Known for his deep voice and famous roles in movies, James Earl Jones was an actor
and singer for an outstanding 68 years. Jones was born in Mississippi in 1931. His
parents got divorced, and he was raised by his grandparents.

When Jones was a boy he had a terrible stutter to the point where he didn’t talk for
many years. Despite his stutter and shyness, Jones’s teacher convinced him to read
poetry, and that ignited an interest in acting. In 1949, James went to the University of
Michigan School of Music, there he was able to control his stutter.

In 1953 to 1957, Jones went to Ramsdell Theatre in Michigan to begin his acting career.
Jones first started as a stage carpenter and stage manager. His first role as an actor
was playing Othello in a Shakespearean play.

One day in 1964, Jones was playing Othello and Julienne Maria was playing
Desdemona (Othello’s wife). From that day on, Jones and Julienne started dating and
got married. Unfortunately after four years of marriage, they got divorced. Both of them
were too busy with work, and Jones wanted children, but she didn’t.

Jones’s first movie was Dr. Strangelove in 1964. Where he played Lt. Lothar Zogg.
From that movie on he continued to make outstanding movies. The Great White Hope
was a movie made in 1970 about a boxer who is fighting opponents as well as
discrimination. Jones played the boxer, Jack Jefferson. Jones also won a Tony Award
for Best Actor in this movie. Jones narrated a documentary on Malcolm X in 1972. In
1977, Jones played Malcom X in the movie The Greatest. A movie about Muhammad
Ali’s (boxer and activist) life. In that same year, Jones voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars:
Episode IV – A New Hope.

Jones played King Jaffe Joffer and acted alongside Eddie Murphy in Coming to America
which was made in 1988. In 1993, Jones played Mr. Mertle in The Sandlot and he sang
the US National Anthem at a Major League Baseball (MLB) All Star Game in Maryland.
The animated but drama filled movie The Lion King was made in 1994. Jones voiced
Mufasa. He also sang some of the soundtrack in the movie. In 2009, at a White House
poetry slam, Jones performed the play Othello. Jones last movie was in 2021 when he
played King Jaffe Joffer in Coming 2 America.

In his phenomenal 68 years of acting, Jones has made at least 72 movies and
appeared in several TV shows as well. Jones won a Grammy award for Best Spoken
Word Album for Great American Documents in 1977. In 1990, he won two Emmys for
his performance in Gabriel’s Fire and Heatwave.

James Earl Jones died September 9, 2024. James passed away from diabetes at 93
years old. Jones was an actor who overcame his struggles to be great and helped pave
the way for up and coming actors as well.