A Norwegian rock band has named themselves after him: James Earl Jones Barbershop Explosion!.
According to Jones, when George Lucas was trying to cast the voice of Darth Vader, his immediate idea was to cast Orson Welles. However, he felt that Welles was too well-known for the role. So instead, he looked for an actor with a deep voice, "like Orson Welles", which is how he got the role.
Announced the forty-fifth greatest movie villain of all time by Maxim Magazine's "Fifty Greatest Movie Villains of All Time" list for his character of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).
Appears in Robots (2005) with Stanley Tucci. In a television biopic of Peter Sellers, Stanley Tucci played Stanley Kubrick, who directed Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), which was also Jones's first film.
Born at 6:05am.
Brother: Matthew Earl Jones.
Callers using Bell Atlantic pay phones often hear Jones's voice assuring them "Welcome to Bell Atlantic", just before a female voice asks for a calling card number.
Co-starred with Madge Sinclair five times.
First African American actor to play the "President of the United States" on film in The Man (1972) (TV).
Graduated from Kaleva-Norman-Dickson High School in Brethren.
Graduated from the University of Michigan.
Grew up in the small town of Dublin, Michigan.
Had stuttering problem as a child and said very little as a child; still struggles with the problem and says he has to think about what he says carefully before saying it (impressive, since he is known widely for his voice).
Has appeared in two films with Madge Sinclair where they play the main character's parents. In Coming to America (1988), they play the mother and father of Eddie Murphy's character, Hakeem. In The Lion King (1994), they play the mother and father of Simba. In Coming to America (1988), he appears with Samuel L. Jackson, who also appears with him in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), in which James Earl Jones voices Darth Vader, the father of original trilogy hero Luke Skywalker. In The Lion King (1994), Jones' character is named Mufasa. In Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), Darth Vader is severely injured on the planet Mustafar, which necessitates the synthesized voice Jones provides.
Has won two Tony Awards: in 1969, as Best Actor (Dramatic), for "The Great White Hope", a role he recreated in an Oscar-nominated performance in the film version of the same title, The Great White Hope (1970) and in 1987, as Best Actor (Play), for August Wilson's "Fences".
He received the John F. Kennedy Centre Honour in December 2002.
He used to use "Darth Vader" as his handle on his CB radio but stopped when it was freaking people out.
He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1992 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, D.C.
He was the first established celebrity to appear on the series "Sesame Street" (1969).
He won a Tony Award in 1969 for "The Great White Hope".