# James Earl Jones on screen and stage

American actor James Earl Jones had an extensive career in various film, television, and theater. He started out in film by appearing in the 1964 political satire film Dr. Strangelove as Lt. Lothar Zogg. He then went on to star in the 1970 film The Great White Hope as Jack Jefferson, a role he first played in the Broadway production of the same name. The film role earned him two Golden Globe nominations, one for Best Actor and winning one for New Star of the Year. He also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His other work in the 1970s included playing the title character in Malcolm X (1972), Johnny Williams in The River Niger (1976), Nick Debrett in Swashbuckler (1976), Malcolm X again in The Greatest (1977), and The Bushido Blade with Richard Boone (1979).
Jones had notably voiced the antagonist Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, first in the original trilogy films—Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983) then again in the third installment of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, first installment of the Star Wars anthology series—Rogue One (2016), and the third installment of the sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker. He was also notable for voicing the Disney character Mufasa, first in the 1994 animated film The Lion King, its sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), and the 2019 photorealistic computer-animated remake of the same name.
In the 1980s, Jones had co-starring roles in the films Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger (1982), Soul Man with C. Thomas Howell (1986), Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold with Richard Chamberlain (1987), Matewan with Chris Cooper (1987), Coming to America with Eddie Murphy (1988) and its sequel, Coming 2 America (2021), and Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner (1989). In 1990, Jones was first cast as the role of Admiral James Greer in the action thriller film The Hunt for Red October, a film based on Tom Clancy's novel of the same name. He reprised the role again in Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994), both films he co-starred with Harrison Ford, who was also in the first three Star Wars franchise films. He also played Mr. Mertle in The Sandlot (1993), a role he reprised again in The Sandlot 2 (2005). His later roles include Gimme Shelter with Rosario Dawson (2013), and The Angriest Man in Brooklyn with Robin Williams (2014), one of Williams' last films before his death. In 2008 and 2011, Jones won the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and Academy Honorary Award respectively for his career in film.
Jones' television work included playing Woodrow Paris in the series Paris between 1979 and 1980. He voiced various characters on the animated series The Simpsons in three separate seasons (1990, 1994, 1998). He then was cast as Gabriel Bird, the lead role in the series Gabriel's Fire which aired from 1990 to 1991. For that role, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and was nominated for his fourth Golden Globe Award, this time for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama. He played Bird again in the series Pros and Cons, which ran from 1991 to 1992; that earned him his fifth and final Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama. He then had small appearances in the series Law & Order (1993), Picket Fences (1994), Mad About You (1997), Touched by an Angel (1997), Frasier (1997). His role in Picket Fences earned him another Primetime Emmy Award nomination, one for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. His later television work includes small roles in Everwood (2003–2004), Two and a Half Men (2008), House (2009), and The Big Bang Theory (2014).
Jones' theater work included numerous Broadway plays, including Sunrise at Campobello (1958–1959), Danton's Death (1965), The Iceman Cometh (1973–1974), Of Mice and Men (1974–1975), Othello (1982), On Golden Pond (2005), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008) and You Can't Take It with You (2014–2015). He was also in various off Broadway productions and Shakespeare stage adaptations such as The Merchant of Venice (1962), The Winter's Tale (1963), Othello (1964–1965), Coriolanus (1965), Hamlet (1972), and King Lear (1973). His roles in The Great White Hope (1969) and Fences (1987) earned him two Tony Awards, both for Best Leading Actor in a Play.

## Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1964 | Dr. Strangelove | Lt. Lothar Zogg | |
| 1967 | The Comedians | Dr. Georges Magiot | |
| 1967 | The Comedians in Africa | Himself | Short film |
| 1970 | End of the Road | Doctor D | |
| 1970 | The Great White Hope | Jack Jefferson | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor |
| 1972 | The Man | Douglass Dilman | |
| 1974 | Claudine | Rupert "Roop" B. Marshall | |
| 1975 | Deadly Hero | Rabbit Shazam | |
| 1976 | The River Niger | Johnny Williams | |
| 1976 | The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings | Leon Carter | |
| 1976 | Swashbuckler | Nick Debrett | |
| 1977 | The Greatest | Malcolm X | |
| 1977 | Star Wars | Darth Vader | Voice role, originally uncredited (credited in reissues) |
| 1977 | Exorcist II: The Heretic | Older Kokumo | |
| 1977 | The Last Remake of Beau Geste | Sheikh | |
| 1977 | A Piece of the Action | Joshua Burke | |
| 1979 | The Bushido Blade | Harpooner | |
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | Darth Vader | Voice role, originally uncredited (credited in reissues) |
| 1982 | The Flight of Dragons | Ommadon | Voice role |
| 1982 | Conan the Barbarian | Thulsa Doom | |
| 1982 | Blood Tide | Frye | aka Demon Island and The Red Tide |
| 1983 | Return of the Jedi | Darth Vader | Voice role |
| 1985 | City Limits | Albert | |
| 1986 | Soul Man | Professor Banks | |
| 1986 | Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold | Umslopogaas | |
| 1987 | Gardens of Stone | Sgt. Maj. "Goody" Nelson | |
| 1987 | My Little Girl | Ike Bailey | |
| 1987 | Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night | Emperor of the Night | Voice role |
| 1987 | Matewan | Few Clothes | |
| 1988 | Coming to America | King Jaffe Joffer | |
| 1989 | Three Fugitives | Detective Movan Dugan | |
| 1989 | Field of Dreams | Terence Mann | |
| 1989 | Best of the Best | Frank Couzo | |
| 1990 | Convicts | Ben Johnson | |
| 1990 | The Hunt for Red October | Admiral James Greer | |
| 1990 | The Ambulance | Lt. Spencer | |
| 1990 | Grim Prairie Tales | Morrison | |
| 1991 | Scorchers | Bear | |
| 1991 | True Identity | Himself | |
| 1992 | Patriot Games | Admiral James Greer | |
| 1992 | Sneakers | NSA Agent Bernard Abbott | |
| 1993 | Dreamrider | William Perry | |
| 1993 | Sommersby | Judge Barry Conrad Isaacs | |
| 1993 | The Sandlot | Mr. Mertle | |
| 1993 | Excessive Force | Jake | |
| 1993 | The Meteor Man | Earnest Moses | |
| 1994 | Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult | Himself | Cameo |
| 1994 | Clean Slate | Dolby | |
| 1994 | The Lion King | Mufasa | Voice role |
| 1994 | Clear and Present Danger | Admiral James Greer | |
| 1995 | Jefferson in Paris | Madison Hemings | |
| 1995 | Cry, the Beloved Country | Rev. Stephen Kumalo | |
| 1996 | A Family Thing | Ray Murdock | |
| 1996 | Good Luck | James Bing | |
| 1997 | Casper: A Spirited Beginning | Kibosh | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 1997 | Gang Related | Arthur Baylor | |
| 1998 | Primary Colors | CNN Voiceover | |
| 1998 | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride | Mufasa | Voice role, direct-to-video |
| 1999 | Our Friend, Martin | Martin Luther King, Sr. | Voice role, direct-to-video |
| 1999 | On the Q.T. | Leo | |
| 1999 | Undercover Angel | The Judge | |
| 1999 | The Annihilation of Fish | Fish | |
| 1999 | Fantasia 2000 | Himself | Introduced Carnival of the Animals segment |
| 2001 | Finder's Fee | Avery Phillips | |
| 2005 | Robots | Voice Box at Hardware Store | Voice role |
| 2005 | The Sandlot 2 | Mr. Morris Mertle | Direct-to-video |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Darth Vader | Voice role |
| 2006 | The Benchwarmers | Darth Vader | Voice role |
| 2006 | Click | Narrator of Michael's Past / Himself | Uncredited cameo |
| 2006 | Scary Movie 4 | Narrator / Himself | Uncredited cameo |
| 2008 | Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins | Roscoe Jenkins, Sr. | |
| 2009 | Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey | The Professor, The Admiral | Voice role |
| 2009 | Jack and the Beanstalk | The Giant | Voice role |
| 2011 | Star Tours – The Adventures Continue | Darth Vader | Voice role, short film |
| 2013 | Gimme Shelter | Frank McCarthy | |
| 2014 | The Angriest Man in Brooklyn | Ruben | |
| 2014 | Driving Miss Daisy | Hoke Coleburn | Theatrical release of Australian stage production |
| 2016 | Rogue One | Darth Vader | Voice role |
| 2018 | Warning Shot | Pendleton | |
| 2019 | The Lion King | Mufasa | Voice role |
| 2019 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Emperor Palpatine impersonating Darth Vader | Voice role |
| 2021 | Coming 2 America | King Jaffe Joffer | Final film role |
| 2024 | Mufasa: The Lion King | Mufasa | Posthumous release, archival voice in the beginning, dedicated to the actor’s memory |

## Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | East Side/West Side | Joe Goodwin | Episode: "Who Do You Kill?" |
| 1966 | Dr. Kildare | Dr. Lou Rush | 4 episodes |
| 1969 | N.Y.P.D. | Candy Lateen | 2 episodes |
| 1969 | Sesame Street | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | NBC Children's Theater | Himself | Episode: "Super Plastic Elastic Goggles" |
| 1977 | Roots | Alex Haley | Episode: "Part XII" |
| 1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | Balthazar | Episode: "Part 1" |
| 1978 | Sesame Street | Movie Star | Episode: 1148 |
| 1979 | Roots: The Next Generations | Alex Haley | Episode: "1.7" |
| 1979–80 | Paris | Woodrow Paris | 13 episodes |
| 1985 | The Atlanta Child Murders | Major Walker | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Me and Mom | Lou Garfield | 6 episodes |
| 1986 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Genie of the Lamp, Genie of the Ring | Episode: "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" |
| 1987 | Highway to Heaven | Gabe Wilson | 1 episode: "A Song of Songs" |
| 1987; 1990–92 | Square One TV | Announcer, Chief Thad Greene | 4 episodes |
| 1987–91 | Mathnet | Announcer, Chief Thad Greene | 5 episodes |
| 1988–89 | L.A. Law | Lee Atkins | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Saturday Night with Connie Chung | Vernon Johns | Episode: "God's Bad Boy" |
| 1989–92 | Long Ago and Far Away | Himself/host | 35 episodes |
| 1990, 1994, 1998 | The Simpsons | Moving Man, Serak the Preparer Narrator, Maggie Simpson | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 1990–91 | Gabriel's Fire | Gabriel Bird | 22 episodes |
| 1991–92 | Pros and Cons | Gabriel Bird | 12 episodes |
| 1992 | Garfield and Friends | Diablo | Voice, episode: "Ghost of a Chance" |
| 1993 | ABC Weekend Special | — | Episode: "The Parsley Garden" |
| 1993 | Law & Order | Horace McCoy | Episode: "Profile" |
| 1993 | American Playhouse | Old Man Taylor | Episode: "Hallelujah" |
| 1994 | Picket Fences | Bryant Thomas | Episode: "System Down" |
| 1994 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Franklin Stern | Episode: "The House of Luthor" |
| 1995 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | King Dakkar | Voice, episode: "The Valiant Little Tailor" |
| 1995 | Signs and Wonders | Diamond | 4 episodes |
| 1995 | Under One Roof | Neb Langston | 6 episodes |
| 1997 | Mad About You | Himself | Episode: "Chicken Man" |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Angel of Angels | Episode: "Clipped Wings" |
| 1997 | Frasier | Norman Royster | Episode: "Roz's Krantz & Gouldenstein Are Dead" |
| 1997 | Stargate SG-1 | Unas | Episode: "Thor's Hammer" |
| 1997 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Felix Wilson | 3 episodes |
| 1998 | Merlin | Mountain King | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 1998 | Recess | Santa Claus | Voice, episode: "Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave" |
| 2003 | Will & Grace | Himself | Episode: "Me and Mr. Jones" |
| 2003–04 | Everwood | Will Cleveland | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | According to Jim | Royal Flush XP Toilet | Voice, episode: "The Toilet" |
| 2004 | Sesame Street | Himself | Episode: 4077 |
| 2008 | Two and a Half Men | Himself | Episode: "The Devil's Lube" |
| 2009 | House | Dibala | Episode: "The Tyrant" |
| 2014 | The Big Bang Theory | Himself | Episode: "The Convention Conundrum" |
| 2014–16 | Star Wars Rebels | Darth Vader | Voice, 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Agent X | Chief Justice Caleb Thorne | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Darth Vader | Voice (generated via Respeecher) 4 episodes; Final TV role |

## Television films

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1974 | The Cay | Timothy |
| 1975 | The UFO Incident | Barney Hill |
| 1977 | The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened | Morris Bird, Jr. |
| 1978 | Star Wars Holiday Special | Darth Vader |
| 1980 | Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones | Father Divine |
| 1984 | The Vegas Strip War | Jack Madrid |
| 1990 | By Dawn's Early Light | Alice |
| 1990 | Heat Wave | Junius Johnson |
| 1993 | Percy & Thunder | Percy |
| 1994 | Confessions: Two Faces of Evil | Charles Lloyd |
| 1994 | The Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story | Vernon Johns |
| 1994 | Rod Serling's Lost Classics | Host |
| 1994 | Bah, Humbug! | Narrator, Ebenezer Scrooge |
| 1995 | People: A Musical Celebration | The Storyteller |
| 1996 | Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault | Dr. McDuffie |
| 1996 | Timepiece | Lawrence |
| 1997 | Alone | Grey |
| 1997 | What the Deaf Man Heard | Archibald Thacker |
| 1997 | The Second Civil War | Jim Kalla |
| 1999 | Santa and Pete | Grandpa Nicholas |
| 1999 | Summer's End | Dr. William Blakely |
| 2001 | The Feast of All Saints | Older Marcel |
| 2005 | The Reading Room | William |
| 2009 | The Magic 7 | 5-Toe (voice) |
| 2015 | The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar | Mufasa (voice) |

