Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Sep 30, 2024
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On September 9th, 2024, the world lost a film legend. Known the world over for his voice, charisma, and unrivaled presence on stage and screen, James Earl Jones was one of the most versatile and decorated actors in modern film history. He was an EGOT, one of a select few talented performers to have achieved the quadruple crown of performing arts, as well as the recipient of numerous other awards, including a National Medal of Arts, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. His awards cabinet was well-stocked, but the legacy he leaves behind as a catalyst for change in the entertainment industry and the booming voice of some of cinema’s most memorable characters is what will stick with all who got to witness his work on stage and screen.
James was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi in 1931, but at the age of five was living with his grandparents in Dublin, Michigan. You’d never know it based on his eventual career, but the traumatic move and difficult home life he endured meant James developed a stutter, and refused to speak for all but the entirety of his childhood. In high school, an English teacher of his finally got James to come out of his shell by encouraging him to share his poetry with his class. In 1949, James graduated from Dickson Rural Agricultural School in Brethren, Michigan, and decided to pursue a pre-med degree at the University of Michigan.
While at U-M, James joined the ROTC program as the Korean War escalated. In his junior year, he decided to shift his focus to a drama degree, so he could do something he loved before, he assumed, he’d be shipped off overseas upon graduation. Fortunately, he was never deployed to an active war zone, but he did become a Ranger and served in a training corps for a short time in Colorado. After his discharge from service, he returned to Michigan to complete his Bachelor of Arts in Drama.
Straight out of university, Jones worked as a stagehand and carpenter at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee, Michigan. Two years later, he was acting and stage managing productions. His role as Othello in his very first season on stage, 1957, foreshadowed where he would find success in the coming years. As part of Shakespeare in the Park in New York City in the early 60s, Jones became one of the best known American Shakespearian actors of the time, regularly taking on the roles of Othello, King Lear, Oberon, Abhorson, and Claudius in the works by the great English playwright. If you’ve ever heard his voice, I’m sure you can imagine his basso monologues in these huge, commanding roles.
Jones acted off-Broadway in the 60s too, but it was a Shakespeare in the Park production that earned him his first film credit. Stanley Kubrick attended a performance of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ planning to cast one of Jones’ co-stars for his next film, but ended up bringing Jones onto the project as well. Meaning, James Earl Jones’ first film credit was ‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’ in 1964, an incredible screen debut. This was just the beginning of a long, legendary career in film.
But, Jones loved the stage, and continued acting on Broadway and around the country in both Shakespearian and contemporary works. In 1967, Jones played Jack Jefferson in Howard Sackler’s ‘The Great White Hope’, which eventually moved to Broadway in 1968. Sackler subsequently won a Pulitzer Prize for his writing, and Jones earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Reprising his role in the film version earned him the second-ever nomination of a black actor for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1970. Between the stage and film iterations of ‘The Great White Hope’, Jones worked on test screenings for a groundbreaking children’s show, a little program called ‘Sesame Street’.
Though episodes featuring Carol Burnett were the first to air, Jones was the first celebrity to record with Jim Henson’s Muppets, and helped make the show what it is today. In the early 70s, Jones remained booked and busy on Broadway, playing in ‘King Lear’, a revival of ‘The Iceman Cometh’, and the 1974 Brooks Atkinson adaptation of ‘Of Mice and Men’. He also co-starred alongside Diahann Carroll in ‘Claudine’, a romantic comedy that illustrates the struggles of a black woman and the many relationships she attempts to foster in her life, for which both of them earned Golden Globe nominations.
Finally, it’s 1977, and ‘Star Wars’ catapults George Lucas and a host of other actors to fame. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) saves the galaxy from the evil Darth Vader, who was portrayed on set by David Prowse, but voiced in post by James Earl Jones. As he thought of his contributions as “just special effects”, Jones was uncredited in the first two ‘Star Wars’ films, but finally accepted credit for his work for the ‘Return of the Jedi’ and his subsequent appearances. To say he was perfect for ‘Star Wars’ is an understatement. I daresay, those films would never have been so popular had it not been for his incredible, dominating voice. Lucas made the right call dubbing over Prowse’s very-English accent, ensuring audiences would perceive Vader as a force to be reckoned with and not just another sci-fi space villain. Plus, it enabled one of the greatest twists in film history to remain a secret from even the cast present on set up until the premiere of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’.
Jones returned to Broadway in the early 2000s, acting in tons of productions including ‘On Golden Pond’, ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ (during a West End performance of which Ben Kingsley presented Jones with an honorary Academy Award), ‘The Best Man’, ‘You Can’t Take It with You’, and ‘The Gin Game’ through the 2010s. Jones made many memorable guest appearances in beloved shows like ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory’, and remained a constant presence in film and television. In 2019, he reprised his role as Mufasa in ‘The Lion King’ CGI remake, and in 2021 he came back to play King Jaffe Joffer in ‘Coming 2 America’, the sequel to the Eddie Murphy classic. This would be his last film credit.
It’s impossible to know what the movie industry would look like if James Earl Jones had never come along, but I’d hate to see that reality. Jones’ work was groundbreaking, and will continue to enrapture audiences for generations to come. He never lost his passion for the stage, the place his career took off, and it showed in all of his roles. Aspiring creatives should strive to achieve the love of craft Jones exhibited throughout his career, but his legacy will remain unmatched. “O, now, for ever, farewell…” (‘Othello’, Act 3 Scene 3)
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
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