Hey Audio Citizen!

How was your week?
Mine was surely short! I feel like it went from Monday straight to Friday without all those other days in between.
And this week, the universe reclaimed one of its richest voices; James Earl Jones. The legendary American voice actor passed away on Monday, the 9th of September at the age of 93. 93 is quite a lifetime, isn’t it?
In today’s newsletter, we take a brief look at the life of this enigmatic voice actor, a voice that was part and parcel of a lot of people’s childhood.

James Earl Jones the Voice Actor
One thing I loved about Mufasa, in The Lion King, was how he sounded so kind yet still full of authority, when he had his moments with Simba. In fact, my favorite line is, “Simba, being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.” Mufasa was voiced by James Earl Jones, just but one of the many coveted roles he played, in the course of his formidable career that spanned over 60 years. James Earl Jones was also very well known for voicing Darth Vader in the famous Star Wars. Additionally, he narrated episodes of The Simpsons, CBS Library and 3rd Rock from the Sun. Did you know that Jones was the voice behind “This is CNN” tagline?

A difficult childhood
Although Jones belongs to the upper echelon of actors and thespians, his start wasn’t a bed of roses. He came from very humble beginings and had to overcome a severe stutter as a child. Jones was born in Arkabutla, Missisipi (17th January 1931) to a single mother, Ruth Connolly, after his father left to pursue his boxing and acting dreams. At age 6, his mother took him to her parents, who lived in a farm in Michigan, to help take care of him. His grandparents subsequently adopted him. It was the trauma of this move that turned him “mute”, having uprooted him from the soils he knew best, the soils of his origin. He’d stutter and other children would laugh so he just gave up.

Finding His Voice
Jones found his voice again with the help of his high school teacher, Donald Crouch. Discovering that Jones had a passion and talent for poetry, Mr. Crouch encouraged him to read his poetry before the class. This helped him build confidence and he found drama and debating to be such pleasurable experiences. He just couldn’t stop talking!

After high school, Jones joined The University of Michigan where he initially started off with pre-med but switched to drama which he enjoyed more. He obtained a degree in Drama in 1955. In 1953 (summer), Jones was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. He took the Officers Basic Course in Fort Benning, Georgia then proceeded to Ranger School. After training, he was assigned to Headquaters and Headquaters Company, 38th Regimental Combat Team and was tasked with helping with the establishment of a cold weather command at the former Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado. Afterwards, he received an honorable discharge as a first lieutenant and left for New York to pursue acting.

New York, the city of dreams! 
Jones reunited with his father (Robert Earl Jones) in New York, going to several plays together and even appearing in some together. He made his first debut on stage in 1957 and went on to be a household name in theatre then made his way into the film industry. Due to his impressive theatre career, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1985. In March 2022, the former Cort Theatre, a broadway theatre at 138 West 48th Street, New York was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in his honor. (The theatre was opened in 1912).

Awards
Jones was an EGOT winner! That means he won all the four major awards in performing arts in North America, an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. A rare achievement that very few artists enjoy during their lifetime. He received 3 Emmys, a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording (for Great American Documents), an Honorary Academy Award and 3 Tony Awards (including one for lifetime achievement). Other awards include a Golden Globe Award (for Claudine), Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, The Kennedy Center Honors in 2002 and the Independent Spirit Award.

Personal Life
Jones was first married to Julienne Marie in 1968 but their union ended in a divorce in 1972. In 1982, he married Cecilia Hart with whom he had a son, Flynn Earl Jones. Unfortunaltely, Cecilia died in 2016. He is survived by Flynn (also an actor) and a brother, Matthew.

Rest in Power!

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