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Biography

James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is a multi-award-winning American actor of theater and film, well known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership. He is known for providing the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise and the tagline for CNN. James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, the son of Ruth (née Connolly) and Robert Earl Jones. At the age of five, he moved to Jackson, Michigan, to be raised by his maternal grandparents, but the adoption was traumatic and he developed a stutter so severe he refused to speak aloud. When he moved to Brethren, Michigan in later years a teacher at the Brethren schools started to help him with his stutter. He remained functionally mute for eight years until he reached high school. He credits his high school teacher, Donald Crouch, who discovered he had a gift for writing poetry, with helping him out of his silence. Jones attended the University of Michigan where he was a pre-med major. While there, he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and excelled. During the course of his studies, Jones discovered he was not cut out to be a doctor. Instead he focused himself on drama, with the thought of doing something he enjoyed, before, he assumed, he would have to go off to fight in the Korean War. After four years of college, Jones left without his degree. In 1953 he found a part-time stage crew job at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee, Michigan, which marked the beginning of his acting career. During the 1955–1957 seasons he was an actor and stage manager. He performed his first portrayal of Shakespeare’s Othello in this theater in 1955. After his discharge from the Military, 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. His first film role was as a young and trim Lt. Lothar Zogg, the B-52 bombardier in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in 1964. His first big role came with his portrayal of boxer Jack Jefferson in the film version of the Broadway play The Great White Hope, which was based on the life of boxer Jack Johnson. For his role, Jones was nominated Best Actor by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, making him the second African-American male performer (following Sidney Poitier) to receive a nomination. In 1969, Jones participated in making test films for a proposed children's television series; these shorts, combined with animated segments were the beginnings of the Sesame Street format. The next year, in the early 1970s, James appeared with Diahann Carroll in the film called Claudine. While he has appeared in many roles, he is well known as the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. Darth Vader was portrayed in costume by David Prowse in the original trilogy, with Jones dubbing Vader's dialogue in postproduction due to Prowse's strong West Country accent being unsuitable for the role. At his own request, he was originally uncredited for the release of the first two films (he would later be credited for the two in the 1997 re-release). His other voice roles include Mufasa in the 1994 film Disney animated blockbuster The Lion King, and its direct-to-video sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. He also has done the CNN tagline, "This is CNN", as well as "This is CNN International", and the Bell Atlantic tagline, "Bell Atlantic: The heart of communication". When Bell Atlantic became Verizon, Jones used the tagline greeting of "Welcome to Verizon" or "Verizon 411" right before a phone call would go through. The opening for NBC's coverage of the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics; "the Big PI in the Sky" (God) in the computer game Under a Killing Moon; a Claymation film about The Creation; and several guest spots on The Simpsons. In addition to his film and voice over work, Jones is an accomplished stage actor as well; he has won Tony awards in 1969 for The Great White Hope and in 1987 for Fences. Othello, King Lear, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Abhorson in Measure for Measure, and Claudius in Hamlet are Shakespearean roles he has played. He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2002. Jones has been married to actress Cecilia Hart since 1982. They have one child, Flynn Earl Jones. He was previously married to American actress/singer Julienne Marie (born March 21, 1933, Toledo, Ohio); they had no children. Jones is a registered Republican.

Coming 2 America ( 2021) | IMDb: 5.3

Comedy

Prince Akeem Joffer is set to become King of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America – a street savvy Queens native named Lavelle. Honoring his royal father's dying wish to groom this son as the crown prince, Akeem and Semmi set off to America once again.

Starring:

Eddie Murphy , Arsenio Hall , Jermaine Fowler , Leslie Jones , Tracy Morgan , KiKi Layne

Directed by:

Gregory Santoro , Mark Anthony Little , Craig Brewer

Produced by:

Kevin Misher , Michele Imperato , Eddie Murphy

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ( 2019) | IMDb: 6.5

Action , Adventure , Science fiction

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.

