Revisiting The Movies Of James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones, who passed away just days ago, is a movie legend. There are a few distinct roles virtually everyone remembers him for, and that we will show our children and our children’s children. But there are many other characters Jones played in less obvious movies that we should shine a light on as we remember this great man, lest we forget the prolific nature of his work.
From Star Wars To The Lion King
James Earl Jones movies were a staple of my childhood. Of course everyone knows he was the voice of Darth Vader in the first Star Wars trilogy. But when I was a kid, we had no idea who that voice belonged to.
After all, the actor who walked in Vader’s shoes was someone else, and when Vader’s mask was removed right before he died, it was a shriveled up old white guy we saw. It would be years, probably decades, later before I learned in retrospect that Mufasa was also Darth Vader.
Mufasa Was An Absolute Legend
While I may not have known as a kid in the 80s that one of James Earl Jones’ most famous movies was Star Wars, I definitely knew by the 90s that he was the voice of Mufasa.
The beloved father to Simba in Lion King was neither imposing nor overly regal. Indeed, Jones said in an interview that the director of Lion King asked him to be himself, “kind of a dopey dad.” So the filmmakers did actually superimpose some of Jones’ facial expressions onto Mufasa, and he will now live forever as the greatest Lion King ever.
He was such a perfect Mufasa that we even got him back in the live action Lion King in 2019.
Speaking Of Kings …
Speaking of kings, we have to take a trip back to the 80s to see James Earl Jones in the first of his movies that really stood out — Coming to America. Yes, he had been in many movies before that, but it was as King Jaffe Joffer that those of us who grew up in the 80s really recognized him for.
We couldn’t see his actual likeness in Star Wars or The Lion King. But as Eddie Murphy’s dad, large and imposing, regal and commanding, we will never forget that role. He was the perfect foil to Eddie’s goofy comedy. He was, truly, a king.
Shifting To Baseball
It would only be a year later before we would see James Earl Jones again at the movies, in 1989, in Field of Dreams, as the cantankerous, reclusive author Terrence Mann alongside Kevin Costner’s Ray. Upon Jones’ passing, Costner noted that the film would not have been the same without him, and it’s true. While Ray may have been the main character, he needed Mann to ride alongside him on their journey for the truth.
Jones played a brilliant reluctant participant in this big vision, and he earned the happy ending he got.
Of Course We Have To Mention The Sand Lot
Finally, no Gen Xer or older Millennial who calls themselves a film fan could forget one of James Earl Jones’ greatest movies ever — The Sandlot. We wait through that entire movie to see what kind of terrible person must own the home with the meanest dog ever, as the boys who lose their baseballs over the fence and are too terrified to chase after them for fear of The Beast. We were so sure when we were kids that Mr. Mertle was going to end up just like the mean owner of Chopper, the dog in Stand by Me.
Instead, we get the kindly old blind man, and his dog, who ends up licking the boys’ faces.
Plenty More Where That Came From
Obviously, we cannot run through every film James Earl Jones ever appeared in, considering he’s got more than 200 credits to his name. But, for children of the 80s and 90s, these are the films that will stand forever as memories of the greatness Jones brought to our childhoods. May we share them with our kids, and their kids, and their kids’ kids.
