James Earl Jones
Known for: Acting
James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. He was described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances on stage and screen, and "one of the greatest actors in American history". Over his career, he received three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985. He was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009 and the Honorary Academy Award in 2011. His deep voice has been praised as a "stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas" to his projects.
Filmography
Series
Law & Order
Defense Attorney Horace McCoy
1990
Series
The Simpsons
Narrator (voice)
1989
Series
The Simpsons
Moving Man / Serak the Preparer / Narrator (voice)
1989
Series
The Simpsons
Maggie Simpson (voice)
1989
Series
House
Dibala
2004
Series
Sesame Street
1969
Series
Stargate SG-1
Unas (Voice)
1997
Series
Two and a Half Men
James Earl Jones
2003
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
1962
Series
Frasier
Norman Royster
1993
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Co-Host
1961
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Winner / Performer
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self (archive footage)
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Winner
1956
Series
Everwood
Will Cleveland
2002
Series
The Big Bang Theory
James Earl Jones
2007
Film
Star Wars
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
1977
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter
1944
Film
The Lion King
Mufasa (voice)
1994
Series
Great Performances
King Lear
1971
Series
The One Show
Self - Guest
2006
Series
Dr. Kildare
Dr. Lou Rush
1961
Series
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
1962
Series
Homicide: Life on the Street
Felix Wilson
1993
Series
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Franklin Stern
1993
Series
Will & Grace
James Earl Jones
1998
Series
L.A. Law
Lee Atkins
1986
Film
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Darth Vader (voice)
2019
Series
3rd Rock from the Sun
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1996
Series
Touched by an Angel
The Angel of Angels
1994
Series
Star Wars Rebels
Darth Vader (voice)
2014
Series
Garfield and Friends
Diablo
1988
Series
According to Jim
Royal Flush Voice (voice)
2001
Film
The Empire Strikes Back
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
1980
Series
Highway to Heaven
Gabe Wilson
1984
Series
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
1968
Film
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Darth Vader (voice - uncredited)
2005
Series
American Playhouse
Dr. Winston (segment 'Teach 109')
1982
Series
American Playhouse
Old Man Taylor
1982
Series
The Defenders
Lieutenant Andrews
1961
Series
The Defenders
Reverend Harris Bonham
1961
Film
The Lion King
Mufasa (voice)
2019
Film
Return of the Jedi
Darth Vader (voice)
1983
Series
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Darth Vader (voice)
2022
Film
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Darth Vader (voice)
2016
Film
Scary Movie 4
Narrator (uncredited)
2006
Film
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Mufasa (voice)
1998
Series
Faerie Tale Theatre
Genie / Narrator (voice)
1982
Film
Robots
Voice Box at Hardware Store (voice)
2005
Series
Dinah!
Self
1974
Series
Tarzan
1966
Film
The Hunt for Red October
Vice ADM James Greer
1990
Film
Judge Dredd
Narrator (uncredited)
1995
Film
Conan the Barbarian
Thulsa Doom
1982
Film
Click
Narrator of Michael's Past (voice) (uncredited)
2006
Series
Picket Fences
Bryant Thomas
1992
Series
Reading Rainbow
Self - Narrator (voice)
1983
Film
Fantasia 2000
Self - Host
2000
Series
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
King Dakkar (voice)
1995
Film
Clear and Present Danger
Admiral James Greer
1994
Film
Coming to America
King Jaffe Joffer
1988
Film
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Lt. Lothar Zogg
1964
Film
Patriot Games
Adm. James Greer
1992
Film
The Sandlot
Mr. Mertle
1993
Film
Sneakers
Mr. Bernard Abbott
1992
Film
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
James Earl Jones (uncredited)
1994
Series
Merlin
Rock of Ages
1998
Series
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self
1978
Series
The Movies That Made Us
Self (archive footage)
2019
Series
Jesus of Nazareth
Balthazar
1977
Film
Field of Dreams
Terrence Mann
1989
Series
The Magic of David Copperfield
1978
Series
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Narrator (voice)
1992
Film
Coming 2 America
King Jaffe Joffer
2021
Film
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Papa Jenkins
2008
Film
Sommersby
Judge Barry Conrad Issacs
1993
Series
Roots: The Next Generations
Alex Haley
1979
Series
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
1973
Film
The Benchwarmers
Darth Vader (voice)
2006
Film
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Older Kokumo
1977
Series