Starring:

Carrie Fisher , Mark Hamill , Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac

Directed by:

Tommy Gormley , Tomas Battersby , Lizzie Pritchard

Produced by:

Lex Jorgen , Callum Greene , Michelle Rejwan

The Lion King ( 2019) | IMDb: 6.8

Adventure , Drama , Family

Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar, Mufasa's brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba's exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

Starring:

Chiwetel Ejiofor , John Oliver , James Earl Jones , John Kani , Alfre Woodard , JD McCrary

Directed by:

Kim Richards , Jon Favreau , Morgan Willis

Produced by:

Thomas Schumacher , John Bartnicki , Jeffrey Silver

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ( 2016) | IMDb: 7.8

Action , Adventure , Science fiction

A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring a new hope to the galaxy.

Starring:

Felicity Jones , Diego Luna , Alan Tudyk , Donnie Yen , Jiang Wen , Ben Mendelsohn

Directed by:

Andy Madden , Tamir Naber , Lizzie Pritchard

Produced by:

Fuad Khalil , Tony To , Birna Paulina Einarsdóttir

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins ( 2008) | IMDb: 5.5

Comedy , Drama , Family

When a celebrated TV show host returns to his hometown in the South, his family is there to remind him that going home is no vacation!

Starring:

Martin Lawrence , James Earl Jones , Margaret Avery , Joy Bryant , Cedric the Entertainer , Nicole Ari Parker

Directed by:

Donald Sparks , Malcolm D. Lee , Karen Davis

Produced by:

Timothy M. Bourne , Darice Rollins , Aisha Coley

Click ( 2006) | IMDb: 6.4

Comedy , Drama , Fantasy

A married workaholic, Michael Newman doesn't have time for his wife and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty, a loopy sales clerk, he gets the answer to his prayers: a magical remote that allows him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results.

Starring:

Adam Sandler , Kate Beckinsale , Christopher Walken , David Hasselhoff , Henry Winkler , Julie Kavner

Directed by:

Marisa Ferrey , Josh King , Frank Coraci

Produced by:

Rita Smith , Adam Sandler , Rob Frank

Scary Movie 4 ( 2006) | IMDb: 5.1

Comedy

Cindy finds out the house she lives in is haunted by a little boy and goes on a quest to find out who killed him and why. Also, Alien "Tr-iPods" are invading the world and she has to uncover the secret in order to stop them.

Starring:

Anna Faris , Regina Hall , Craig Bierko , Bill Pullman , Anthony Anderson , Leslie Nielsen

Directed by:

Steve Eathorne , Danielle de Smit , David Zucker

Produced by:

Susie McIlwaine , Craig Mazin , Melissa Kostenbauder

The Benchwarmers ( 2006) | IMDb: 5.5

Comedy

A trio of guys try and make up for missed opportunities in childhood by forming a three-player baseball team to compete against standard little league squads.

Starring:

Rob Schneider , David Spade , Jon Heder , Molly Sims , Jon Lovitz , Amaury Nolasco

Directed by:

Melinda Johnson , Hope Garrison , Dennis Dugan

Produced by:

Daniel Beals , Jack Giarraputo , Carlos A. Aragon

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Poster

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith ( 2005) | IMDb: 7.6

Action , Adventure , Science fiction

The evil Darth Sidious enacts his final plan for unlimited power -- and the heroic Jedi Anakin Skywalker must choose a side.

Starring:

Hayden Christensen , Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L. Jackson , Jimmy Smits

Directed by:

Rob Burgess , Eddie Thorne , Jayne-Ann Tenggren

Produced by:

Maura Fay , Man-Yiu Lee , Brian Donovan

Robots ( 2005) | IMDb: 6.4

Animation , Comedy , Family , Science fiction

Rodney Copperbottom is a young robot inventor who dreams of making the world a better place, until the evil Ratchet takes over Big Weld Industries. Now, Rodney's dreams – and those of his friends – are in danger of becoming obsolete.

