Jones has many great works to his credit over the course of his seven decade-long career in Hollywood.
James Earl Jones turned 91 years old on January 17. He is a prolific actor who is best known as the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films and later as the voice of King Mufasa in Disney's Lion King. But he has many other works to his credit over the course of his seven decade-long career in Hollywood.
Jones made his debut on the big screen in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film Dr Strangelove. But before launching a career in acting, he was a pre-med major in college. He then served in the United States Army during the Korean War before taking up acting. Jones thought he was not cut out to be a doctor and switched to the drama department at the University of Michigan. He has an extensive track record in theatre and made his Broadway debut in 1957 as part of the play The Egghead by Molly Kazan. He has performed in several Shakespeare plays as well, including Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus, and King Lear.
Other high profile movies he has starred in include Conan the Barbarian (1982), Coming to America (1988), its 2021 sequel, Coming 2 America, and The Hunt for Red October (1990). Jones is said to have one of the best-known voices in show business and rightly so. He has been a voice actor in Malcolm X, The Lion King and its sequel, Casper: A Spirited Beginning, and of course, as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise. With a voice like his, it is not at all surprising that he has been a narrator in many big projects including shows like Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Judge Dredd.
Jones is technically an EGOT holder but is yet to win a competitive Oscar. He has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award. As for the Oscar, he received an Honorary Academy Award in 2011 which was presented to him by Ben Kingsley. Since he was unavailable at the event to receive it, Kingsley presented the award to him after the matinee show of Driving Miss Daisy at Wyndham's Theatre in London. Jones had said at the time that he was left "flabbergasted" by the experience. Preceding this, Mary J. Blige had performed Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from Disney's The Lion King. Alec Baldwin and Glenn Close praised Jones, and Baldwin even stated that the then 80-year-old Jones was "one of the greatest actors in American history."
Jones married American actress and singer Julienne Marie in 1968. The two first met during their time in the play Othello in 1964. They divorced in 1972 and Jones then married actress Cecilia Hart, after which their son Flynn was born in 1982. Hart passed away in 2016. In an earlier interview with The Washington Post, Jones shared how he unwinds after 10-hour-long workdays. "Rest is important, and it’s hard to get on this schedule," he said. "But I try to get eight hours every night. Which is not something I’m used to. I’m used to staying up until 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock. But my wife feeds me well, [and] I do moderate exercise on the treadmill or the step-up, just to get the heart going."
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