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Early Life
James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, Mississippi. His father, Robert Earl Jones, a boxer and actor, was largely absent from his life growing up. At an early age, Jones was raised by his maternal grandparents on their farm in Michigan. He is of Irish, Cherokee and African descent.
Jones developed a severe stutter in childhood, which left him terribly self-conscious and shy around other children. He refused to speak in school until a teacher helped him out of his silence during his high school years. "I had a great English teacher who believed in language," Jones later told the Hollywood Reporter. "And he looked at a poem I wrote and said, 'It's too good for you to have written, so to prove you wrote it, please stand up in front of the class and recite it from memory.' And I did it without stuttering."
Jones went to the University of Michigan to study medicine, but soon discovered acting. After college, he served in the military during the Korean War, returning to his passion of performing once he finished his service. Moving to New York City, Jones studied at the American Theatre Wing, and found a job as a janitor to make ends meet during the early days of his career.
Success on Stage and Screen
James Earl Jones made his Broadway debut in the late 1950s. For several years, he took on a variety of roles on the stage, on television and in film. Jones was active in the Shakespeare in the Park program, appearing in one of its first productions in 1962, and in 1964, he gave a tremendous performance as the title character in Othelloâ??he would go on to play this character numerous times.
In 1963, Jones picked up an Emmy Award nomination for his performance on the TV show East Side/West Side. The following year, he played Lieutenant Lothar Zogg in Stanley Kubrick's war satire Dr. Strangelove, starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott.
On the stage, Jones had a career breakthrough in 1966: He starred as boxer Jack Jefferson in the 1966 Broadway drama The Great White Hope, and the performance brought him his first Tony Award win. He also starred in the film version four years later, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination.
Continuing to work in theater, Jones appeared in numerous Broadway productions during the 1970s and '80s. He had starring roles in such productions as the 1974 revival of Of Mice and Men and the 1978 play Paul Robeson. In 1987, he won his second Tony Award for his work in the August Wilson drama Fences.
Acclaimed Actor
Famous for his distinctively deep and rich voice, Jones began one of his most famous film roles in the late 1970s: performing the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983).
On the big screen, Jones often played strong, authoritative characters. He played a Navy admiral in 1990's The Hunt for Red Octoberâ??a role he reprised in Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). That same year, he lent his commanding voice to the hit animated film The Lion King.
Jones thrived on TV as well, winning a pair of Emmy Awards in 1991, or his leading role on the dramatic series Gabriel's Fire and his supporting role on the miniseries Heat Wave. On Gabriel's Fire, which ran from 1990 to '91, he starred as a former cop who was released from prison after being convicted of murder.
Jones tried his hand at series TV again in 1995 with the short-lived drama Under One Roof. He also made guest appearances on such shows as Frasier and Everwood.
Later Projects
In more recent years, Jones, now in his 80s, continues to juggle a variety of film, TV and stage roles, and remains an in-demand actor. In 2005, he earned another Tony nomination (best leading actor in a play) for his work on On Golden Pond (Leslie Uggams co-starred in the production). Three years later, he played Big Daddy in the revival of the Tennessee Williams's classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, co-starring with Terrence Howard and Phylicia Rashad.
In 2012, Jones earned a Tony nomination for his performance in the revival of The Best Man by Gore Vidal. Around this same time, he was cast alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Rosario Dawson in the 2013 drama Gimme Shelter, and alongside Peter Dinklage and Mila Kunis in the dramatic comedy The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.
Over the years, Jones has received many accolades for his contributions to the arts, including a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002 and an honorary Academy Award in 2011â??the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed this award to Jones for "his legacy of consistent excellence and uncommon versatility," according to the academy's website.
Personal Life
Previously married to actress Julienne Marie, Jones wed Cecilia Hart in 1982. The couple has one son, Flynn Earl Jones.
Source: http://www.biography.com/people/james-earl-jones-9357354
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