List of James Earl Jones performances

American actor James Earl Jones has had an extensive career in film, television, and theatre. 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 Broadwayproduction 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.[1][2] In The Man(1972) Jones starred as a senator who by an unexpected confluence of events becomes the first African-American president of the United States. 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), and Malcolm X again in The Greatest (1977).
Jones voiced the antagonist Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, first in the 1977 film Star Wars, then again in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and in Return of the Jedi (1983). During that time, Jones was also in the films The Bushido Blade (1981) with Richard Boone, and Conan the Barbarian (1982) with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the later part of the 1980s, Jones had co-starring roles in the films Soul Man (1986) with C. Thomas Howell, Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987) with Richard Chamberlain, Matewan (1987) with Chris Cooper, Coming to America (1988) with Eddie Murphy and Field of Dreams(1989) with Kevin Costner. For his role in Matewan, Jones was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male but lost to Morgan Freeman. Jones was first cast as the role of Admiral James Greer in the 1990 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. In between the two latter films, Jones played Mr. Mertle in The Sandlot (1993), a role he reprised again in The Sandlot 2 (2005); and voiced the character of Mufasa in the 1994 animated Disney film The Lion King, he voiced that character again in the sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998).
Although uncredited, Jones' voice is possibly heard as Vader at the conclusion of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). When specifically asked whether he had supplied the voice, possibly from a previous recording, Jones told Newsday: "You'd have to ask Lucas about that. I don't know."[3] He also had an uncredited role in the film Scary Movie 4 (2006),[4] before playing Papa Jenkins in the 2008 comedy film Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. His later roles include Gimme Shelter (2013) with Rosario Dawson, and The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014) with Robin Williams, one of Williams' last films before his death. In 2008 and 2011, Jones won the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Awardand Academy Honorary Award respectively for his career in film.[5][6]
Jones' television work includes playing Woodrow Paris in the series Parisbetween 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 1990–1991. 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.[1][7] He played Bird again in the series Pros and Cons with ran from 1991–1992, that earned him his fifth and final Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama.[1] 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.[7] 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' theatre work includes 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.[8]
== Film ==
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes 	Ref.
1964	Dr. Strangelove 	Lt. Lothar Zogg 	 	[9]
1967	The Comedians 	Dr. Magiot 	 	[10]
1967	The Comedians in Africa 	Himself 	Short film 	[11]
1970	The End of the Road 	Doctor D 	 	[12]
1970	The Great White Hope 	Jack Jefferson 	 	[13]
1970	King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis 	Himself 	 	[14]
1972	Malcolm X 	Narrator 	 	[15]
1972	The Man 	Douglass Dilman 	 	[16]
1974	Claudine 	Rupert "Roop" B. Marshall 	 	[17]
1976	The River Niger 	Johnny Williams 	 	[18]
1976	The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings	Leon Carter 	 	[19]
