James Earl Jones

Ancestors

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Biography

James Earl Jones is Notable.

James Earl Jones, an American actor whose career has spanned more than 60 years, has won awards in multiple fields of entertainment, including Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, Disney Legends, and Golden Globe Awards, for his acting and voice work on stage, screen, and vinyl.^[1] Known for his distinctive basso profondo, he voiced the Star Wars villain Darth Vader.^[2]

Born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, a tiny community in northwestern Mississippi, he is the son of actor Robert Earl Jones (1910–2006), who left the family shortly after James Earl's birth, and his wife Ruth (Connolly) Jones, a teacher and maid. He didn't get to know his father until he reached adulthood in the 1950s.^[1]

At age five his maternal grandparents joined the Great African American Migration and moved to Michigan with them. He developed a stutter so severe that by the time he started school he refused to speak. He credits a high school English teacher with helping him overcome it. In college he joined the Reserve Officers Traing Corps. He received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant in 1953 and graduated in 1955. By then the Korean War had ended; he reported to Fort Benning for training and became a Ranger, attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant.^[1]

He married actress Julienne Marie Hendricks in 1968. Ten years after the marriage ended in divorce (without children) in 1972,^[3] he married actress Cecilia Hart.^[1] Their only child, a son was born in 1982. Cecilia died in 2016.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Wikipedia contributors, "James Earl Jones," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Earl_Jones&oldid=1085522828 (accessed May 3, 2022).
2. ↑ Screen Rant, "Star Wars: 7 Unforgettable Things James Earl Jones Brought To Darth Vader". Accessed April 13, 2022. https://screenrant.com/star-wars-darth-vader-james-earl-jones/
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Julienne Marie," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julienne_Marie&oldid=1079352380 (accessed May 3, 2022).
4. ↑ "Cecilia Hart, wife of James Earl Jones, has died," Los Angeles Times, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-cm-cecilia-hart-dead-20161022-snap-story.html. Last accessed April 2, 2022.

See Also:

• Wikipedia: James Earl Jones
• Wikidata: Item Q203960, en:Wikipedia