn 1982, Cecilia played Desdemona alongside Jones’ Othello and the two married that same year.

They had one child together, a son named Flynn Earl Jones, born in 1982. Cecilia died in 2016 at the age of 62, a year after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

James Earl Jones’ film debut

Jones made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in 1964, followed by a role in The Comedians alongside Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Alec Guinness in 1967.

James Earl Jones wins the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award

Jones returned to the stage in 1967, playing Jack Jefferson in Howard Sackler’s play The great white hope opposite Jane Alexander in Washington, D.C. Due to the show’s success, it transferred to Broadway a year later. It eventually won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as Jones’ first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1969.

Jones won his second Tony Award for his role in August Wilson’s Fences in 1987, followed by the Tony Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, which is considered the ceremony’s highest honor.

James Earl Jones in “Sesame Street”

Jones had a significant influence on the success of Sesame Street when he helped produce test films in 1969 to assess the program’s effectiveness in educating children.

He was part of the short film that had the greatest impact on test audiences, in which he can be seen slowly counting to 10.

Jones is technically the first celebrity to appear on the show, although Carol Burnett’s segment aired first.

Oscar nomination for James Earl Jones

Jones reunited with Jane Alexander for the film adaptation of The great white hope in 1970, in the same role for which he received the Tony Award in 1969.

This was his first leading role in a film and earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He was the second black male actor to receive this nomination after Sidney Poitier.

James Earl Jones’ box office hits of the 1980s and 1990s

In addition to the star Wars Trilogy, Jones appeared in a number of successful films, such as 1982 Conan the Barbarian1988s Coming to America and 1989 Field of Dreamswhich was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

The 1990s were busy for Jones as he had roles in the 1990s Hunt for Red October1992s The Patriot Games and the cult classic from 1993 The sandbank.

James Earl Jones in “The Lion King”

Jones lent his distinctive voice to the Disney animated film The Lion King in 1994, where he provided the iconic voice of Mufasa. He reprised his role in the 2019 CGI remake of the classic, making him the only actor from the original film to do so.

James Earl Jones wins the Emmy Award

In the 1990s, Jones starred in three television series, Gabriel’s Fire, pros and cons And Under one roof. Jones was nominated for eight Emmy Awards and won both times in the same year!

In 1991 he received an Emmy for his role in Heatwavewon the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special and another for his role in Gabriel’s Fireaward-winning outstanding lead actor in a drama series.

James Earl Jones’ voice work for CNN

Over the course of his career, Jones not only lent his voice to iconic characters, but his baritone voice also became CNN’s recognizable slogan as he uttered the phrases “This is CNN” and “This is CNN International” that first launched the network. News Day Morning show.

Further honors and awards from James Earl Jones

Over the course of his illustrious career spanning more than seven decades, Jones has received numerous awards for his work.

In addition to his two Emmys and Tonys, he has won a Grammy and an honorary Oscar. Jones is technically an EGOT winner, but not officially, as he has never won an Oscar in a highly competitive category.

He also won a Golden Globe for The great white hope in 1970, was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President George HW Bush in 1992, and received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009.

James Earl Jones’ last roles

In the last decade of his career, Jones remained active in theatre, television and film. On stage he took on roles in plays such as Shakespeare’s Much ado about nothing and the two-person game The Gin Game.

He voiced Mufasa again for the 2015 TV movie The Lion Guard: The Roar Returns and the 2019 remake The Lion KingJones also returned as the voice of Darth Vader in the series. Star Wars Rebels and the 2019 film The Rise of Skywalker before he officially retires in 2022.

His last film appearance was in the 2021 romantic comedy Coming to America 2in which he reprised his role as King Jaffe Joffer from the first part.

James Earl Jones has died

On September 9, 2024, Jones’ agent confirmed to PEOPLE that the actor died that morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York. He was 93 years old.

Jones is survived by his son Flynn Earl Jones.