1976	Swashbuckler 	Nick Debrett 	 	[20]
1976	Deadly Hero 	Rabbit 	 	[21]
1977	The Greatest 	Malcolm X 	 	[22]
1977	Star Wars 	Darth Vader 	Voice role; uncredited (credited in new editions)	
1977	Exorcist II: The Heretic 	Older Kokumo 	 	[23]
1977	The Last Remake of Beau Geste 	Sheikh 	 	[24]
1977	A Piece of the Action 	Joshua Burke 	 	[25]
1979	The Bushido Blade 	Harpooner 	 	[26]
1980	The Empire Strikes Back 	Darth Vader 	Voice role; uncredited (credited in new editions)	
1982	The Flight of Dragons 	Ommadon 	Voice role 	[27]
1982	Conan the Barbarian 	Thulsa Doom 	 	[28]
1982	Blood Tide 	Frye 	aka Demon Island and The Red Tide 	[29]
1983	Return of the Jedi 	Darth Vader 	Voice role 	
1985	City Limits 	Albert 	 	[30]
1986	Soul Man 	Professor Banks 	 	[31]
1986	Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold 	Umslopogaas 	 	[32]
1987	Gardens of Stone 	Sgt. Maj. "Goody" Nelson 	 	[33]
1987	My Little Girl 	Ike Bailey 	 	[34]
1987	Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night 	Emperor of the Night 	 	[35]
1987	Matewan 	Few Clothes 	 	[36]
1988	Coming to America 	King Jaffe Joffer 	 	[37]
1989	Three Fugitives 	Detective Movan Dugan 	 	[38]
1989	Field of Dreams 	Terence Mann 	 	[39]
1989	Best of the Best 	Frank Couzo 	 	[40]
1990	Convicts 	Ben Johnson 	 	[41]
1990	The Hunt for Red October 	Admiral James Greer 	 	[42]
1990	The Ambulance 	Lt. Spencer 	 	[43]
1990	Grim Prairie Tales 	Morrison 	 	[44]
1991	Scorchers 	Bear 	 	[45]
1992	Patriot Games 	Admiral James Greer 	 	[46]
1992	Freddie as F.R.O.7 	Narrator 	American version 	[47]
1992	Sneakers 	NSA Agent Bernard Abbott 	 	[48]
1993	Dreamrider 	William Perry 	 	[49]
1993	Sommersby 	Judge Barry Conrad Isaacs 	 	[50]
1993	The Sandlot 	Mr. Mertle 	 	[51]
1993	Excessive Force 	Jake 	 	[52]
1993	The Meteor Man 	Earnest Moses 	 	[53]
1994	Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult 	Himself 	Cameo 	[54]
1994	Clean Slate 	Dolby 	 	[55]
1994	The Lion King 	Mufasa 	Voice role 	[56]
1994	Clear and Present Danger 	Admiral James Greer 	 	[57]
1995	Jefferson in Paris 	Madison Hemings 	 	[58]
1995	Cry, the Beloved Country 	Rev. Stephen Kumalo 	 	[59]
1995	Judge Dredd 	Narrator 	 	[60]
1996	A Family Thing 	Ray Murdock 	 	[61]
1996	Good Luck 	James Bing 	 	[62]
1997	Casper: A Spirited Beginning 	Kibosh 	Direct-to-video; voice role 	[63]
1997	Gang Related 	Arthur Baylor 	 	[64]
1998	Primary Colors 	CNN Voiceover 	 	[65]
1998	The Lion King II: Simba's Pride 	Mufasa 	Direct-to-video; voice role 	[66]
1999	Our Friend, Martin 	Martin Luther King, Sr. 	 	[67]
1999	On the Q.T. 	Leo 	 	[68]
1999	Undercover Angel 	The Judge 	 	[69]
1999	The Annihilation of Fish 	Fish 	 	[70]
1999	Fantasia 2000 	Himself 	Introduction to Carnival of the Animals segment 	[71]
2001	Finder's Fee 	Avery Phillips 	 	[72]
2001	Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street 	Santa Claus 	 	[73]
2005	Robots 	Voice Box at Hardware Store	Voice role 	[74]
2005	The Sandlot 2 	Mr. Mertle 	Direct-to-video 	[75]
2006	The Benchwarmers 	Darth Vader 	Voice role 	[76]
2006	Click 	Narrator of Michael's Past 	 	[77]
2006	Scary Movie 4 	Narrator 	Uncredited 	[4]
2008	Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins 	Roscoe Jenkins, Sr. 	 	[78]
2009	Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey 	The Admiral 	Voice role 	[79]
2009	Jack and the Beanstalk 	The Giant 	 	[80]
2011	Star Tours—The Adventures Continue 	Darth Vader 	Short; voice role 	[81]
2013	Gimme Shelter 	Frank McCarthy 	 	[82]
2014	The Angriest Man in Brooklyn 	Ruben 	 	[83]
2014	Driving Miss Daisy 	Hoke Colburn 	Theatrical release of Australian stage production	[84]
2016	Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 	Darth Vader 	Voice role 	[85]
2018	Warning shot 	Pendleton 	Post-production 	[86]
== Television ==
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes 	Ref.
