\n\n\n\nJames Earl Jones speaking into a mic during a studio recording session in Hollywood, California on July 10, 1991 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n
Regardless of his A-list status and seemingly peaceful life, Jones dealt with several difficulties, some of which happened in his childhood and his marital life with his late wife, Cecilia Hart. Here\u2019s a look through some of the hurdles he faced and conquered.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones at rehearsals for the 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 24, 2009 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n Long before James Earl Jones starred as King Jaffe Joffer in \u201cComing To America\u201d and its second installation, he was the son of Robert Earl Jones and Ruth Connolly. Sadly his father, who was also a successful actor, never wanted him since birth.\n\n\n\n The Hollywood actor, who had Choctaw, Cherokee, and Irish ancestry, was raised by his maternal grandparents, John Henry and Maggie Connolly. Growing up in a segregated society, Jones watched the dynamics of racism play outside and within his home.\n\n\n\n Portrait of actor James Earl Jones along with other nominees for The 23rd Annual Tony Awards: Broadway \u201969 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n According to him, his grandmother, who raised him, was \u201cthe most racist person\u201d he\u2019d ever known. He shared that he was trained in a like manner and was told it was \u201cdefensive racism.\u201d However, Jones learned to tune out all his grandma Maggie taught him. His first independent thinking came after he moved from Mississippi to Michigan.\n\n\n\n Undated picture of James Earl Jones dressed in boxing attire | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n He stated in an interview, \u201cI\u2019d go to school with white kids and Indian kids. I knew they weren\u2019t the devils that she said they were. I had to start thinking for myself, and I had to start understanding the extent to which she was right too.\u201d\n\n\n\n A portrait of James Earl Jones for the pilot of the TV show, \u201cParis\u201d which aired on September 29, 1979 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n Another challenge the actor faced while growing up was his stunted speech. Jones stuttered so badly that he stopped talking and went mute for some years. However, in high school, he met an English teacher who trained him to use his voice again.\n\n\n\n So it became that Jones regained his ability to speak, and it went a long way in expanding his Hollywood artistry. His acting career kicked off in the 1960s.\n\n\n\n Jones appeared in scores of movies, including; \u201cThe Sting and Trading Places.\u201d \u201cOthello,\u201d \u201cDr. STrangelove,\u201d \u201cEgghead,\u201d and the \u201cStar Wars\u201d trilogy. Jones was the recipient of several awards, including a Tony and an Academy Award.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones at the 2016 Tony Awards in New York City on June 12, 2016 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n Throughout his years in the spotlight, Jones was married twice. The star was first married to Julienne Marie. The pair tied the knot in 1968 and were together for four years. Although it was Jones\u2019 first marriage, it was the second time Marie walked down the aisle.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones with his first wife, Julienne Marie, on October 15, 1968 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n The couple called it off and went on with their careers. In this period, Jones was known for movies like \u201cDeadly Hero,\u201d and \u201cClaudine.\u201d Marie is recognized for her roles in \u201cSearch For Tomorrow,\u201d \u201cRyan\u2019s Hope,\u201d and \u201cOur Private World.\u201d\n\n\n\n Just like her ex-husband, Marie is a Tony-recognized actor. She bagged a nomination in 1959 as Best Featured Actress, and in 1964 for her role in \u201cFoxy.\u201d\n\n\n\n In 1979, Jones became acquainted with Cecilia Hart. The pair had met on the set of 1979\u2019s \u201cParis\u201d and kicked it off right from the start. After working together on a 1982 production of \u201cOthello,\u201d Jones and Hart decided to tie the knot the following year.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones and wife Cecilia Hart attend 47th Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 20, 1990 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n However, the actor faced some difficulties with his wife\u2019s parents. He immediately liked Hart\u2019s parents when he met them, but they did not see themselves giving their daughter over to him in marriage.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones and Cecilia Hart at the The 65th Annual Tony Awards in New York City | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n Jones shared that the day he asked for their blessings, he had been taken aback by some of the insinuations. He noted that Hart\u2019s mom raised a concern that was still very much rampant\u2013 the race issue.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones photographed on October 14, 2015, in New York City | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n He noted that his wife\u2019s mom was worried about the kids\u2019 skin color, pointing out that Jones was a black man and her daughter, a white woman. He recalled letting her know that his kids would be black regardless of who he married. Mrs. Hart was worried about what her own grandchildren would look like.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones, his wife Cecilia, and son, Flynn, arrive at the Ziegfeld Theater for the world premiere of \u201dCry, The Beloved Country\u201d on October 24, 1995 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n His intelligent take immediately changed the tense atmosphere. The matriarch\u2019s skeptical mood became cheerful, and that was how Jones got to marry the love of his life.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones, wife Cecelia Hart and son Flynn Earl Jones at the RAC Club on October 5, 2011 in London, England | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n The couple crossed the racism hurdle and married in 1982. They went on to live happily for another 34 years in marital bliss and had a son together. The couple\u2019s son, Flynn, grew up to be his father\u2019s assistant.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones performs in the New York debut of \u201cLetters Live\u201d on May 19, 2018 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n Although Flynn lives a pretty much off-the-spotlight life, he has appeared in several star-studded events with his parents. He accompanied the pair to the premiere of \u201cCat On A Hot Tin Roof\u201d in Novello Theatre.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones, Cecilia Hart, and Flynn Earl Jones attend the 2012 Marian Anderson awards gala on November 19, 2012 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n He was also seen with them in 2012 at the Marion Anderson Award Gala. All these were before Hart died in 2016. Hart\u2019s death was announced in October of that year with news that she battled ovarian cancer until the time of death.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones, Cecilia Hart, and Flynn Earl Jones during the closing night of \u201cDriving Miss Daisy\u201d on Broadway on April 9, 2011 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n Hart, who was 68 when she passed on, was as prominent as her spouse in the movie industry. With a career that kicked off in the 1970s, she appeared in \u201cThe Heiress,\u201d \u201cDesign For Loving,\u201d and \u201cDirty Linen & New-Found-Land.\u201d\n\n\n\n Cecilia Hart and James Earl Jones at the 59th Annual Tony Awards on June 05, 2005 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n One of her last roles was in \u201cLaw & Order.\u201d Hart also starred in \u201cThree\u2019s Company,\u201d \u201cQuincy M.E,\u201d \u201cCharles in Charge,\u201d and \u201cMacGyver.\u201d Jones and Hart were last seen together at the Tony Awards in June 2016.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones attends the 70th Annual Tony Awards on June 12, 2016, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n Before her marriage to Jones, she was married to actor Bruce Weitz, but they had no kids together. At the time of her death, the family requested that donations be made to two organizations that were dear to Hart in her lifetime.\n\n\n\n James Earl Jones at The Drama League\u2019s 31st Annual \u201cMusical Celebration of Broadway\u201d on February 2, 2015 | Source: Getty Images\n\n\n\n Now, almost eight years after her death, Jones has passed away at the age of 93. James Earl Jones leaves behind a legacy of unforgettable characters and a profound impact on the entertainment industry.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n\nWho Was James Earl Jones?\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nInside His Hollywood Career\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHe Was Married Twice\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Challenges of His Second Marriage\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nJones and Hart Were Happily Married until Her Passing\n\n\n\n
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