James Earl Jones – Rotten Tomatoes

Highest Rated: 100% Africa: The Serengeti (1994)

lowest rating: not available

birthday: January 17, 1931

place of birth: arkabutla, mississippi, usa

With his deep, resonant voice and commanding physical presence, James Earl Jones became one of the most easily recognizable figures in the entertainment industry. A native of Arkabutla, Mississippi, he spent most of his childhood in Michigan living with his grandparents. moving north was such a jarring event that he developed a severe stutter and barely spoke until high school. With help, Jones overcame his stutter as a teenager and became involved in artistic pursuits. he majored in drama at the university of michigan and served in the army as an officer immediately after graduating. Once he finished his service, he moved to New York to pursue acting. he soon began appearing regularly both on and off broadway. his voice and stature made him a natural for the title role in shakespeare’s “othello”, a role he would play in various productions throughout his career. He made his film debut when Stanley Kubrick cast him as the bomber in his satire “Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1965). He had a prominent role in “The Comedians” (1967), opposite Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, but his biggest opportunity was yet to be seen. Jones played the role of boxer Jack Johnson in the Broadway production of “The Great White Hope,” winning a Tony Award and critical acclaim. he then starred in the 1970 film version, earning an Academy Award nomination. Established as an actor, from then on he worked constantly in film, television and theater. In the mid-1970s, a young filmmaker named George Lucas cast Jones as the voice of the villain in his sci-fi adventure “Star Wars” (1977). The character, Darth Vader, would go on to become one of history’s greatest villains, and Jones continued to provide the character’s voice through the initial two sequels, “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “The Return of the Empire.” jedi” (1983), as well as a variety of ancillary projects over the decades that followed. His voice became perhaps his best calling card, with his deep bass closely associated with Bell Atlantic/Verizon commercials and cable news giant CNN’s on-air promotion. While working regularly on film and television, including starring in the short-lived series “Me and Mommy” (CBS, 1985), he enjoyed a screen renaissance in the late ’80s. He played the African King father of Eddie Murphy in the hit comedy “coming to america” (1988). He then memorably teamed up with Kevin Costner for the sentimental baseball film “Field of Dreams” (1989) playing reclusive writer Terence Mann. his soliloquy from the movie extolling the virtues of baseball will play for years to come in stadiums across the country. In the ’90s, he again tried his hand at television series, starring in “gabriel ‘s fire ” (abc, 1990-91) and a reworking of the premise called “pros and cons ” (abc, 1991-92). his voice, however, would once again have a greater impact. Disney cast the actor as Mufasa, the leader of a pride of lions and father of protagonist Simba, in the animated hit “The Lion King” (1994). As with Darth Vader, Jones became so aligned with the character that he was asked to provide the voice again for Jon Favreau’s hit film remake in 2019. When he wasn’t appearing onscreen, the actor regularly returned to the stage. He cast a starring role in the opening Broadway presentation of August Wilson’s acclaimed play “Fences”. Later, Jones returned to familiar territory once more, teaming up with Murphy for the long-gestating sequel Coming 2 America (2020).