Actor James Earl Jones died on Sept. 9, leaving behind a legacy for the future of the film industry.
Jones was best known for the voice of Mufasa in “The Lion King,” the “Star Wars” franchise and the CNN intro. He’s also performed in Broadway shows “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Iceman Cometh” and “You Can’t Take it With You.”
Jones also has an honorary EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) including a 2017 Tony lifetime achievement award, according to Deseret News.
Besides his honorary EGOT status, he became the second Black man to be nominated for the best actor Oscar award in 1971, according to Deseret News. The first was Sidney Poiter, an actor and film director.
Jones always credited his mother as a key factor to his success, according to bianchis.com. He was born on Jan. 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi to mother Ruth Connolly and father Robert Earl Jones. His mother was a teacher and maid while his father was a boxer, butler and chauffeur.
In Jones’ early life, he developed a stutter, according to biography.com. It wasn’t until an English teacher in highschool helped him out of it. The teacher looked at a poem Jones wrote in class and told him it was too good to have been written by him. Jones then recited the poem in front of his class from memory to prove it.
“I had a great English teacher who believed in language,” Jones said to The Hollywood Reporter Magazine.
Later, Jones attended the University of Michigan with the intent to study medicine, but that changed when he discovered acting, BBC and biography.com said. After completing military service in the Korean War from 1953-1957, he began his acting career.
He started by working as a stage carpenter, as well as a stage manager at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee, Michigan. In his first acting season, he performed Othello there. Afterwards, Jones sought work in New York.
Besides his well known acting roles, Jones also lent his voice to television shows, such as Serak the Preparer from “The Simpsons” in 1990 and had a cameo in “The Big Bang Theory” in season seven. He also was the first-ever celebrity guest on “Sesame Street” in 1969.
In 2022, the Cort Theatre in Manhattan, New York changed its name to the James Earl Jones Theatre, according to Smithsonian magazine. This was to honor his work as an actor. Previously, in 1958, Jones performed “Sunrise to Campobello” at the theater.
He is survived by his son Flynn Earl Jones, an actor.
While the world won’t see Jones in person again, his deep memorable voice will always be remembered throughout film and television history.