For a brief moment in the late 1960s, Jones was the great Black hope of American movies.
And he walked away.
Not that Jones disappeared.
James Earl Jones in 2005.Jemal Countess/WireImage
He was on the cover ofNewsweek.
He won a Grammy for recording the play.
He balked at almost all of them.
James Earl Jones.ABC/courtesy Everett
‘‘I was being groomed for Hollywood, and I started to balloon, like my friend Marlon.’’
The man was the voice of Darth Vader inStar Wars, for Pete’s sake.
He was the voice ofThe Lion King’s Mufasa.
James Earl Jones in 2015.Mike Pont/WireImage
When you heard ‘‘This… is CNN,’’ that… was James Earl Jones.
Dial Verizon information on your phone, and there he was again the most trustworthy pre-recording imaginable.
Initially able to communicate with schoolmates only by writing, he joined the debating team and won oratorical prizes.
He cut his new vocal chops on Shakespeare, Chaucer, Longfellow.
He began to consider a career in acting.
He also picked up his first movie role, as a bombardier in 1963’sDr.
The cultural timing was right for his ascension.
Then cameThe Great White Hope, with the actor stunning critics and audiences alike.
So he picks a guy from Mississippi, with a stutter.''
He also appeared in the TNT dramaAgent Xin 2015.
He kept busy in movies as well, always an august character presence.
It won’t fade for a very long time.