CBS Schoolbreak Special
Detective Robb
1984
Series
Gabriel's Fire
Gabriel Bird
1990
Lamp Unto My Feet
1948
Film
The Sandlot 2
Mr. Mertle
2005
Series
Paris
Woody Paris
1979
Film
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
Mufasa (voice)
2016
Film
Soul Man
Professor Banks
1986
Series
Vegetable Soup
Long John Spoilsport
1975
Film
Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold
Umslopogaas
1986
Film
Best of the Best
Frank Couzo
1989
Series
Mathnet
Chief Thad Green
1987
Series
Mathnet
Chief Thad Green (voice)
1987
Series
Mathnet
Chief Thad Greene
1987
Film
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Darth Vader (voice)
1978
Film
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey
Admiral (voice)
2010
Film
Primary Colors
CNN Voiceover (voice)
1998
Film
Gang Related
Arthur Baylor
1997
Film
Three Fugitives
Dugan
1989
Film
Looking for Richard
Self - Interviewee
1996
Film
Casper: A Spirited Beginning
Kibosh (voice)
1997
Film
Matewan
'Few Clothes' Johnson
1987
Film
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
Ruben
2014
Series
The Atlanta Child Murders
Major Walker
1985
Series
East Side/West Side
1963
Film
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Giant (voice)
2009
Film
Finder's Fee
Avery Phillips
2001
Series
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Father Divine
1980
Film
Earth
Narrator (voice)
2007
Film
The Ambulance
Lt. Spencer
1990
Film
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Self (archive footage)
2009
Film
Blackfish
Self (archive footage)
2013
Film
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Self
2004
Film
The Flight of Dragons
Ommadon (voice)
1982
Film
Gardens of Stone
Sgt. Maj.'Goody' Nelson
1987
Film
Swashbuckler
Nick Debrett
1976
Film
The Last Remake of Beau Geste
Sheikh
1977
Film
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Self
1997
Long Ago and Far Away
Host
1989
Film
Gimme Shelter
Frank McCarthy
2013
Under One Roof
Neb Langston
1995
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Archibald Thacker
1951
Film
The Bushido Blade
The Prisoner
1981
Film
Broadway: The Next Generation
Self
Film
The Meteor Man
Earnest Moses
1993
Film
Disney's American Legends
Narrator
2001
Film
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
1985
Film
The Making of 'Jurassic Park'
Host
1995
Film
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
Self (archive footage)
2021
Film
Clean Slate
John Dolby
1994
Film
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
Self
2019
Film
By Dawn's Early Light
Alice
1990
Film
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
2000
Series
Signs and Wonders
Diamond
1995
Series
Pros and Cons
Gabriel Bird
1991
Film
Night of 100 Stars
Self
1982
Film
Feast of All Saints
Older Marcel
2001
Film
The Second Civil War
Jim Kalla
1997
Film
Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films
Self (voice) (uncredited)
1993
Film
Hollywood's Greatest Villains
Self
2005
Film
The Greatest
Malcolm X
1977
Film
Recess Christmas: Miracle On Third Street
Mister (voice)
2001
Film
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror
Maggie Simpson (voice)
2003
Film
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
Dr. McDuffie
1996
Film
Our Friend, Martin
Daddy King (voice)
1999
Film
Jefferson in Paris
Madison Hemings
1995
Film
Cry, the Beloved Country
Rev. Stephen Kumalo
1995
Film
Nine Dog Christmas
Storyteller (voice)
2004
Film
True Identity
James Earl Jones
1991
Film
Muse of Fire
Self
2013
Film
Santa and Pete
Grandpa Nicholas
1999
Film
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
Self - Host
1979
Film
The Vegas Strip War
Jack Madrid
1984
Film
Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
Darth Vader (voice)
2014
Film
A Family Thing
Ray Murdock
1996
Film
A Piece of the Action
Joshua Burke
1977
Film
What the Deaf Man Heard
Archibald Thacker
1997
Film
Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night
Emperor of the Night (voice)
1987
Film
Excessive Force
Jake
1993
Film
The Annihilation of Fish
Fish
1999
Film
The Man
Douglass Dilman
1972
Film
Milius
Self
2013
Film
My Little Girl
Ike Bailey
1986
Film
The Story of Star Wars
Darth Vader (archive footage)
2004
Film
The Comedians
Dr. Magiot
1967
Film
Visitors from the Unknown
Narrator (voice)
1991
Film
Scorchers
Bear
1991
Film
The Making of the Lion King
Self
1994
Film
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
Self
2000
Film
The Making of Star Wars
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
1977
Film
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Genie / Narrator
1986
Film
On Broadway
Self (archive footage)
2019
Film
Africa: The Serengeti
Narrator
1994
Film
Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
Darth Vader (voice)
2015
Film
Claudine
Rupert D. "Roop" Marshall
1974
Film
Undercover Angel
The Judge
1999
Film
The Great White Hope
Jack Jefferson
1970
Film
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
Leon
1976
