Cast & creator
James Earl Jones
Best known for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Simpsons, The Simpsons
James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. He was described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances on stage and screen, and "one of the greatest actors in American history". Over his career, he received three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985. He was 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. His deep voice has been praised as a "stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas" to his projects.
Also known as: James Earl Boggins Jones, Todd Jones
205
film credits
73
television credits
277
1944–2025 · acting roles
6.7
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (278)
Showing 278 of 278 credits
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
1962
The Simpsons
Narrator (voice)
1989The Simpsons
Moving Man / Serak the Preparer / Narrator (voice)
1989The Simpsons
Maggie Simpson (voice)
1989
Law & Order
Defense Attorney Horace McCoy
1990
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Co-Host
1961
House
Dibala
2004
Sesame Street
1969
Two and a Half Men
James Earl Jones
2003
Stargate SG-1
Unas (Voice)
1997
Frasier
Norman Royster
1993
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
1962
The One Show
Self - Guest
2006
Great Performances
King Lear
1971
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter
1944
Will & Grace
James Earl Jones
1998
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
1968
Touched by an Angel
The Angel of Angels
1994
L.A. Law
Lee Atkins
1986
American Playhouse
Dr. Winston (segment 'Teach 109')
1982American Playhouse
Old Man Taylor
1982
Tony Awards
Self - Winner / Performer
1956Tony Awards
Self - Presenter
1956Tony Awards
Self (archive footage)
1956Tony Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter
1956Tony Awards
Self - Nominee
1956Tony Awards
Self - Winner
1956
3rd Rock from the Sun
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1996
Everwood
Will Cleveland
2002
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Franklin Stern
1993
The Big Bang Theory
James Earl Jones
2007
Dr. Kildare
Dr. Lou Rush
1961
Homicide: Life on the Street
Felix Wilson
1993
Garfield and Friends
Diablo
1988
Highway to Heaven
Gabe Wilson
1984
The Defenders
Lieutenant Andrews
1961The Defenders
Reverend Harris Bonham
1961
According to Jim
Royal Flush Voice (voice)
2001
Star Wars Rebels
Darth Vader (voice)
2014
The Lion King
Mufasa (voice)
1994
Dinah!
Self
1974
Star Wars
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
1977
Reading Rainbow
Self - Narrator (voice)
1983
The Lion King
Mufasa (voice)
2019
Mufasa: The Lion King
In Memory Of
2024
Picket Fences
Bryant Thomas
1992
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
King Dakkar (voice)
1995
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self
1978
Tarzan
1966
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Darth Vader (voice)
2022
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Darth Vader (voice)
2019
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Darth Vader (voice - uncredited)
2005
The Empire Strikes Back
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
1980
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Mufasa (voice)
1998
Return of the Jedi
Darth Vader (voice)
1983
CBS Schoolbreak Special
Detective Robb
1984
Click
Narrator of Michael's Past (voice) (uncredited)
2006
Scary Movie 4
Narrator (uncredited)
2006
Faerie Tale Theatre
Genie / Narrator (voice)
1982
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Lt. Lothar Zogg
1964
The Movies That Made Us
Self (archive footage)
2019
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Darth Vader (voice)
2016
Judge Dredd
Narrator (uncredited)
1995
The Hunt for Red October
Vice ADM James Greer
1990
Conan the Barbarian
Thulsa Doom
1982
Jesus of Nazareth
Balthazar
1977
Roots: The Next Generations
Alex Haley
1979
Robots
Voice Box at Hardware Store (voice)
2005
Sneakers
Mr. Bernard Abbott
1992
Coming to America
King Jaffe Joffer
1988
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
1973
Field of Dreams
Terrence Mann
1989
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
James Earl Jones (uncredited)
1994Lamp Unto My Feet
1948
Merlin
Rock of Ages
1998
The Sandlot
Mr. Mertle
1993
Coming 2 America
King Jaffe Joffer
2021
Fantasia 2000
Self - Host
2000
Patriot Games
Adm. James Greer
1992
Clear and Present Danger
Admiral James Greer
1994
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Older Kokumo
1977
Best of the Best
Frank Couzo
1989
Mathnet
Chief Thad Green
1987Mathnet
Chief Thad Green (voice)
1987Mathnet
Chief Thad Greene
1987
Primary Colors
CNN Voiceover (voice)
1998
The Benchwarmers
Darth Vader (voice)
2006
The Sandlot 2
Mr. Mertle
2005
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Archibald Thacker
