JAMES EARL JONES (1931-2024)

 

James Earl Jones, a stuttering farm child who became a voice of rolling thunder as one of America's most versatile actors in a stage, film and television career that plumbed race relations, Shakespeare's rhapsodic tragedies and the faceless menace of Darth Vader, died on Monday at his home in Dutchess County, N.Y. He was 93.

From destitute days working in a diner and living in a $19-a-month cold-water flat, Mr. Jones climbed to Broadway and Hollywood stardom with talent, drive and remarkable vocal cords. He was abandoned as a child by his parents, raised by a racist grandmother and mute for years in his stutterer's shame, but he learned to speak again with a herculean will. All had much to do with his success.

So did plays by Howard Sackler and August Wilson that let a young actor explore racial hatred in the national experience; television soap operas that boldly cast a Black man as a doctor in the 1960s; and a decision by George Lucas, the creator of "Star Wars," to put an anonymous, rumbling African American voice behind the grotesque mask of the galactic villain Vader.

Under the artistic and competitive demands of daily stage work and heavy commitments to television and Hollywood — pressures that burn out many actors — Mr. Jones was a rock. He once appeared in 18 plays in 30 months. He often made a half-dozen films a year, in addition to his television work. And he did it for a half-century, giving thousands of performances that captivated audiences, moviegoers and critics.

James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, Miss., on Jan. 17, 1931, to Robert Earl and Ruth (Connolly) Jones. About the time of his birth, his father left the family to chase prizefighting and acting dreams. His mother eventually obtained a divorce. But when James was 5 or 6, his frequently absent mother remarried, moved away and left him to be raised by her parents, John and Maggie Connolly, on a farm near Dublin, Mich.

Mr. Jones enrolled at the University of Michigan on a scholarship, taking pre-med courses, and joined a drama group. With a growing interest in acting, he switched majors and focused on drama in the university's School of Music, Theater and Dance. In a memoir, he said he left college in 1953 without a degree but resumed studies later to finish his required course work. He received a degree in drama in 1955.

In college, he had also joined the Army under an R.O.T.C. commitment, then washed out of infantry Ranger School. But he did so well in cold-weather training in the Rockies that he considered a military career. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in mid-1953, after the end of the Korean War, and was subsequently promoted to first lieutenant.

In 1955, however, he resigned his commission and moved to New York, determined to be an actor. He lived briefly with his father, whom he had met a few years earlier. Robert Jones had a modest acting career and offered encouragement. James found cheap rooms on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, took odd jobs and studied at the American Theater Wing and Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio.

To read the complete article, see:
James Earl Jones, Whose Powerful Acting Resonated Onstage and Onscreen, Dies at 93 (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/arts/james-earl-jones-dead.html)

 

The award-winning educational video, "Money: History in Your Hands," narrated by acclaimed actor James Earl Jones, now is available for free viewing on the Professional Numismatists Guild YouTube.com channel.

"We currently have more than a dozen videos about rare coins, paper money and precious metals available for complimentary viewing on PNG's YouTube channel. They will be helpful for beginners to advanced collectors and investors with informative advice about buying, storing and selling numismatic items as well as gold, silver and platinum bullion items," said PNG Executive Director Robert Brueggeman.

"An important part of our educational effort is the video, ‘Money: History in Your Hands,' jointly created by PNG and the American Numismatic Association, and hosted on camera by James Earl Jones. It gives viewers a compelling overview of the history of money, and how it relates to art, culture, history, politics and religion," explained Brueggeman. "The 29-minute video is available for convenient viewing in two parts."

Other informative PNG videos focus on topics of discovering the enjoyment of coin collecting, how to determine the value of your coins, and the importance of working with a reputable, knowledgeable dealer when you buy or sell. All of the videos are can be viewed at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb5co6ZLKPitRAw-6pDxeCw

Donn Pearlman writes:

To watch the videos, see:
Money: History in Your Hands - Part I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir_oCtaXloc&t=191s)
Money: History in Your Hands - Part II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb3mgkYMssM)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
PNG ADDS JAMES EARL JONES COLLECTING VIDEOS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n22a11.html)

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