## Narrator

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1970 | King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis | Documentary |
| 1972 | Malcolm X | Documentary |
| 1980 | There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues | Documentary |
| 1984 | Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears | Audio book |
| 1990 | The Atlanta Campaign | Short film |
| 1992 | Freddie as F.R.O.7 | American dub |
| 1992 | Lincoln | Television documentary |
| 1992 | Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama | American dub |
| 1992 | Second Coming | Short film |
| 1992 | Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories | Segment "Millions of Cats" |
| 1993 | The Complete Multimedia Bible | Video game |
| 1994 | Africa: The Serengeti | Documentary |
| 1995 | Judge Dredd | Uncredited |
| 1995 | Who's in Rabbit's House? | Audio book |
| 1996 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | 19 episodes; uncredited |
| 2000 | Antietam: A Documentary Drama | Documentary |
| 2001 | Black Indians: An American Story | Documentary |
| 2002 | Disney's American Legends | Video |
| 2004 | Nine Dog Christmas | Video |
| 2006 | The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy | Documentary |
| 2007 | Earth | Documentary |
| 2009 | La Premiere | Short |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
| 1958–59 | Sunrise at Campobello | Edward | Cort Theatre |
| 1960 | The Cool World | Harrison Thurston | Eugene O'Neill Theatre |
| 1961 | Clandestine on the Morning Line | — | Actors' Playhouse |
| 1961 | The Apple | — | Living Theatre |
| 1961–64 | The Blacks | Deodatus Village | St. Mark's Playhouse |
| 1962 | The Merchant of Venice | Prince of Morocco | Delacorte Theater |
| 1962 | P.S. 193 | Mario Saccone | Writers Stage Theatre |
| 1963 | The Love Nest | George Gulp | Writers Stage Theatre |
| 1963 | The Winter's Tale | Camillo | Delacorte Theater |
| 1963 | Next Time I'll Sing to You | Rudge | Phoenix Theatre |
| 1964 | The Blood Knot | Zachariah Pieterson | Cricket Theatre |
| 1964–65 | Othello | Othello | Martinique Theatre / Delacorte Theater |
| 1965 | Baal | Ekart | Martinique Theatre |
| 1965 | Coriolanus | Junius Brutus | Delacorte Theater |
| 1965 | Troilus and Cressida | Ajax | Delacorte Theater |
| 1965 | Danton's Death | — | Vivian Beaumont Theatre |
| 1966 | A Hand Is on the Gate | — | Longacre Theatre |
| 1968–70 | The Great White Hope | Jack Jefferson | Alvin Theatre |
| 1970 | Les Blancs | Tshembe Matoseh | Longacre Theatre |
| 1972 | Hamlet | Claudius | Delacorte Theater |
| 1972–73 | The Cherry Orchard | Lopahin | Joseph Papp Public Theater/Anspacher Theater |
| 1973 | King Lear | Lear | Delacorte Theater |
| 1973–74 | The Iceman Cometh | Theodore Hickman | Circle in the Square Theatre |
| 1974–75 | Of Mice and Men | Lennie | Brooks Atkinson Theatre |
| 1978 | Paul Robeson | Paul Robeson | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre / Booth Theatre |
| 1980–81 | A Lesson From Aloes | Steve Daniels | Playhouse Theatre |
| 1982 | Othello | Othello | Winter Garden Theatre |
| 1982–83 | "Master Harold"...and the Boys | — | Lyceum Theatre |
| 1987–88 | Fences | Troy Maxson | 46th Street Theatre |
| 2005 | On Golden Pond | Norman Thayer, Jr. | Cort Theatre |
| 2008–09 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Big Daddy | Broadhurst Theatre (2008) Novello Theatre (2009) |
| 2010–11, 2013 | Driving Miss Daisy | Hoke Colburn | John Golden Theatre (2010–2011) Wyndham’s Theatre (2011) Australian Tour (2013) |
| 2012 | The Best Man | Former President Arthur "Artie" Hockstader | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre |
| 2013 | Much Ado about Nothing | Benedick | The Old Vic |
| 2014–15 | You Can't Take It with You | Martin Vanderhof | Longacre Theatre |
| 2015–16 | The Gin Game | Weller Martin | John Golden Theatre |
| 2017 | The Night of the Iguana | Nonno | American Repertory Theater |

## Video games

| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
| 1994 | Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon | Great P.I. of the Universe | |
| 1999 | Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun | General James Solomon | Live action cutscenes |
| 2000 | The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure | Mufasa | |
| 2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | Mufasa | Archived recordings from the original film |
| 2007 | Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga | Darth Vader | |

## Sources

* Krafsur, Richard P. (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States (1. California ed.). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0520209702. Retrieved April 24, 2015.