James Earl Jones was often rightly referred to as “the man with the golden voice.” The rich, booming baritone pronounced each syllable with dignified intention. Whether it was Darth Vader or a Disney character – when you heard him speak, there was no mistaking him for anyone else.
But he was more than just a voice. Jones was also a spellbinding actor. And in addition to his words, Jones used every inch of his body – and all of his instincts – to embody portrayals of Black men from all walks of life with dignity, strength and authenticity in an era when they were as dehumanized on the stage and screen as in real life.
Jones passed away on Monday, September 9. He was 93.
“James Earl Jones was a man whose voice could move mountains – but it was his heart and grace that left the deepest impact,” said fellow screen legend Billy Dee Williams in an Instagram tribute. Williams starred with Jones in more than one film – including “Star Wars: Episode V – The Emperor Strikes Back,” “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings,” and “Percy and Thunder” among others.
“He brought power, wisdom and soul to every role,” Williams said. “But more than that he was a kind, humble soul who inspired everyone around him.”
From the time he stepped on a Broadway stage in 1958’s “Sunrise at Campobello” – and made his film debut seven years later in Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic masterpiece “Dr. Strangelove” – Jones’ contributions to the canon of film, television and theater became crystal clear.
He provided a counternarrative to stereotypes and/or one-dimensional roles Black actors were forced to settle for by offering depth and richness. His performances were critical to the audiences’ connection to the work –and aided filmmakers and stage directors in achieving their desired intention.
Being known globally for his voice and applying it to impassioned stage performances that still resonate is an unlikely legacy for a shy child with a stutter born in the heart of the Jim Crow South.
James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi. Acting was literally in Jones’ blood. His father, Robert Earl Jones, left the family in Mississippi soon after his son’s birth and went on to become a stage and film actor. Cast in the 1938 Langston Hughes play “Don’t You Want to be Free,” The elder Jones became a leading man for pioneering Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and earned steady work in crime dramas on television and in film.
By the time father and son reconnected, James Earl Jones was on his way to making a name for himself as an actor in the 1950s.
His mother, Ruth Jones, sent James Earl Jones to live with her parents on a farm in rural Michigan when he was five years old. The uprooting of his life was so traumatic for the young boy that his speech became impaired.
“I was a stutterer,” Jones said in a 2019 interview with The American Academy of Achievement. “I couldn’t talk. So, my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school.”
He was liberated from his shell of silence by an English teacher, Donald Crouch, who discovered Jones had a gift for writing poetry. Crouch urged him to recite the words he had written in front of his classmates. By the time he graduated from Dickson Rural Agricultural School (now Brethren High School) in Brethren, Michigan, Jones was vice president of his class.
He entered the University of Michigan with the original goal of becoming a doctor. Fate had other plans. In his junior year, he decided to focus on drama. He worked on the stage crew and acted at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee, Michigan. In 1955, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Drama. Two years later he was on Broadway. A film career that continues to inspire followed a few years after that. And in 1965, Jones became one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime television drama when he appeared in “As the World Turns.”
His credits are countless – and his best role depends on who you ask. But what is universally agreed upon is the power of his influence.
“He’s my hero,” Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington told Variety Magazine. “My college theater career started because of ‘The Emperor Jones’ and ‘Othello’ with James Earl Jones.”
Washington earned a Tony award and an Oscar nomination with his portrayal of Troy Maxon in August Wilson’s Fences, which won Jones a Tony when he originated the role in 1987.
“He was who I wanted to be,” Washington said.
He played a Lion King as Mufasa in Disney’s “The Lion King” – and a king who wore a lion in the Eddie Murphy film “Coming to America.” Jones also played a series of powerful leaders on stage in numerous productions with Shakespeare in the Park, including “Othello,” “Hamlet,” “Coriolanus” and “King Lear.”
His awards and honors are almost as extensive as his acting credits.
A few of them include being a 2002 Kennedy Center Honors award recipient, a 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2009, and an honorary Oscar in 2012. In 2022, Jones became the first Black actor to have a Broadway Theatre named in his honor when The Cort Theatre was rechristened as The James Earl Jones Theatre. The Cort was the same stage on which Jones made his Broadway debut as a featured performer.
“His legacy will live on forever,” Willims said. “And though he’s gone, his presence will always be felt.”