who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen 91裸聊视频� eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, 91裸聊视频淭he Lion King91裸聊视频� and Darth Vader 91裸聊视频� has died. He was 93.

His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York91裸聊视频檚 Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.

who in 1965 became one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama (91裸聊视频淎s the World Turns91裸聊视频�) and worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. He was also given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a in his honor.

He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.

91裸聊视频淭he need to storytell has always been with us,91裸聊视频� he told The Associated Press then. 91裸聊视频淚 think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn91裸聊视频檛 get him.91裸聊视频�

Jones created such memorable film roles as the reclusive writer coaxed back into the spotlight in 91裸聊视频淔ield of Dreams,91裸聊视频� the boxer Jack Johnson in the stage and screen hit 91裸聊视频淭he Great White Hope,91裸聊视频� the in 91裸聊视频淩oots: The Next Generation91裸聊视频� and a South African minister in 91裸聊视频淐ry, the Beloved Country.91裸聊视频�

He was also a expressing the villainy of Darth Vader (91裸聊视频淣o, I am your father,91裸聊视频� commonly misremembered as 91裸聊视频淟uke, I am your father91裸聊视频�), as well as the benign dignity of King Mufasa in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of and announcing 91裸聊视频淭his is CNN91裸聊视频� during station breaks. He won a 1977 Grammy for his performance on the 91裸聊视频淕reat American Documents91裸聊视频� audiobook.

91裸聊视频淚f you were an actor or aspired to be an actor, if you pounded the pavement in these streets looking for jobs, one of the standards we always had was to be a James Earl Jones,91裸聊视频� once said.

Some of his other films include 91裸聊视频淒r. Strangelove,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淭he Greatest91裸聊视频� (with , 91裸聊视频淐onan the Barbarian,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淭hree Fugitives91裸聊视频� and playing an admiral in three blockbuster adaptations 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淭he Hunt for Red October,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淧atriot Games91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淐lear and Present Danger.91裸聊视频� In a rare romantic comedy, 91裸聊视频淐laudine,91裸聊视频� Jones had an onscreen love affair with

LeVar Burton, who starred alongside Jones in the TV movie 91裸聊视频淕uyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones,91裸聊视频� paid tribute on X, writing, 91裸聊视频淭here will never be another of his particular combination of graces.91裸聊视频�

Jones made his Broadway debut in 195891裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淪unrise At Campobello91裸聊视频� and would win his two Tony Awards for 91裸聊视频淭he Great White Hope91裸聊视频� (1969) and 91裸聊视频淔ences91裸聊视频� (1987). He also was nominated for 91裸聊视频淥n Golden Pond91裸聊视频� (2005) and 91裸聊视频淕ore Vidal91裸聊视频檚 The Best Man91裸聊视频� (2012). He was celebrated for his command of Shakespeare and alike. More recent Broadway appearances include 91裸聊视频淐at on a Hot Tin Roof,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淒riving Miss Daisy,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淭he Iceman Cometh,91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淵ou Can91裸聊视频檛 Take It With You.91裸聊视频�

As a rising stage and television actor, he performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival Theater in 91裸聊视频淥thello,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淢acbeth91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淜ing Lear91裸聊视频� and in off-Broadway plays.

Jones was born by the light of an oil lamp in a shack in Arkabutla, Mississippi, on Jan. 17, 1931. His father, Robert Earl Jones, had deserted his wife before the baby91裸聊视频檚 arrival to pursue life as a boxer and, later, an actor.

When Jones was 6, his mother took him to her parents91裸聊视频� farm near Manistee, Michigan. His grandparents adopted the boy and raised him.

91裸聊视频淎 world ended for me, the safe world of childhood,91裸聊视频� Jones wrote in his autobiography, 91裸聊视频淰oices and Silences.91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淭he move from Mississippi to Michigan was supposed to be a glorious event. For me it was a heartbreak, and not long after, I began to stutter.91裸聊视频�

Too embarrassed to speak, he remained virtually mute for years, communicating with teachers and fellow students with handwritten notes. A sympathetic high school teacher, Donald Crouch, learned that the boy wrote poetry, and demanded that Jones read one of his poems aloud in class. He did so faultlessly.

Teacher and student worked together to restore the boy91裸聊视频檚 normal speech. 91裸聊视频淚 could not get enough of speaking, debating, orating 91裸聊视频� acting,91裸聊视频� he recalled in his book.

At the University of Michigan, he failed a pre-med exam and switched to drama, also playing four seasons of basketball. He served in the Army from 1953 to 1955.

In New York, he moved in with his father and enrolled with the American Theater Wing program for young actors. Father and son waxed floors to support themselves while looking for acting jobs.

True stardom came suddenly in 1970 with 91裸聊视频淭he Great White Hope.91裸聊视频� Howard Sackler91裸聊视频檚 Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play depicted the struggles of Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, amid the racism of early 20th-century America. In 1972, Jones repeated his role in the movie version and was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor.

Jones91裸聊视频� two wives were also actors. He married Julienne Marie Hendricks in 1967. After their divorce, he married Cecilia Hart, best known for her role as Stacey Erickson in the CBS police drama 91裸聊视频淧aris,91裸聊视频� in 1982. (She died in 2016.) They had a son, Flynn Earl, born in 1983.

In 2022, the Cort Theatre on Broadway with a ceremony that included singing 91裸聊视频淕o the Distance,91裸聊视频� singing 91裸聊视频淢ake Them Hear You91裸聊视频� and words from Samuel L. Jackson and

91裸聊视频淵ou can91裸聊视频檛 think of an artist that has served America more,91裸聊视频� told the AP. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 like it seems like a small act, but it91裸聊视频檚 a huge action. It91裸聊视频檚 something we can look up and see that91裸聊视频檚 tangible.91裸聊视频�

Citing his stutter as one of the reasons he wasn91裸聊视频檛 a political activist, Jones nonetheless hoped his art could change minds.

91裸聊视频淚 realized early on, from people like Athol Fugard, that you cannot change anybody91裸聊视频檚 mind, no matter what you do,91裸聊视频� he told the AP. 91裸聊视频淎s a preacher, as a scholar, you cannot change their mind. But you can change the way they feel.91裸聊视频