VOA文化艺术2024--Remembering American Actor James Earl Jones

Remembering American Actor James Earl Jones

American actor James Earl Jones died Monday. He was 93 years old.

His agent, Barry McPherson, said Jones died at his home in the Hudson Valley area of New York. The cause of death was not reported.

Jones was probably most famous around the world for his performance as Darth Vader in the Star Wars movie series.

In interviews, Jones said he loved playing the part of Darth Vader, and of being part of the Star Wars story. "When I walk out tonight there will be kids with posters to sign," he once said.

"I love it. I love that I was a part of that cult¹."

His deep and powerful voice took on a career of its own.

Jones voiced the part of Mufasa in The Lion King. He won a Grammy award in 1977 for the spoken word album, Great American Documents.

But the voice did not come naturally to Jones. As a child, he suffered from a severe speech problem.

James Earl Jones was born in the state of Mississippi in 1931. He had a severe stutter. As a result, he mostly stopped speaking.

He moved to Michigan when he was six. His grandparents became his legal guardians² and raised him there.

In high school, Jones recovered his voice through his own poetry and the guidance of a teacher. Jones began to read his poems aloud to the class. His speaking improved.

He went on to study acting³ at the University of Michigan. He also played on the university's basketball team.

Jones then served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955.

In 1965, James Earl Jones became one of the first Black actors in America to play a continuing part on a daytime television drama.

In his more than 70 years in show business, Jones played lead parts in many plays by William Shakespeare, including Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello.

He received Tony awards for several performances in Broadway plays, including The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987.

He received Emmy awards for his work in television, as well.

And in 2011, the Academy⁴ of Motion⁵ Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Jones an Oscar to recognize his work in film.

His famous voice was also used in many television commercials.

For years, the news network CNN has used Jones' voice recording⁶, "This is CNN," for its station identification⁷.

James Earl Jones was married twice, both times to actors. He second wife, Cecilia Hart Flynn, died in 2016. Jones is survived by his son from his second marriage, Flynn Earl Jones, and his brother, Matthew.

Jones continued to work well past the usual retirement⁸ age. His most recent work included performing again as Darth Vader in the Star Wars television miniseries Obi Wan⁹ Kenobi.

Words in This Story

interview - n. a meeting at which information is obtained (as by a reporter) from a person

cult - n. enthusiastic but often temporary devotion to a person, idea, or thing

stutter - n. to speak with involuntary disruption or blocking of speech (as by repetition or prolongation of vocal sounds)

1 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

2 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

5 motion   

n.打手势，示意，移动，动作，提议，大便；v.运动，向...打手势，示意

参考例句：

• She could feel the rolling motion of the ship under her feet.她能感觉到脚下船在晃动。
• Don't open the door while the train is in motion.列车运行时，请勿打开车门。

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 identification   

n.视为同一，证明同一，确认

参考例句：

• He's made a formal identification of the body.他正式确认了死者身份。
• We should have identification card on the person when we go out.我们外出时应随身携带身份证。

8 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

9 wan   

(wide area network)广域网

参考例句：

• The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。