James Earl Jones (b. January 17, 1931) is an American Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor of film and stage well known for his deep baritone voice.James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla Township, Tate County, Mississippi, the son of Ruth Williams and actor Robert Earl Jones (1910-2006), who left the family before James Earl's birth. Jones and his father reconciled many years later in the 1980s and 1990s. Jones was raised by his maternal grandparents and is of African, Irish and Cherokee descent.
He moved to his grandparent's farm in Jackson, Michigan at the age of five, but the adoption was traumatic and he developed a stutter so severe he refused to speak aloud. He remained functionally mute for eight years until he reached high school. He credits his high school teacher, Donald Crouch, who discovered he had a gift for writing poetry, with helping him out of his silence. The teacher believed forced public speaking would help him gain confidence and insisted he recite a poem in class each day. "I was a stutterer. I couldn't talk. So my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school."
Jones went on to graduate from the University of Michigan. He was enrolled in the ROTC at Michigan, completed Ranger training, and was an Army officer stationed in Alaska in the late 1950s. While in college, he was a member of the National Honorary Society of Pershing Rifles.
Jones has been married to Cecilia Hart since 1982, with whom he has one child, Flynn Earl Jones. He was previously married to the actress and singer Julienne Marie. They had no children.