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 	
1977 	Roots 	Alex Haley 	Episode: "Part XII" 	[88]
1977 	Jesus of Nazareth 	Balthazar 	Episode: "Part 1" 	[89]
1979–80 	Paris 	Woodrow Paris 	13 episodes 	
1979 	Roots: The Next Generations 	Alex Haley 	Episode: "1.7" 	
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" 	
1987–91 	Mathnet 	Chief Thad Green 	5 episodes 	
1987, 1990–92 	Square One TV 	Announcer / Chief Thad Greene 	4 episodes 	
1992 	Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories 	Narrator 	Segment "Millions of Cats" 	
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 	Host / Narrator 	35 episodes 	
1990, 1994, 1998	The Simpsons 	Narrator / Maggie Simpson / Moving Man / Serak the Preparer (voices)	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 	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" 	[90]
1995 	Signs and Wonders 	Diamond 	4 episodes 	
1995 	Under One Roof 	Neb Langston 	6 episodes 	
1996 	3rd Rock from the Sun 	Narrator 	2 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 	3 episodes 	
1998 	Recess 	Santa Claus 	2 episodes 	
2003 	Will & Grace 	Himself 	Episode: "Me and Mr. Jones" 	
2003–04 	Everwood 	Will Cleveland 	3 episodes 	
2004 	According to Jim 	Royal Flush XP Toilet 	Episode: "The Toilet" 	
2004 	Sesame Street 	Himself 	Episode: 4077 	
2008 	Two and a Half Men 	Himself 	Episode: "The Devil's Lube" 	[91]
2009 	House 	Dibala 	Episode: "The Tyrant" 	
2014 	The Big Bang Theory 	Himself 	Episode: "The Convention Conundrum" 	[92]
2014–16 	Star Wars Rebels 	Darth Vader (voice) 	4 episodes 	
2015 	Agent X 	Chief Justice Caleb Thorne 	2 episodes 	
2015 	The Lion Guard 	Mufasa (voice) 	1 episode 	
== Television film ==
Year	Title 	Role 	Ref.
1974	The Cay 	Timothy 	[93]
1975	The UFO Incident 	Barney Hill 	[94]
1977	The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened 	Morris Bird, Jr. 	[95]
1978	Star Wars Holiday Special 	Darth Vader (voice) 	[96]
1980	Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones 	Father Divine 	[97]
1984	The Vegas Strip War 	Jack Madrid 	[98]
1990	By Dawn's Early Light 	Alice 	[99]
1990	Heat Wave 	Junius Johnson 	[91]
1992	Lincoln 	Narrator 	[100]
1993	Percy & Thunder 	Percy 	[101]
1994	Confessions: Two Faces of Evil 	Charles Lloyd 	[102]
1994	The Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story 	Vernon Johns 	[103]
1994	Rod Serling's Lost Classics 	Host 	[104]
1994	Bah, Humbug! 	Narrator / Ebenezer Scrooge	[105]
1995	People: A Musical Celebration 	The Storyteller (voice) 	[106]
1996	Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault	Dr. McDuffie 	[107]
1996	Timepiece 	Lawrence 	[108]
1997	Alone 	Grey 	[109]
1997	What the Deaf Man Heard 	Archibald Thacker 	[110]
1997	The Second Civil War 	Jim Kalla 	[111]
1999	Santa and Pete 	Grandpa Nicholas 	[112]
1999	Summer's End 	Dr. William Blakely 	[113]
2001	The Feast of All Saints 	Older Marcel 	[114]
2005	The Reading Room 	William 	[115]
2009	The Magic 7 	5-Toe (voice) 	[116]
2015	The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar 	Mufasa (voice) 	
== Narrator ==
Year	Title 	Notes 	Ref.
1970	King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis 	 	[117]
1980	There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues	Documentary	[118]
1992	Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama 	 	[119]
1994	Africa: The Serengeti 	Documentary	[120]
1995	Who's in Rabbit's House? 	Audio book 	[121]
2001	Black Indians: An American Story 	 	[122]
2002	Disney's American Legends 	 	[123]
2004	Nine Dog Christmas 	Video 	[124]
2006	The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy 	 	[125]
2007	Earth 	Documentary	[126]
Category:Lists