James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones gave life to characters like Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” and went on to collect Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys and an honorary Oscar. He died on Monday September 9 2024 at his home in Dutchess County, N.Y. He was 93. Jones was born in Arkabutla, Miss., on Jan. 17, 1931, to Robert Earl and Ruth (Connolly) Jones. His father left about the time of his birth to pursue prizefighting and acting, and his mother remarried, moved away and left him to be raised by her parents, John and Maggie Connolly, on a farm near Dublin, Michigan. Jones enrolled at the University of Michigan on a scholarship, taking pre-med courses, and joined a drama group. 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. Jones and actress Julienne Marie were married in 1968, but they divorced in 1972. In 1982, he married the actress Cecilia Hart, who had also played Desdemona to one of his Othellos. She died in 2016. They had a son, Flynn Earl Jones, who survives him, along with a brother, Matthew. Jones received the National Medal of the Arts from President George Bush at the White House in 1992, Kennedy Center honors in 2002, an honorary Oscar in 2011 for lifetime achievement, and in 2017 a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement, as well as an honorary doctor of arts degree from Harvard University.