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IMDbPro

James Earl Jones(1931-2024)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000289
James Earl Jones
IMDb celebrates the lives of artists who passed away in 2024, including James Earl Jones, Maggie Smith, Gena Rowlands, Bob Newhart, Shelley Duvall, and more.
Play clip2:53
In Memoriam 2024
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
Widely regarded as the one of greatest stage and screen actors both in his native USA and internationally, James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi. At an early age, he started to take dramatic lessons to calm himself down. It appeared to work as he has since starred in many films over a 40-year period, beginning with the Stanley Kubrick classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). For several movie fans, he is probably best known for his role as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy (due to his contribution for the voice of the role, as the man in the Darth Vader suit was David Prowse, whose voice was dubbed because of his British West Country accent). In his brilliant course of memorable performances, among others, he has also appeared on the animated series The Simpsons (1989) three times and played Mufasa both in The Lion King (1994) and The Lion King (2019), while he returned too as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
BornJanuary 17, 1931
DiedSeptember 9, 2024(93)
BornJanuary 17, 1931
DiedSeptember 9, 2024(93)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000289
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 31 wins & 31 nominations total

Remembering James Earl Jones: 1931-2024

Remembering James Earl Jones: 1931-2024

Celebrate the life and career of James Earl Jones, the stage and screen actor beloved for his performance in Field of Dreams and as the voice of Darth Vader.
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Photos

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Known for

James Earl Jones, Forest Whitaker, Wen Jiang, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Daniel Naprous, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Spencer Wilding, and Riz Ahmed in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
7.8
  • Darth Vader(voice)
  • 2016
James Earl Jones, Kathy Griffin, Alfre Woodard, Scott Adsit, Carlos Alazraqui, Kristen Alderson, Kristen Ariza, Michael Beattie, Bob Bergen, Sebastian Cavazza, Cedric The Entertainer, Dane Cook, Walt Dohrn, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Penny Johnson Jerald, John Kani, Florence Kasumba, Beyoncé, Phil LaMarr, Danny Mann, Mike Mitchell, Don Rickles, Seth Rogen, Amy Sedaris, Peter Sohn, Aron Warner, Christopher Knights, John Oliver, Keegan-Michael Key, Will.i.am, Kristen DeLuca, Christopher Lee Parson, J. Lee, Donald Glover, Eric André, Billy Eichner, Teri Reeves, Ryan Potter, Chance the Rapper, Kristen Phaneuf, JD McCrary, Josh McCrary, and Shahadi Wright Joseph in The Lion King (2019)
The Lion King
6.8
  • Mufasa(voice)
  • 2019
Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams (1989)
Field of Dreams
7.5
  • Terence Mann
  • 1989
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, Warwick Davis, David Prowse, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Carter, and Larry Ward in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
8.3
  • Darth Vader(voice)
  • 1983

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor



  • Ewan McGregor, James Earl Jones, Hayden Christensen, and Dmitrious Bistrevsky in Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
    Obi-Wan Kenobi
    7.0
    TV Mini Series
    • Darth Vader (voice)
    • 2022
  • James Earl Jones, Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, Paul Bates, Shari Headley, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Clint Smith, Akiley Love, Bella Murphy, Jermaine Fowler, Teyana Taylor, Rotimi, Nomzamo Mbatha, and KiKi Layne in Coming 2 America (2021)
    Coming 2 America
    5.3
    • King Jaffe Joffer
    • 2021
  • Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Keri Russell, J.J. Abrams, Lynn Robertson Bruce, Hassan Taj, Oscar Isaac, Brian Herring, Jimmy Vee, Dave Chapman, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Robin Guiver, Daisy Ridley, Lee Towersey, Joonas Suotamo, and Naomi Ackie in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
    Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
    6.4
    • Darth Vader (voice)
    • 2019
  • James Earl Jones, Kathy Griffin, Alfre Woodard, Scott Adsit, Carlos Alazraqui, Kristen Alderson, Kristen Ariza, Michael Beattie, Bob Bergen, Sebastian Cavazza, Cedric The Entertainer, Dane Cook, Walt Dohrn, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Penny Johnson Jerald, John Kani, Florence Kasumba, Beyoncé, Phil LaMarr, Danny Mann, Mike Mitchell, Don Rickles, Seth Rogen, Amy Sedaris, Peter Sohn, Aron Warner, Christopher Knights, John Oliver, Keegan-Michael Key, Will.i.am, Kristen DeLuca, Christopher Lee Parson, J. Lee, Donald Glover, Eric André, Billy Eichner, Teri Reeves, Ryan Potter, Chance the Rapper, Kristen Phaneuf, JD McCrary, Josh McCrary, and Shahadi Wright Joseph in The Lion King (2019)
    The Lion King
    6.8
    • Mufasa (voice)
    • 2019
  • James Earl Jones, Bruce Dern, Tammy Blanchard, and Onata Aprile in Warning Shot (2018)
    Warning Shot
    4.8
    • Pendleton
    • 2018
  • James Earl Jones, Forest Whitaker, Wen Jiang, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Daniel Naprous, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Spencer Wilding, and Riz Ahmed in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
    7.8
    • Darth Vader (voice)
    • 2016
  • Freddie Prinze Jr., Steve Blum, Vanessa Marshall, Dave Filoni, Tiya Sircar, and Taylor Gray in Star Wars: Rebels (2014)
    Star Wars: Rebels
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Darth Vader (voice)
    • 2014–2016
  • The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2015)
    The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
    5.6
    TV Movie
    • Mufasa (voice)
    • 2015
  • Jeff Hephner in Agent X (2015)
    Agent X
    6.1
    TV Series
    • Chief Justice Caleb Thorne
    • 2015
  • Great Performances (1971)
    Great Performances
    7.8
    TV Series
    • Hoke
    • King Lear
    • 1971–2014
  • Robin Williams, Mila Kunis, Peter Dinklage, and Melissa Leo in The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014)
    The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
    5.7
    • Ruben (Video store owner)
    • 2014
  • Mayim Bialik, Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Jim Parsons, Melissa Rauch, and Kunal Nayyar in The Big Bang Theory (2007)
    The Big Bang Theory
    8.1
    TV Series
    • James Earl Jones
    • 2014
  • Vanessa Hudgens in Gimme Shelter (2013)
    Gimme Shelter
    6.4
    • Frank McCarthy
    • 2013
  • Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella in The Lion King Read-Along (2011)
    The Lion King Read-Along
    5.8
    Video
    • Mufasa (voice)
    • 2011
  • Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (2011)
    Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
    8.3
    Short
    • Darth Vader (voice)
    • 2011

