“Not only can you overcome your weaknesses, but sometimes they even transform into your greatest strength.” James Earl Jones
1945 – Dixon Rural Agricultural School – Brethren, Michigan: Donald Crouch, the new ninth grade English teacher, was on a mission. He was determined to draw the silent student in his class out of his shell. After introducing his freshmen English students to poets like Shakespeare, Longfellow, and Frost, Crouch had them write poems.
After reading their poems, the teacher got an idea. He turned to the silent kid. “James, your poem is so good that I don’t believe you wrote it. I think someone wrote it for you. You can only prove it’s yours by standing up and reciting it from memory.” To Crouch’s delight, 15-year-old James walked to the front of the class and recited his poem word for word without the first stammer. James surprised himself and shocked his classmates who hardly ever heard him speak.
James Earl Jones was born on his grandparent’s farm in tiny Arkabutla, Mississippi, in 1931. Abandoned by his parents, he was adopted by his maternal grandparents, who moved the family by train to Michigan when he was five.
The transition from the Deep South to rural Michigan was traumatic for young James. In the first grade, he developed a debilitating stutter. He said very little at home and even less at school. What little talking he did was to his dog. “I was mute from first grade through my freshman year in high school,” recalled James. “Talking was too embarrassing, too painful. I couldn’t cut it, so I just stopped. I gave up talking and wrote to communicate.”
The afternoon in Mr. Crouch’s class, when James recited his poem Ode to Grapefruit, he was surprised to discover that, in reciting words he knew well, he could speak clearly without any stuttering. The moment was a turning point in his life.
James’s voice had changed to a deep, resonating bass during his decade-long hiatus from talking. He was proud of his new voice and began making up for all the years he did not speak. As a senior, James was a key member of his high school’s debate team that captured a state championship.
In 1949, he entered the University of Michigan in pre-med to satisfy his grandfather. He migrated to drama during his junior year and acted in several student theater productions. After college and a short stint in the Korean War as an Army officer, James moved to New York to pursue an acting career.
He worked as a janitor and cleaned toilets, mostly in off-Broadway theaters, while auditioning for parts. It would take several years of voice and acting lessons before James felt ready for the stage and screen. In 1957, he received a diploma from the American Theater Wing and began acting in off-Broadway productions. He played the title character in the off-Broadway play Othello, landed a role in the 1964 movie Dr. Strangelove, and appeared in the hit TV series Roots.
In 1967, he landed the leading role in the Broadway play The Great White Hope, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor. For that he made the cover of Newsweek Magazine. James’s success in television, film and the stage continued. Still, it was his voice behind the microphone that resonated with audiences.
In 1977, his career skyrocketed when he played perhaps his most memorable role as the ominous voice of the villain Darth Vader in the movie Star Wars. Almost two decades later, young audiences were introduced to James’ thundering bass voice as Mufasa in Disney’s film The Lion King. The cable news network has used his “This is CNN” since 1990.
James Earl Jones’s monumental career spanned more than seven decades and included 90 network television shows, numerous stage performances, and more than 120 movies. He belongs to a small group of performers, dubbed EGOTs, who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
“It is ironic that the little boy who was basically silent for a decade became best known for his voice,” said James, looking back on his career. “I’m just happy to be able to talk. You find yourself with a weak muscle; you exercise it, and sometimes it becomes your strong muscle. I hope my story inspires all who have ever felt limited by their weaknesses.”
Very good story. I always liked James Earl Jones.
I liked this story very much. Thanks for doing such a good job in posting different articles.