Earl Jones Biography (1931-)

Real name, Todd Jones; born January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, MS; raised in Dublin, MI; son of Robert Earl (a boxer, actor, butler, and chauffeur) and Ruth(a teacher and maid; maiden name, Connolly) Jones; raised by John (a farmer)and Maggie (a farmer and homemaker) Connolly; married Julienne Marie Hendricks (an actress; divorced); married Cecilia Hart (an actress), March 15, 1982;children: (second marriage) Flynn Earl. Career: Actor. Appointed by U.S. president John F. Kennedy to the Advisory Board of the National Council onthe Arts, 1962. Appeared in advertisements, including commercials for the Cable News Network (CNN), and for Bell Atlantic. Also worked polishing floors and cleaning offices. Military service: U.S. Army; became first lieutenant. Member: Actors' Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, AmericanFederation of Television and Radio Artists. Awards, Honors: Obie Award, best actor, 1962, for Clandestine on the Morning Line, The Apple, and Moon on a Rainbow Shawl; Theatre World Award, most promising new actor, 1962; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding single performance by an actor in a leading role, and Golden Nymph Award, best performance byan actor, both 1963, for East Side/West Side; Drama Desk Award, best performance, 1964, and Vernon Rice Award, 1965, both for Othello; ObieAward, best performance, 1965, for Baal; Emmy Award, 1965, for Beyond the Blues; Antoinette Perry Award, best actor in a dramatic play, andDrama Desk Award, outstanding performance, both 1969, for The Great WhiteHope; Grammy Award, 1969, for the cast recording of The Great White Hope; honorary degree, University of Michigan, 1970; Drama Desk Award, outstanding performance, 1970, for Les blancs; Academy Award nomination, best actor, 1970, and Golden Globe Award, best new male star of the year, 1971, both for The Great White Hope; Drama Desk Award, outstanding performances, 1973, for Hamlet and The Cherry Orchard; Image Award, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), best actor,and Golden Globe Award nomination, best actor in a musical or comedy, both 1974, for Claudine; Golden Hugo Award, Chicago Film Festival, Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival, and Gabriel Award, MercyCollege, all 1975, for The Cay; Grammy Award (with Orson Welles, Henry Fonda, and Helen Hayes), best spoken word or nonmusical recording, 1976, for Great American Documents. Honorary degree, Princeton University, 1980; Medal for Spoken Language, American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1981; Office of Black Ministries Toussaint Medallion, 1982; honorary degree, ColumbiaCollege, 1982; inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, 1985; Antoinette PerryAward, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award, all best actor, 1987, for Fences; Distinguished Performance Award, Drama League of New York, 1987; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding performance in children's programming, 1987, for "Soldier Boys," CBS Schoolbreak Specials; CableAce Award, best actor in a dramatic series, 1989, for "Third and Oak: The Pool Hall," American Playwrights Theatre; CableAce Award nomination, 1990, forThe Last Elephant; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding supporting actor, 1990, for By Dawn's Early Light; Jean Renoir Award, Los Angeles FilmTeachers, 1990; Emmy Award, outstanding lead actor in a drama series, 1990,for Gabriel's Fire; Emmy Award, outstanding supporting actor, and CableAce Award, best actor in a supporting role, both 1991, for Heatwave!;Common Wealth Award, Bank of Delaware, 1991, for "distinguished service in the dramatic arts"; People's Choice Award nomination, 1992; Golden Globe Awardnomination, best performance by an actor in a television series-drama, 1992,for Pros and Cons; Hall of Fame Image Award for contributions to thearts, NAACP, 1992; Image Award, NAACP, best actor, 1992, for Gabriel's Fire; National Medal of the Arts, 1992, for "outstanding contributions to cultural life of the country"; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding actor in a drama series, 1995, for Under One Roof; Joseph Plateau Award of Honour,Flanders International Film Festival, 1995; Image Award nomination, NAACP, outstanding lead actor in a motion picture, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role, both 1996,for Cry, the Beloved Country; Image Award nomination, NAACP, outstanding performance in an animated, live-action, dramatic youth, or children's series or special, 1996, for "The Valiant Little Tailor," Happily Ever After:Fairy Tales for Every Child; Image Award nomination, NAACP, outstandingsupporting actor in a comedy series, 1998, for "Roz's Krantz and GouldensternAre Dead," Frasier; also received an honorary degree from Yale University. Addresses: Agent: Bauman/Hiller and Associates, 5757 Wilshire Blvd., no. 5, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Nationality
American
Ethnicity
African American
Gender
Male
Occupation
Actor
Birth Details
January 17, 1931
Arkabutla, Mississippi, United States

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