James Earl Jones

Born: 17 January 1931
Where: Mississippi, USA

One of the finest stage actors of his generation, James Earl Jones worked primarily as a supporting player (after a brief run in the 1970s as a leading man) in movies ranging from John Sayles' small independent Matewan to a trio of blockbusters based on the novels of Tom Clancy - The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger.

He possesses one of the most recognizable voices in the business, a deeply resonant base that first gave authority to Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy before becoming the voice of King Mustafa in The Lion King.

Jones overcame a major stuttering problem as a child, which kept him practically mute until the age of 10 and caused him to leave his church at age 14 because he couldn't do Sunday school recitations without the kids laughing.

With the help of a great teacher in school, he turned the weakness into his greatest strength. Jones debuted on Broadway as an understudy in 1957's The Egghead, then made his feature debut as the dedicated bombardier on Major King Kong's B-52 in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Jones real breakthrough came with his Tony-winning turn as black heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson in The Great White Hope, a role he reprised for the 1970 movie of the same name, earning his only Oscar nomination as Best Actor.

Although it led to leading roles in The Man, Claudine, The River Niger, and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings.

Jones began a long-standing collaboration with South African playwright Athol Fugard, acting in The Blood Knot, Boseman and Lena and Master Harold...and the Boys, among others.

Jones earned his second Tony playing a former Negro League baseball player working as a dustman and coping with family problems, including his relationship with his son, in August Wilson's powerful, Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences, a part he still hopes to reprise in a film version.

After devoting nearly three years to the stage, Jones returned to the screen with a vengeance, taking advantage of the plethora of offers. He played reclusive 60s author Terrence Mann in Field of Dreams, followed by a role in Convicts, with Robert Duvall.

Following his portrayal of the Judge in Sommersby, two starring turns came his way, first as the South African preacher searching for his son in the remake of Cry, the Beloved Country, then as Duvall's half-brother in A Family Thing.