1951
Three Fugitives
Dugan
1989
Sommersby
Judge Barry Conrad Issacs
1993
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Narrator (voice)
1992
The Magic of David Copperfield
1978
Paris
Woody Paris
1979
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Papa Jenkins
2008
Gabriel's Fire
Gabriel Bird
1990
Vegetable Soup
Long John Spoilsport
1975
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Father Divine
1980
East Side/West Side
1963
The Atlanta Child Murders
Major Walker
1985
Gang Related
Arthur Baylor
1997
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
Mufasa (voice)
2016
Casper: A Spirited Beginning
Kibosh (voice)
1997
Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold
Umslopogaas
1986Long Ago and Far Away
Host
1989
The Ambulance
Lt. Spencer
1990
By Dawn's Early Light
Alice
1990
Gardens of Stone
Sgt. Maj.'Goody' Nelson
1987
Clean Slate
John Dolby
1994
Signs and Wonders
Diamond
1995
Soul Man
Professor Banks
1986
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
Ruben
2014
The Meteor Man
Earnest Moses
1993
The Flight of Dragons
Ommadon (voice)
1982
What the Deaf Man Heard
Archibald Thacker
1997
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Darth Vader (voice)
1978
Finder's Fee
Avery Phillips
2001
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Self
2004
The Bushido Blade
The Prisoner
1981
Blackfish
Self (archive footage)
2013
Matewan
'Few Clothes' Johnson
1987
Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
Darth Vader (voice)
2014Under One Roof
Neb Langston
1995
The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics
Host
1994
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Giant (voice)
2009
Earth
Narrator (voice)
2007
Pros and Cons
Gabriel Bird
1991
Night of 100 Stars
Self
1982
Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films
Self (voice) (uncredited)
1993
Feast of All Saints
Older Marcel
2001
Looking for Richard
Self - Interviewee
1996
Swashbuckler
Nick Debrett
1976
Gimme Shelter
Frank McCarthy
2013
Our Friend, Martin
Daddy King (voice)
1999
11-22-63: The Day the Nation Cried
Narrator
1989
Jefferson in Paris
Madison Hemings
1995
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
1985
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
Leon
1976
The Second Civil War
Jim Kalla
1997
Recess Christmas: Miracle On Third Street
Mister (voice)
2001
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Self (archive footage)
2010
A Family Thing
Ray Murdock
1996
Broadway: The Next Generation
Self
Disney's American Legends
Narrator
2001
Muse of Fire
Self
2013
Sports on the Silver Screen
Self (archive footage)
1997
Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
Darth Vader (voice)
2015
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
Dr. McDuffie
1996
The Greatest
Malcolm X
1977
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Self (archive footage)
1970
The Making of 'Jurassic Park'
Host
1995
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
Self (archive footage)
2021
Cry, the Beloved Country
Rev. Stephen Kumalo
1995
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror
Maggie Simpson (voice)
2003
The Last Remake of Beau Geste
Sheikh
1977
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey
Admiral (voice)
2010
Black Omnibus
Self - Host
1973
The Vegas Strip War
Jack Madrid
1984
Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night
Emperor of the Night (voice)
1987
A Piece of the Action
Joshua Burke
1977
Butterfly in the Sky
Guest Narrator (archive footage)
2024
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self
1995
Undercover Angel
The Judge
1999
The Making of Star Wars
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
1977
The Annihilation of Fish
Fish
1999Me & Mom
1985
Joe Papp in Five Acts
Self
2012
End of the Road
Doctor D
1970
The Making of the Lion King
Self
1994
Black Theatre: The Making of a Movement
Self
1978Diamonds on the Silver Screen
Self
Confessions: Two Faces of Evil
Charles Lloyd
1994
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
Jack Jefferson (segment "The Great White Hope") / Troy Maxson (segment "Fences")
2006
True Identity
James Earl Jones
1991
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Self
2015
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
1979
Hollywood's Greatest Villains
Self
2005
The Great White Hope
Jack Jefferson
1970
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Self
1997
The Story of the Faithful Wookiee
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
1978
The Vernon Johns Story
Vernon Johns
1994
Amy and the Angel
Gabriel
1982
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
Self
2019
Excessive Force
Jake
1993
On Broadway
Self (archive footage)
2019
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
Self
2000
Grim Prairie Tales
Morrison
1990
On the Q.T.
