James Earl Jones
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 17, 1931
- Died
- September 9, 2024 (aged 93)
- Birthplace
- Arkabutla, Mississippi, USA
Biography
James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. He was described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances on stage and screen, and "one of the greatest actors in American history". Over his career, he received three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985. He was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009 and the Honorary Academy Award in 2011. His deep voice has been praised as a "stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas" to his projects.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Broadway: The Next Generation
Movie · as Self
Diamonds on the Silver Screen
Movie · as Self
Indiana Jones Adventure | Disneyland Resort
Movie · as Mara (voice)
Butterfly in the Sky
Movie · as Guest Narrator (archive footage)
BET News & ET Present James Earl Jones: Life and Legacy
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Obi-Wan Kenobi
TV · as Darth Vader (voice) · 4 eps
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Coming 2 America
Movie · as King Jaffe Joffer
On Broadway
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Space: Theatre of Survival
Movie · as Narrator
Words from a Bear
Movie · as Self
The Lion King
Movie · as Mufasa (voice)
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
Movie · as Self
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice)
The Movies That Made Us
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
Warning Shot
Movie · as Pendleton
The Lion Guard: Life In The Pride Lands
Movie · as Mufasa (voice)
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
Movie · as Mufasa (voice)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice)
Driving Miss Daisy
Movie · as Hoke Colburn
Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice)
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Movie · as Self
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
Movie · as Ruben
Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice)
Star Wars Rebels
TV · as Darth Vader (voice) · 2 eps
Gimme Shelter
Movie · as Frank McCarthy
Blackfish
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Milius
Movie · as Self
Muse of Fire
Movie · as Self
Joe Papp in Five Acts
Movie · as Self
An Amazing Time: A Conversation About End of the Road
Movie · as Self
Strange Septembers: The Hill Abduction & the Exeter Encounter
Movie · as Himself
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Jack and the Beanstalk
Movie · as The Giant (voice)
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Movie · as Papa Jenkins
Earth
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
John, Paul, George and Ben
Movie · as Narrator
Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson
Movie · as Self
The Big Bang Theory
TV · as James Earl Jones · 1 ep
Click
Movie · as Narrator of Michael's Past (voice) (uncredited)
The Benchwarmers
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice)
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
Movie · as Jack Jefferson (segment "The Great White Hope") / Troy Maxson (segment "Fences")
Scary Movie 4
Movie · as Narrator (uncredited)
Searching for Orson
Movie · as Self
The Trail Of Tears: Cherokee Legacy
Movie · as Narrator
The One Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The Reading Room
Movie · as William
The Sandlot 2
Movie · as Mr. Mertle
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
Movie · as Narrator
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice - uncredited)
Robots
Movie · as Voice Box at Hardware Store (voice)
Hollywood's Greatest Villains
Movie · as Self
Nine Dog Christmas
Movie · as Storyteller (voice)
Black Indians: An American Story
Movie · as Narrator
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Movie · as Self
The Story of Star Wars
Movie · as Darth Vader (archive footage)
No Fighting in the War Room Or: 'Dr Strangelove' and the Nuclear Threat
Movie · as Self
House
TV · as Dibala · 1 ep
The Great Year
Movie · as Narrator
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror
Movie · as Maggie Simpson (voice)
Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'The Hunt for Red October'
Movie · as Self
Two and a Half Men
TV · as James Earl Jones · 1 ep
Fredericksburg: A Documentary Film
Movie · as Narrator
Everwood
TV · as Will Cleveland · 3 eps
Finder's Fee
Movie · as Avery Phillips
Disney's American Legends
Movie · as Narrator
Feast of All Saints
Movie · as Older Marcel
Muhammad Ali - Through The Eyes Of The World
Movie · as Self
Recess Christmas: Miracle On Third Street
Movie · as Mister (voice)
According to Jim
TV · as Royal Flush Voice (voice) · 1 ep
Fantasia 2000
Movie · as Self - Host
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
Movie · as Self
Inside: 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'
Movie · as Self - 'Lieutenant Lothar Zogg'
The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove
Movie · as Self
Antietam: A Documentary Film
Movie · as Narrator
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
Movie
Ennis' Gift
Movie · as Self
Undercover Angel
Movie · as The Judge
Santa and Pete
Movie · as Grandpa Nicholas
Summer's End
Movie · as Dr. William 'Bill' Blakely
Our Friend, Martin
Movie · as Daddy King (voice)
The Annihilation of Fish
Movie · as Fish
On the Q.T.