Starring:

Ewan McGregor , Robin Williams , Halle Berry , Mel Brooks , Jim Broadbent , Greg Kinnear

Directed by:

Brett Hoffman , Chris Wedge , Andrea Blasich

Produced by:

William Joyce , Christopher Kappler , Lorne Orleans

Fantasia 2000 ( 2000) | IMDb: 7.1

Animation , Family , Music

Blending lively music and brilliant animation, this sequel to the original 'Fantasia' restores 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and adds seven new shorts.

Starring:

Steve Martin , Itzhak Perlman , Quincy Jones , Bette Midler , James Earl Jones , Penn Jillette

Directed by:

Eric Goldberg , Gaëtan Brizzi , James Algar

Produced by:

Lisa C. Cook , Mary Hidalgo , Donald W. Ernst

Primary Colors ( 1998) | IMDb: 6.7

Drama

In this adaptation of the best-selling roman à clef about Bill Clinton's 1992 run for the White House, the young and gifted Henry Burton is tapped to oversee the presidential campaign of Governor Jack Stanton. Burton is pulled into the politician's colorful world and looks on as Stanton -- who has a wandering eye that could be his downfall -- contends with his ambitious wife, Susan, and an outspoken adviser, Richard Jemmons.

Starring:

John Travolta , Emma Thompson , Billy Bob Thornton , Kathy Bates , Adrian Lester , Maura Tierney

Directed by:

Mike Nichols , Michael Haley

Produced by:

Juel Bestrop , Mike Nichols , Juliet Taylor

Judge Dredd ( 1995) | IMDb: 5.6

Science fiction

In a dystopian future, Dredd, the most famous judge (a cop with instant field judiciary powers) is convicted for a crime he did not commit while his murderous counterpart escapes.

Starring:

Sylvester Stallone , Diane Lane , Armand Assante , Rob Schneider , Jürgen Prochnow , Max von Sydow

Directed by:

Ben Howarth , Danny Cannon , Beau Marks

Produced by:

Charles Lippincott , Edward R. Pressman , Jackie Burch

Clear and Present Danger ( 1994) | IMDb: 6.9

Action , Drama , Thriller

Agent Jack Ryan becomes acting Deputy Director of Intelligence for the CIA when Admiral Greer is diagnosed with cancer. When an American businessman, and friend of the president, is murdered on his yacht, Ryan starts discovering links between the man and drug dealers. As former CIA agent John Clark is sent to Colombia to kill drug cartel kingpins in retaliation, Ryan must fight through multiple cover-ups to figure out what happened and who's responsible.

Starring:

Harrison Ford , Willem Dafoe , Anne Archer , Joaquim de Almeida , Henry Czerny , Harris Yulin

Directed by:

Scott Robertson , Carlos Piñero , Alan B. Curtiss

Produced by:

Debbie Schwab , Monica Levinson , Peggy Pridemore

The Lion King ( 1994) | IMDb: 8.5

Animation , Drama , Family

Taking inspiration from Shakespeare's Hamlet, a young lion prince grows up in exile after his father is killed by his villainous uncle, and returns years later to reclaim his throne.

Starring:

Matthew Broderick , James Earl Jones , Jeremy Irons , Moira Kelly , Nathan Lane , Ernie Sabella

Directed by:

Rick Moore , Brenda Chapman , Roger Allers

Produced by:

Don Walters , Barbara Harris , Dana Axelrod

Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult ( 1994) | IMDb: 6.5

Comedy , Crime

Frank Drebin is persuaded out of retirement to go undercover in a state prison. There he has to find out what top terrorist, Rocco, has planned for when he escapes. Adding to his problems, Frank's wife, Jane, is desperate for a baby.

Starring:

Leslie Nielsen , Priscilla Presley , George Kennedy , O.J. Simpson , Fred Ward , Kathleen Freeman

Directed by:

Violet Cazanjian , Joseph J. Kontra , Robert K. Weiss

Produced by:

Felicidad Contreras , David Zucker , William C. Gerrity

James Earl Jones Movies: Top 16 Performances by a Successful Actor

Biography