Jones born January 17th 1931 and died on September 9th 2024 was an American actor known for his film roles and for his work in theater Jones has been described as one of America's most distinguished and versatile actors for his performances on stage and Screen he has also been called one of the greatest actors in American history he was one of the few performers to achieve the egot Emmy Grammy Oscar and Tony Jones was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985 and 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. James Earl had net worth of $140 million early life James Earl Jones was born on January 17th 1931 in arkabutla Mississippi to Ruth KY a teacher and Maid and Robert Earl Jones a boxer and actor his father left the family soon after his birth and they did not reconnect until the 1950s Jones was raised by his maternal grandparents John Henry and Maggie Kelly on their Farm in Dublin Michigan following the Great Migration the transition was difficult and he developed a severe stutter that led him to become mute for a period during school his English teacher Donald Crouch helped him overcome this challenge by encouraging him to read poetry aloud revealing his talent for writing and speaking Jones graduated from Dixon rural agricultural School in 1949 where he served as vice president of his class he then attended the University of Michigan initially pursuing a premedical track before joining the reserve Officers Training Corps and excelling in the military environment ultimately he shifted his Focus to drama graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts and drama before anticipating his potential deployment to the Korean War personal life in 1968 Jones married actress and singer Julianne Marie whom he met while performing as a fellow in 1964 they had no children and divorced in 1972 in 1982 he married actress Cecilia Hart with whom he had a son Flynn Hart died from ovarian cancer on October 16th 2016 in April 2016 Jones spoke publicly for the first time in nearly 20 years about his long-term Health Challenge with type 2 diabetes he was diagnosed in the mid1 1990s after his doctor noticed he had fallen asleep while exercising at a gym Jones was Roman Catholic having converted during his time in the military career born in arkabutla Mississippi in 19 31 James Earl Jones overcame a childhood stutter through poetry and acting initially a pre-made major he served in the US Army during the Korean War before embarking on an acting career Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 in Sunrise at Campa belloo and gained prominence with Shakespeare in the park Productions including aello Hamlet Corel lanus and King Lear he won his first Tony Award for the Great White Hope 1968 reprising his role in the 1970 film adaptation and received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations his second Tony came for fences 1987 and he earned further nominations for On Golden Pond 2005 and The Best Man 2012 Jones Broadway credits also include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 2008 Driving Miss Daisy 2010 to 2011 and the Jin game 2015 to 2016 do in film he debuted in Doctor Strange Love 1964 and gained International Fame as Darth Vader in Star Wars 1977 other notable films include Conan the Barbarian 1982 Field of Dreams 1989 and The Lion King 1994 on television Jones One Prime Time Emy for heat wave 1990 and Gabriel's fire 1991 and appeared in Roots 1977 Picket Fences 1994 and Everwood 2004 death Jones died at his home in Pauling New York on September 9th 2024 at the age of 93 in a statement CNN said that Jones was the voice of CNN and our brand for many decades uniquely conveying through speech instant Authority Grace and decorum that remarkable voice is just one of many things the world will miss about James