U.S. Army Ranger. Played blue-eyed Thulsa Doom. He is God, Darth Vader, Mufasa, Kibosh, Othello, General James Solomon, and (in a single "Treehouse of Horror" episode of The Simpsons) Maggie Simpson. Also did commercials for Verizon (and its predecessor Bell Atlantic) for a while.
A noted American actor of stage and screen who was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is famous for his sonorous bass voice that can either be sinister (e.g. Darth Vader and Kibosh) or paternal (Mufasa), but is regardless authoritative and commanding — even more so when you consider he had to overcome a severe stutter in his youth. His voice is also remarkable for being naturally of bass register, which is indeed very rare. He gets a fair amount more respect on the stage, where he played a number of Shakespearean roles (including being one of the first African American actors to play the lead in Othello) and was a fixture on the African-American art-theater circuit (he was the lead at the opening performance in several of August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, most famously Fences.) His father was Robert Earl Jones, also a noted actor whose most recognized role was Luther in The Sting.
Here is a clear demonstration of just how perfect his voice is for the role (or rather, a demonstration of how lame things would have been without him): A pre-voiceover clip showing Darth Vader voiced by his on-screen character's actor
, David Prowse, who had the right stature for the character. Jones himself was cast later, after George Lucas realized Prowse's own voice, uh, would not work. Jones would officially retire from voicing Vader in 2022, having given Lucasfilm permission to use the Respeecher A.I. voice synthesizer to recreate his voice for all future projects starting with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
He Also Did some funny Sprint commercials with Malcolm McDowell. Notable for making the first full-fledged celebrity cameo on Sesame Street, reciting the alphabet on the show's second episode in 1969.note
Filmography on TV Tropes:
- Dr. Strangelove (1964) — Lt. Lothar Zogg
- Swashbuckler (1976) — Nick Debrett
- Star Wars — Darth Vader (voice; originally uncredited)
- A New Hope (1977)
- The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)
- Rogue One (2016)
- The Rise of Skywalker (2019, voice cameo)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)note
- Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) — Older Kokumo
- The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977) — Sheikh
- Conan the Barbarian (1982) — Thulsa Doom
- The Flight of Dragons (1982) — Ommadon
- The Creation (1982) — animated short, narration
- City Limits (1985) — Albert
- Soul Man (1986) — Professor Banks
- Matewan (1987) — "Few Clothes" Johnson
- Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987) — The Emperor of the Night
- Coming to America (1988) — King Jaffe Joffer
- Coming 2 America (2021)
- Three Fugitives (1989 — Detective Movan Duggan
- Field of Dreams (1989) — Terence Mann
- Best of the Best (1989) — Frank Couzo
- The Hunt for Red October (1990) — Admiral James Greer
- The Ambulance (1990) — Lt. Spencer
- Grim Prairie Tales (1990) — Morrison
- Patriot Games (1992) — Admiral James Greer
- Sneakers (1992) — NSA Agent Bernard Abbott
- Sommersby (1993) — Judge Barry Conrad Isaacs
- The Sandlot (1993) — Mr. Mertle
- The Meteor Man (1993) — Earnest Moses
- Clean Slate (1994) — Dolby
- The Lion King franchise — Mufasa
- The Lion King (1994)
- The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998)
- The Lion Guard (2015 - 2019; pilot only)
- The Lion King (2019) — Jones is the only actor from the original film to reprise his role a quarter of a century later in the photorealistic CGI adaptation
- Clear and Present Danger (1994) — Admiral James Greer
- Cry, the Beloved Country (1995) — Rev. Stephen Kumalo
- Judge Dredd (1995) — Narrator
- Under One Roof (1995) — Nesbit "Neb" Langston
- Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) — Kibosh
- Gang Related (1997) — Arthur Baylor
- Stargate SG-1 (1997) "Thor's Hammer" — Unas
- Homicide: Life on the Street (1997) — Felix Wilson (three episodes)
- Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (1999) — GDI General James Solomon
- Fantasia 2000 (2000) — Himself
- Coming 2 America (2021) — King Jaffe Joffer
CNN. C...N...N...