Series
Black Omnibus
Self - Host
1973
Film
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self
1995
Film
Convicts
Ben Johnson
1991
Film
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
Jack Jefferson (segment "The Great White Hope") / Troy Maxson (segment "Fences")
2006
Film
The UFO Incident
Barney Hill
1975
Film
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
Narrator
2005
Film
Heat Wave
Junius Johnson
1990
Film
Sports on the Silver Screen
Self (archive footage)
1997
Film
City Limits
Albert
1985
Film
Alone
Grey
1997
Film
Visual Pathfinders: Robert Abel & Associates
1985
Lincoln
Narrator (voice)
1992
Film
The Reading Room
William
2005
Film
Grim Prairie Tales
Morrison
1990
Film
Dreamrider
Bill Perry
1993
Last Flight Out
Al Topping
1990
Film
The Cay
Timothy
1974
Film
Confessions: Two Faces of Evil
Charles Lloyd
1994
Film
End of the Road
Doctor D
1970
Beauty and the Beast
Narrator (voice)
1981
Film
Warning Shot
Pendleton
2018
Film
Deadly Hero
Rabbit Shazam
1975
Film
The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics
Host
1994
Film
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
1979
Film
The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove
Self
2000
Film
The Me Nobody Knows
Self
1980
Film
Driving Miss Daisy
Hoke Colburn
2015
Film
The Great Year
Narrator
2003
Me & Mom
1985
Film
Blood Tide
Frye
1982
Film
When It Was a Game
(voice)
1991
Film
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Self (archive footage)
1970
Film
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
Narrator (voice)
1988
Film
Muhammad Ali - Through The Eyes Of The World
Self
2001
Hallelujah
Old Man Taylor
1993
Film
God's Trombones
Narrator (voice)
1981
Film
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
Dane Oliver
1980
Film
Ivory Hunters
Inspector Nkuru
1990
Film
Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'The Hunt for Red October'
Self
2003
Film
No Fighting in the War Room Or: 'Dr Strangelove' and the Nuclear Threat
Self
2004
Film
King Lear
King Lear
1974
Film
Words from a Bear
Self
2019
Film
Antietam: A Documentary Film
Narrator
2000
A House Divided
1987
Film
Malcolm X
Biographical Narration (voice)
1972
Film
The Story of the Faithful Wookiee
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
Film
Searching for Orson
Self
2006
Film
Summer's End
Dr. William 'Bill' Blakely
1999
Film
Gangs: Turning the Corner
Self
1994
Film
The Lone Star Kid
Holmes
1986
Film
On the Q.T.
Leo
1999
Film
Strange Septembers: The Hill Abduction & the Exeter Encounter
Himself
2011
Film
The Vernon Johns Story
Vernon Johns
1994
Film
The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened
Morris Bird, Jr.
1977
The Creation
Narrator (voice)
1981
Film
Joe Papp in Five Acts
Self
2012
Film
Good Luck
James Bing
1997
Film
God Bless You, Mr Rosewater
Kilgore Trout
2016
Film
Stories to Remember: Noah's Ark
Narrator
1989
Film
The River Niger
Johnny Williams
1976
Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson
Self
2007
Film
Black Indians: An American Story
Narrator
2004
Hitler's Forgotten Victims
Narrator (voice) (DVD version)
1997
Film
Butterfly in the Sky
Guest Narrator (archive footage)
2024
Film
Afro Promo
Self (archive footage)
1997
Film
An Amazing Time: A Conversation About End of the Road
Self
2012
Film
People: A Musical Celebration
The Storyteller (voice)
1995
Portrait of Castro's Cuba
Host/Narrator
1991
Film
Amy and the Angel
Gabriel
1982
Film
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Self
2015
Film
Terrorgram
Retribution (voice)
1990
Film
Fredericksburg: A Documentary Film
Narrator
2002
Film
Timepiece
Lawrence
1996
Film
Who's in Rabbit's House?
Narrator (voice)
1995
Corwin
Self
1996
Film
The JFK Conspiracy
Self - Host
1992
Film
11-22-63: The Day the Nation Cried
Narrator
1989
Film
The Trail Of Tears: Cherokee Legacy
Narrator
2006
Film
Inside: 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'
Self - 'Lieutenant Lothar Zogg'
2000
Film
Percy & Thunder
Percy Banks
1993
Film
Black Theatre: The Making of a Movement
Self
1978
Moses
Pharaoh
1985
Film
Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable
Mufasa
1995
Film
Teach 109
Dr. Winston
1990
Film
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Narrator
1984
Film
Golden Book Video - Beauty and the Beast
Narrator (voice)
1981
Film
The Space: Theatre of Survival
Narrator
2019
Film
John, Paul, George and Ben
Narrator
2007
Film
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Legacy of a Dream
Narrator
1971
Film
The Hunting of the Snark
Narrator (voice)
1989
Film
The Lion Guard: Life In The Pride Lands
Mufasa (voice)
2017
Film
Indiana Jones Adventure | Disneyland Resort
Mara (voice)
2025
Film
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues
himself, voice
1981
Film
BET News & ET Present James Earl Jones: Life and Legacy
Self (archive footage)
2024
Bah, Humbug!: The Story of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'
Narrator
1994