Movie · as Leo
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Movie · as Mufasa (voice)
Primary Colors
Movie · as CNN Voiceover (voice)
Will & Grace
TV · as James Earl Jones · 1 ep
Merlin
TV · as Rock of Ages · 2 eps
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Movie · as Self
Gang Related
Movie · as Arthur Baylor
What the Deaf Man Heard
Movie · as Archibald Thacker
Sports on the Silver Screen
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Second Civil War
Movie · as Jim Kalla
Hitler's Forgotten Victims
Movie · as Narrator (voice) (DVD version)
Alone
Movie · as Grey
Afro Promo
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Casper: A Spirited Beginning
Movie · as Kibosh (voice)
Good Luck
Movie · as James Bing
Stargate SG-1
TV · as Unas (Voice) · 1 ep
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
Movie · as Dr. McDuffie
A Family Thing
Movie · as Ray Murdock
Timepiece
Movie · as Lawrence
Looking for Richard
Movie · as Self - Interviewee
Corwin
Movie · as Self
3rd Rock from the Sun
TV · as Narrator (voice) (uncredited) · 19 eps
Cry, the Beloved Country
Movie · as Rev. Stephen Kumalo
People: A Musical Celebration
Movie · as The Storyteller (voice)
Who's in Rabbit's House?
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The Making of 'Jurassic Park'
Movie · as Host
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Movie · as Self
Jefferson in Paris
Movie · as Madison Hemings
Judge Dredd
Movie · as Narrator (uncredited)
Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable
Movie · as Mufasa
Under One Roof
TV · as Neb Langston · 6 eps
Signs and Wonders
TV · as Diamond · 4 eps
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
TV · as King Dakkar (voice) · 1 ep
The Lion King
Movie · as Mufasa (voice)
Clear and Present Danger
Movie · as Admiral James Greer
Africa: The Serengeti
Movie · as Narrator
The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics
Movie · as Host
Clean Slate
Movie · as John Dolby
Gangs: Turning the Corner
Movie · as Self
The Vernon Johns Story
Movie · as Vernon Johns
Bah, Humbug!: The Story of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'
Movie · as Narrator
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Movie · as James Earl Jones (uncredited)
Confessions: Two Faces of Evil
Movie · as Charles Lloyd
The Making of the Lion King
Movie · as Self
Touched by an Angel
TV · as The Angel of Angels · 1 ep
Sommersby
Movie · as Judge Barry Conrad Issacs
Dreamrider
Movie · as Bill Perry
The Meteor Man
Movie · as Earnest Moses
The Sandlot
Movie · as Mr. Mertle
Excessive Force
Movie · as Jake
Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films
Movie · as Self (voice) (uncredited)
Percy & Thunder
Movie · as Percy Banks
Hallelujah
Movie · as Old Man Taylor
Frasier
TV · as Norman Royster · 1 ep
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
TV · as Franklin Stern · 1 ep
Homicide: Life on the Street
TV · as Felix Wilson · 3 eps
Sneakers
Movie · as Mr. Bernard Abbott
Patriot Games
Movie · as Adm. James Greer
Lincoln
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The JFK Conspiracy
Movie · as Self - Host
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
TV · as Narrator (voice) · 1 ep
Picket Fences
TV · as Bryant Thomas · 1 ep
Scorchers
Movie · as Bear
Convicts
Movie · as Ben Johnson
True Identity
Movie · as James Earl Jones
Visitors from the Unknown
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Portrait of Castro's Cuba
Movie · as Host/Narrator
When It Was a Game
Movie · as (voice)
Pros and Cons
TV · as Gabriel Bird · 12 eps
The Hunt for Red October
Movie · as Vice ADM James Greer
By Dawn's Early Light
Movie · as Alice
Grim Prairie Tales
Movie · as Morrison
The Ambulance
Movie · as Lt. Spencer
Ivory Hunters
Movie · as Inspector Nkuru
Heat Wave
Movie · as Junius Johnson
Teach 109
Movie · as Dr. Winston
Last Flight Out
Movie · as Al Topping
Terrorgram
Movie · as Retribution (voice)
Law & Order
TV · as Defense Attorney Horace McCoy · 1 ep
Gabriel's Fire
TV · as Gabriel Bird · 22 eps
Field of Dreams
Movie · as Terrence Mann
Three Fugitives
Movie · as Dugan
11-22-63: The Day the Nation Cried
Movie · as Narrator
Best of the Best
Movie · as Frank Couzo
The Hunting of the Snark
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Stories to Remember: Noah's Ark
Movie · as Narrator
The Simpsons
TV · as Narrator (voice), Moving Man / Serak the Preparer / Narrator (voice), Maggie Simpson (voice) · 1 ep
Long Ago and Far Away
TV · as Host · 35 eps
Coming to America
Movie · as King Jaffe Joffer
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Garfield and Friends
TV · as Diablo · 1 ep
Matewan
Movie · as 'Few Clothes' Johnson
Gardens of Stone
Movie · as Sgt. Maj.'Goody' Nelson
Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night
Movie · as Emperor of the Night (voice)
A House Divided
Movie
Mathnet
TV · as Chief Thad Green, Chief Thad Green (voice), Chief Thad Greene · 3 eps
Soul Man
Movie · as Professor Banks
Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold
Movie · as Umslopogaas
My Little Girl
Movie · as Ike Bailey
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Movie · as Genie / Narrator
The Lone Star Kid
Movie · as Holmes
L.A. Law
TV · as Lee Atkins · 1 ep
City Limits
Movie · as Albert
Night of 100 Stars II
Movie · as Self
Visual Pathfinders: Robert Abel & Associates
Movie
Moses
Movie · as Pharaoh
Me & Mom
TV · 6 eps
The Atlanta Child Murders
TV · as Major Walker · 2 eps
The Vegas Strip War
Movie · as Jack Madrid
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Movie · as Narrator
CBS Schoolbreak Special
TV · as Detective Robb · 1 ep
Highway to Heaven
TV · as Gabe Wilson · 1 ep
Return of the Jedi
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice)
Reading Rainbow
TV · as Self - Narrator (voice) · 1 ep
Amy and the Angel
Movie · as Gabriel
Conan the Barbarian
Movie · as Thulsa Doom
The Flight of Dragons
Movie · as Ommadon (voice)
Blood Tide
Movie · as Frye
Night of 100 Stars
Movie · as Self
Faerie Tale Theatre
TV · as Genie / Narrator (voice) · 1 ep
American Playhouse
TV · as Dr. Winston (segment 'Teach 109'), Old Man Taylor · 1 ep
Beauty and the Beast
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The Bushido Blade
Movie · as The Prisoner
The Creation
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Golden Book Video - Beauty and the Beast
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
God's Trombones
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues
Movie · as himself, voice
The Empire Strikes Back
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
Movie · as Dane Oliver
The Me Nobody Knows
Movie · as Self
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
TV · as Father Divine · 2 eps
Paul Robeson
Movie · as Paul Robeson
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
Movie · as Self - Host
Roots: The Next Generations
TV · as Alex Haley · 1 ep
Paris
TV · as Woody Paris · 13 eps
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice)
Black Theatre: The Making of a Movement
Movie · as Self
The Story of the Faithful Wookiee
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
The Kennedy Center Honors
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Magic of David Copperfield
TV · 1 ep
Star Wars
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
A Piece of the Action
Movie · as Joshua Burke
The Last Remake of Beau Geste
Movie · as Sheikh
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Movie · as Older Kokumo
The Greatest
Movie · as Malcolm X
The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened
Movie · as Morris Bird, Jr.
The Making of Star Wars
Movie · as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
Jesus of Nazareth
TV · as Balthazar · 4 eps
Swashbuckler
Movie · as Nick Debrett
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
Movie · as Leon
The River Niger
Movie · as Johnny Williams
Deadly Hero
Movie · as Rabbit Shazam
The UFO Incident
Movie · as Barney Hill
Vegetable Soup
TV · as Long John Spoilsport · 57 eps
Claudine
Movie · as Rupert D. "Roop" Marshall
The Cay
Movie · as Timothy
King Lear
Movie · as King Lear
Dinah!
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Black Omnibus
TV · as Self - Host · 13 eps
The Man
Movie · as Douglass Dilman
Malcolm X
Movie · as Biographical Narration (voice)
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Legacy of a Dream
Movie · as Narrator
Great Performances
TV · as King Lear · 1 ep
End of the Road
Movie · as Doctor D
The Great White Hope
Movie · as Jack Jefferson
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Sesame Street
TV · 1 ep
The Dick Cavett Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 2 eps
The Comedians
Movie · as Dr. Magiot
Tarzan
TV · 2 eps
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Movie · as Lt. Lothar Zogg
East Side/West Side
TV · 1 ep
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV · as Self · 6 eps
The Merv Griffin Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Defenders
TV · as Lieutenant Andrews, Reverend Harris Bonham · 1 ep
Dr. Kildare
TV · as Dr. Lou Rush · 3 eps
The Mike Douglas Show
TV · as Self, Self - Co-Host · 11 eps
Tony Awards
TV · as Self - Winner / Performer, Self - Presenter, Self (archive footage), Self - Nominee / Presenter · 2 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV · as Archibald Thacker · 1 ep
Lamp Unto My Feet
TV · 1 ep
Golden Globe Awards
TV · as Self - Nominee / Presenter · 1 ep