James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones grew up in the town of Arkabluta, Mississippi. Born on January 13, 1931 as Todd Jones. James Earl Jones was slowly worked in through theater performances and films.

Mr. Jones' professional stage debut came in 1957, Off-Broadway, and he soon came to prominence as a classical actor in New York Shakespeare Festival productions, including Othello in 1964. That same year he made his screen debut in Stanley Kubric's classic film “Dr. Strangelove”. His focus remained on the theater and in 1969 he won a Tony Award for the performance that made his name, as heavyweight champion Jack Jefferson in “The Great White Hope”. When Mr. Jones repeated his role in Martin Ritt's 1970 film version of the play, he was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Golden Globe.

Mr. Jones lent his weighty voice to the documentaries “King” (1970) and “Malcolm X” (1972) and participated in a handful of features, including “The Man” (1972) and “Claudine” (1974). During the later half of that decade, Mr. Jones appeared in “The River Niger” (1976) “Star Wars” (1977), “The Bingo Long Traveling All Stars & Motor Kings” (1976), with Billy Dee Williams and Richard Prior, and “A Piece of the Action” (1977) with Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier (who also directed).

James Earl Jones continued to work on the stage, winning another Tony award in1987for his performance in August Wilson's “Fences”. Throughout the 1980's, Mr. Jones appeared in films ranging from “Conan the Barbarian” (1983), “Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold” (1987), and “Best of the Best” (1989), to “Gardens of Stone” (1987), and “Field of Dreams” (1989).

By: Scott & Jeff
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