page_title: James Earl Jones
hierarchical_section_title: James Earl Jones
caption_attribution_description: James Earl Jones
context_page_description: James Earl Jones is an American actor. His career spans more than seven decades and he has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors known for his performance in film, theater and television, and "one of the greatest actors in American history".
  Throughout his acting career, Jones has won three Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 1985, he was Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 1992, Jones was presented with the National Medal of the Arts by President George H.W. Bush. In 2002, he received the Kennedy Center Honor. In 2009, Jones was invited by President Barack Obama to perform Shakespeare at the White House Evening for Poetry. That same year he also received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. On November 12, 2011, he received an Honorary Academy Award. On May 25, 2017, he received an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Harvard University.
  In 2017, Jones was honored with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
  In 1964 Jones made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove.
context_section_description: James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. His career spans more than seven decades and he has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors known for his performance in film, theater and television, and "one of the greatest actors in American history".
  Throughout his acting career, Jones has won three Tony Awards (out of five nominations), a Grammy Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 1985, he was Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 1992, Jones was presented with the National Medal of the Arts by President George H.W. Bush. In 2002, he received the Kennedy Center Honor. In 2009, Jones was invited by President Barack Obama to perform Shakespeare at the White House Evening for Poetry. That same year he also received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. On November 12, 2011, he received an Honorary Academy Award. On May 25, 2017, he received an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Harvard University.
  In 2017, Jones was honored with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
  In 1964 Jones made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. After working steadily in the theater, in 1968, Jones won his first Tony Award for his role in The Great White Hope. In 1970, he also starred in the film adaptation of The Great White Hope which also earned him an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. In 1974, James starred alongside Diahann Carroll in the acclaimed romantic comedy-drama film Claudine for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination. In 1987 he won his second Tony Award for his role in August Wilson's Fences. Throughout the 1980s Jones starred in a number of successful films including, Matewan (1987), Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990). He is also known for his voice roles as Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King. Throughout the 21st century, Jones's work has continued steadily in the theater. In 2012 he starred alongside Angela Lansbury in Gore Vidal's The Best Man (2012), and in an Australian tour of Driving Miss Daisy (2013). In 2014, he appeared in You Can't Take it With You with Annaleigh Ashford. In 2015 through 2016 he starred The Gin Game alongside Cicely Tyson.
  Jones has been said to possess "one of the best-known voices in show business, a stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas" to his projects, including live-action acting, voice acting, and commercial voice-overs. Jones has a stutter which was more pronounced in his youth. In his episode of Biography, he said it was helped by poetry, public speaking, and acting. A pre-med major in college, he went on to serve in the United States Army during the Korean War before pursuing a career in acting. Since his Broadway debut in 1957, he has had various roles in the theater ranging from the works of Shakespeare including Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus and King Lear.
caption: Jones in 2013
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