Soundtrack



  • Beyoncé, Folajomi 'FJ' Akinmurele, Emmanuel Adjei, and Blitz Bazawule in Black Is King (2020)
    Black Is King
    5.8
    • performer: "Remember (Mufasa Interlude)", "Balance (Mufasa Interlude)", "The Stars (Mufasa Interlude)", "I'm Home (Mufasa, Sarabi & Simba Interlude)"
    • 2020
  • Mayim Bialik, Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Jim Parsons, Melissa Rauch, and Kunal Nayyar in The Big Bang Theory (2007)
    The Big Bang Theory
    8.1
    TV Series
    • performer: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (uncredited)
    • 2014
  • Mary Stuart Masterson and D.B. Sweeney in Gardens of Stone (1987)
    Gardens of Stone
    6.3
    • performer: "Streets of Laredo" (uncredited)
    • 1987

  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos102

In Memoriam 2024
Clip 2:53
In Memoriam 2024
James Earl Jones | Career Retrospective
Clip 1:42
James Earl Jones | Career Retrospective
James Earl Jones | Career Retrospective
Clip 1:42
James Earl Jones | Career Retrospective
The Evolution of Anakin Skywalker
Clip 3:23
The Evolution of Anakin Skywalker
What We Know About 'The Lion King' ... So Far
Clip 3:16
What We Know About 'The Lion King' ... So Far
Shot for Shot: 'The Lion King' (2019) vs. 'The Lion King' (1994)
Clip 1:26
Shot for Shot: 'The Lion King' (2019) vs. 'The Lion King' (1994)
Glenn Close Introduces James Earl Jones
Clip 11:19
Glenn Close Introduces James Earl Jones

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • X
  • Alternative name
    • James Earl Boggins Jones
  • Height
    • 6′ 1½″ (1.87 m)
  • Born
    • January 17, 1931
    • Arkabutla, Mississippi, USA
  • Died
    • September 9, 2024
    • Pawling, New York, USA(undisclosed)
  • Spouses
      Cecilia HartMarch 15, 1982 - October 16, 2016 (her death, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Flynn Earl Jones
  • Parents
      Ruth Connolly
  • Relatives
    • Matthew Earl Jones(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Large Series of Radio and TV commercials for the Bell Atlantic telephone system (voice over).
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 3 Interviews
    • 6 Articles
    • 3 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    According to Jones, when George Lucas was trying to cast the voice of Darth Vader, his immediate idea was to cast Orson Welles. However, he felt that Welles was too well-known for the role. So instead, he looked for an actor with a deep voice, "like Orson Welles", which is how he got the role.
  • Quotes
    [from "James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences" page 360]: My voice is for hire. My endorsement is not for hire. I will do a voice-over, but I cannot endorse without making a different kind of commitment. My politics are very personal and subjective.
  • Trademarks
      Famous for his deep authoritative voice, used most famously for impressive roles as leaders like Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy and Mufasa both in The Lion King (1994) and The Lion King (2019).
  • Nicknames
    • Todd
    • Jimmy
    • Jim
  • Salaries
      Coming to America
      (1988)
      $900,000

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