Highest rated as cast or director
James Earl Jones's 8 titles from the 1990s have a median Balasaur Score of 66, led by The Lion King (87) and The Hunt for Red October (74), against 53 for those from the 1980s.
Biography
James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. He was described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances on stage and screen, and "one of the greatest actors in American history". Over his career, he received three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985. He was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009 and the Honorary Academy Award in 2011. His deep voice has been praised as a "stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas" to his projects.
Acted in 168
2020s
- 2025
- 2024
- 2022
- 2021
2010s
- 2019
- 2018
Warning Shot
Pendleton
- 2017
The Lion Guard: Life In The Pride Lands
Mufasa (voice)
- 2016
- 2015
Driving Miss Daisy
Hoke Colburn
Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
Darth Vader (voice)
- 2014
Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
Darth Vader (voice)
- 2013
- 2010
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey
Admiral (voice)
2000s
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
Jack Jefferson (segment "The Great White Hope") / Troy Maxson (segment "Fences")
- 2005
The Reading Room
William
- 2004
Nine Dog Christmas
Storyteller (voice)
The Story of Star Wars
Darth Vader (archive footage)
- 2003
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror
Maggie Simpson (voice)
- 2002
- 2001
Feast of All Saints
Older Marcel
Recess Christmas: Miracle On Third Street
Mister (voice)
- 2000
1990s
- 1999
The Annihilation of Fish
Fish
On the Q.T.
Leo
Summer's End
Dr. William 'Bill' Blakely
Our Friend, Martin
Daddy King (voice)
- 1998
- 1997
Alone
Grey
Good Luck
James Bing
- 1996
Timepiece
Lawrence
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
Dr. McDuffie
- 1995
Cry, the Beloved Country
Rev. Stephen Kumalo
Jefferson in Paris
Madison Hemings
Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable
Mufasa
Signs and Wonders
Diamond · 4 episodes
- 1994
Clean Slate
John Dolby
The Vernon Johns Story
Vernon Johns
- 1993
Percy & Thunder
Percy Banks
The Meteor Man
Earnest Moses
Dreamrider
Bill Perry
Excessive Force
Jake
- 1992
- 1991
Pros and Cons
Gabriel Bird · 12 episodes
When It Was a Game
(voice)
- 1990
Grim Prairie Tales
Morrison
Gabriel's Fire
Gabriel Bird · 22 episodes
Ivory Hunters
Inspector Nkuru
Heat Wave
Junius Johnson
Last Flight Out
Al Topping
Teach 109
Dr. Winston
Terrorgram
Retribution (voice)
1980s
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
Mathnet
Chief Thad Green (voice), Chief Thad Green, Chief Thad Greene · 1 episode
- 1986
My Little Girl
Ike Bailey
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Genie / Narrator
- 1985
Moses
Pharaoh
The Atlanta Child Murders
Major Walker · 2 episodes
Visual Pathfinders: Robert Abel & Associates
Movie
- 1984
The Vegas Strip War
Jack Madrid
- 1983
- 1982
Amy and the Angel
Gabriel
The Flight of Dragons
Ommadon (voice)
- 1981
The Bushido Blade
The Prisoner
- 1980
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
Dane Oliver
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Father Divine · 2 episodes
1970s
- 1979
Paris
Woody Paris · 13 episodes
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
- 1978
The Story of the Faithful Wookiee
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
- 1977
The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened
Morris Bird, Jr.
A Piece of the Action
Joshua Burke
The Last Remake of Beau Geste
Sheikh
The Greatest
Malcolm X
- 1976
Swashbuckler
Nick Debrett
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
Leon
The River Niger
Johnny Williams
- 1975
Deadly Hero
Rabbit Shazam
The UFO Incident
Barney Hill
Vegetable Soup
Long John Spoilsport · 57 episodes
- 1974
The Cay
Timothy
Claudine
Rupert D. "Roop" Marshall
King Lear
King Lear
- 1972
The Man
Douglass Dilman
Malcolm X
Biographical Narration (voice)
- 1971
- 1970
The Great White Hope
Jack Jefferson
End of the Road
Doctor D
1960s
- 1969
- 1967
- 1966
- 1964
- 1963
East Side/West Side
TV
- 1961
1950s
- 1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Archibald Thacker · 1 episode
Other crew 1
2020s
- 2024
Appearances82
2020s
- 2024
BET News & ET Present James Earl Jones: Life and Legacy
Self (archive footage)
- 2021
2010s
- 2019
On Broadway
Self (archive footage)
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
Self
The Space: Theatre of Survival
Narrator
Words from a Bear
Self
- 2015
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Self
- 2013
Muse of Fire
Self
Milius
Self
- 2012
An Amazing Time: A Conversation About End of the Road
Self
Joe Papp in Five Acts
Self
- 2011
Strange Septembers: The Hill Abduction & the Exeter Encounter
Himself
- 2010
2000s
- 2007
John, Paul, George and Ben
Narrator
- 2006
Searching for Orson
Self
The Trail Of Tears: Cherokee Legacy
Narrator
- 2005
Hollywood's Greatest Villains
Self
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
Narrator
- 2004
No Fighting in the War Room Or: 'Dr Strangelove' and the Nuclear Threat
Self
Black Indians: An American Story
Narrator
- 2003
The Great Year
Narrator
Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'The Hunt for Red October'
Self
- 2002
Fredericksburg: A Documentary Film
Narrator
- 2001
Muhammad Ali - Through The Eyes Of The World
Self
Disney's American Legends
Narrator
- 2000
Antietam: A Documentary Film
Narrator
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
Self
Inside: 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'
Self - 'Lieutenant Lothar Zogg'
The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove
Self
1990s
- 1997
Sports on the Silver Screen
Self (archive footage)
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Self
Afro Promo
Self (archive footage)
- 1996
Looking for Richard
Self - Interviewee
- 1995
Who's in Rabbit's House?
Narrator (voice)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self
- 1994
The Making of the Lion King
Self
The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics
Host
Africa: The Serengeti
Narrator
Gangs: Turning the Corner
Self
- 1993
Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films
Self (voice) (uncredited)
- 1992
The JFK Conspiracy
Self - Host
- 1991
Visitors from the Unknown
Narrator (voice)
1980s
- 1989
11-22-63: The Day the Nation Cried
Narrator
The Hunting of the Snark
Narrator (voice)
Stories to Remember: Noah's Ark
Narrator
- 1988
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
Narrator (voice)
- 1985
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
- 1984
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Narrator
- 1983
- 1982
Night of 100 Stars
Self
- 1981
Golden Book Video - Beauty and the Beast
Narrator (voice)
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues
himself, voice
God's Trombones
Narrator (voice)
- 1980
The Me Nobody Knows
Self
1970s
- 1979
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
Self - Host
- 1978
Black Theatre: The Making of a Movement
Self
- 1974
- 1973
Black Omnibus
Self - Host · 13 episodes
- 1971
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Legacy of a Dream
Narrator
- 1970
1960s
- 1968
- 1962
- 1961
No release date
Broadway: The Next Generation
Self