Leo
1999
Santa and Pete
Grandpa Nicholas
1999
Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'The Hunt for Red October'
Self
2003
Milius
Self
2013
Percy & Thunder
Percy Banks
1993
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Genie / Narrator
1986
Words from a Bear
Self
2019
The UFO Incident
Barney Hill
1975
The Story of Star Wars
Darth Vader (archive footage)
2004
Nine Dog Christmas
Storyteller (voice)
2004
Warning Shot
Pendleton
2018
Visitors from the Unknown
Narrator (voice)
1991
Scorchers
Bear
1991Last Flight Out
Al Topping
1990
When It Was a Game
(voice)
1991
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
Dane Oliver
1980
The Cay
Timothy
1974Ennis' Gift
Self
2000
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
Narrator
2005
Claudine
Rupert D. "Roop" Marshall
1974
The Lone Star Kid
Holmes
1986
Heat Wave
Junius Johnson
1990
The Me Nobody Knows
Self
1980
Africa: The Serengeti
Narrator
1994
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
2000
Blood Tide
Frye
1982
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
Narrator (voice)
1988
Black Indians: An American Story
Narrator
2004
Muhammad Ali - Through The Eyes Of The World
Self
2001
The Comedians
Dr. Magiot
1967
An Amazing Time: A Conversation About End of the Road
Self
2012
Deadly Hero
Rabbit Shazam
1975
Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable
Mufasa
1995
The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened
Morris Bird, Jr.
1977
Driving Miss Daisy
Hoke Colburn
2015
The River Niger
Johnny Williams
1976
Inside: 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'
Self - 'Lieutenant Lothar Zogg'
2000
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
Self - Host
1979
People: A Musical Celebration
The Storyteller (voice)
1995
No Fighting in the War Room Or: 'Dr Strangelove' and the Nuclear Threat
Self
2004
The Reading Room
William
2005Bah, Humbug!: The Story of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'
Narrator
1994
The Hunting of the Snark
Narrator (voice)
1989
The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove
Self
2000
Ivory Hunters
Inspector Nkuru
1990Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson
Self
2007
City Limits
Albert
1985Hitler's Forgotten Victims
Narrator (voice) (DVD version)
1997
Visual Pathfinders: Robert Abel & Associates
1985
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues
himself, voice
1981
Convicts
Ben Johnson
1991
Alone
Grey
1997Beauty and the Beast
Narrator (voice)
1981Lincoln
Narrator (voice)
1992
Timepiece
Lawrence
1996
My Little Girl
Ike Bailey
1986
The Lion Guard: Life In The Pride Lands
Mufasa (voice)
2017
The Man
Douglass Dilman
1972
King Lear
King Lear
1974
Gangs: Turning the Corner
Self
1994
Antietam: A Documentary Film
Narrator
2000Hallelujah
Old Man Taylor
1993
God's Trombones
Narrator (voice)
1981Moses
Pharaoh
1985
Teach 109
Dr. Winston
1990
Who's in Rabbit's House?
Narrator (voice)
1995
John, Paul, George and Ben
Narrator
2007
Stories to Remember: Noah's Ark
Narrator
1989
The Space: Theatre of Survival
Narrator
2019
Malcolm X
Biographical Narration (voice)
1972
Good Luck
James Bing
1997
Golden Book Video - Beauty and the Beast
Narrator (voice)
1981
Fredericksburg: A Documentary Film
Narrator
2002
Strange Septembers: The Hill Abduction & the Exeter Encounter
Himself
2011
Summer's End
Dr. William 'Bill' Blakely
1999
Afro Promo
Self (archive footage)
1997Corwin
Self
1996
The Trail Of Tears: Cherokee Legacy
Narrator
2006
Terrorgram
Retribution (voice)
1990
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Legacy of a Dream
Narrator
1971
Searching for Orson
Self
2006Portrait of Castro's Cuba
Host/Narrator
1991
The Great Year
Narrator
2003
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Narrator
1984
Dreamrider
Bill Perry
1993A House Divided
1987
The JFK Conspiracy
Self - Host
1992
Indiana Jones Adventure | Disneyland Resort
Mara (voice)
2025
BET News & ET Present James Earl Jones: Life and Legacy
Self (archive footage)
2024The Creation
Narrator (voice)
1981