Remembering American Actor James Earl Jones
2024-09-11
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1American actor James Earl Jones died Monday. He was 93 years old.
2His agent, Barry McPherson, said Jones died at his home in the Hudson Valley area of New York.
3The cause of death was not reported.
4Jones was probably most famous around the world for his performance as Darth Vader in the Star Wars movie series.
5In interviews, Jones said he loved playing the part of Darth Vader, and of being part of the Star Wars story.
6"When I walk out tonight there will be kids with posters to sign," he once said.
7"I love it. I love that I was a part of that cult."
8His deep and powerful voice took on a career of its own.
9Jones voiced the part of Mufasa in The Lion King.
10He won a Grammy award in 1977 for the spoken word album, Great American Documents.
11But the voice did not come naturally to Jones.
12As a child, he suffered from a severe speech problem.
13James Earl Jones was born in the state of Mississippi in 1931.
14He had a severe stutter. As a result, he mostly stopped speaking.
15He moved to Michigan when he was six.
16His grandparents became his legal guardians and raised him there.
17In high school, Jones recovered his voice through his own poetry and the guidance of a teacher.
18Jones began to read his poems aloud to the class.
19His speaking improved.
20He went on to study acting at the University of Michigan.
21He also played on the university's basketball team.
22Jones then served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955.
23In 1965, James Earl Jones became one of the first Black actors in America to play a continuing part on a daytime television drama.
24In his more than 70 years in show business, Jones played lead parts in many plays by William Shakespeare, including Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello.
25He received Tony awards for several performances in Broadway plays, including The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987.
26He received Emmy awards for his work in television, as well.
27And in 2011, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Jones an Oscar to recognize his work in film.
28His famous voice was also used in many television commercials.
29For years, the news network CNN has used Jones' voice recording, "This is CNN," for its station identification.
30James Earl Jones was married twice, both times to actors.
31He second wife, Cecilia Hart Flynn, died in 2016.
32Jones is survived by his son from his second marriage, Flynn Earl Jones, and his brother, Matthew.
33Jones continued to work well past the usual retirement age.
34His most recent work included performing again as Darth Vader in the Star Wars television miniseries Obi Wan Kenobi.
35I'm Caty Weaver.
1American actor James Earl Jones died Monday. He was 93 years old. 2His agent, Barry McPherson, said Jones died at his home in the Hudson Valley area of New York. The cause of death was not reported. 3Jones was probably most famous around the world for his performance as Darth Vader in the Star Wars movie series. 4In interviews, Jones said he loved playing the part of Darth Vader, and of being part of the Star Wars story. "When I walk out tonight there will be kids with posters to sign," he once said. 5"I love it. I love that I was a part of that cult." 6His deep and powerful voice took on a career of its own. 7Jones voiced the part of Mufasa in The Lion King. He won a Grammy award in 1977 for the spoken word album, Great American Documents. 8But the voice did not come naturally to Jones. As a child, he suffered from a severe speech problem. 9James Earl Jones was born in the state of Mississippi in 1931. He had a severe stutter. As a result, he mostly stopped speaking. 10He moved to Michigan when he was six. His grandparents became his legal guardians and raised him there. 11In high school, Jones recovered his voice through his own poetry and the guidance of a teacher. Jones began to read his poems aloud to the class. His speaking improved. 12He went on to study acting at the University of Michigan. He also played on the university's basketball team. 13Jones then served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955. 14In 1965, James Earl Jones became one of the first Black actors in America to play a continuing part on a daytime television drama. 15In his more than 70 years in show business, Jones played lead parts in many plays by William Shakespeare, including Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello. 16He received Tony awards for several performances in Broadway plays, including The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987. 17He received Emmy awards for his work in television, as well. 18And in 2011, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Jones an Oscar to recognize his work in film. 19His famous voice was also used in many television commercials. 20For years, the news network CNN has used Jones' voice recording, "This is CNN," for its station identification. 21James Earl Jones was married twice, both times to actors. He second wife, Cecilia Hart Flynn, died in 2016. Jones is survived by his son from his second marriage, Flynn Earl Jones, and his brother, Matthew. 22Jones continued to work well past the usual retirement age. His most recent work included performing again as Darth Vader in the Star Wars television miniseries Obi Wan Kenobi. 23I'm Caty Weaver. 24Caty Weaver adapted this story for VOA Learning English from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters. 25__________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27interview - n. a meeting at which information is obtained (as by a reporter) from a person 28cult - n. enthusiastic but often temporary devotion to a person, idea, or thing 29stutter - n. to speak with involuntary disruption or blocking of speech (as by repetition or prolongation of vocal sounds)