Black theater community remembers James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones passed away September 9, 2024 at the age of 93. I was devastated when I saw the announcement online. I immediately remembered interviewing Mr. Jones in 2011, when he was starring as Hoke Colburn in “Driving Miss Daisy” at the John Golden Theater on Broadway. He was soft spoken, charming, and full of wisdom — the man was a living legend. I remember asking him about how he prepared for each performance. He responded that for every performance, he looks for something different in the character, something new he can bring to the role. I asked: At what point in the production do you stop honing the character? He said that you never stop honing the character, just as you never stop honing your craft. I recall thinking, “Wow. If James Earl Jones does this, it must be right!” I also recalled how funny he was in the Broadway production of “You Can’t Take It With You” in 2014. This was a man who was very serious about his craft. was full of kindness, and who has left behind an amazing legacy for generations to learn from.
Members of the Black theater community shared their feelings about the passing of this fantastic thespian. Woodie King Jr. — founder, producing director, and now member of the board of directors of the New Federal Theatre (NFT), one of the oldest theaters in America — said, “My finest memory of him is [when] I appeared on Broadway with him in ‘The Great White Hope.’ He played a world heavyweight champion named Jack Jefferson, but that was Jack Johnson and it was one of the great performances of our time, and I think he won a Tony Award*. When I heard the news yesterday, it was devastating. I had talked to him two or three times when he was living in Pawling, New York.” Regarding the vast legacy Mr. Jones left behind, King said, “He was one of the finest five actors in the world along with Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando, Denzel Washington and George C. Scott.”
Actor, playwright, and director Ruben Santiago-Hudson shared his thoughts on the passing of Mr. Jones: “Once I broke through the devastating sadness of losing the great James Earl Jones, I found a moment of joy to have lived in the time of such a giant. The first Broadway play I ever saw was ‘Paul Robeson’ by Philip Hayes Dean. I sat in the first row, in revelatory awe, being baptized by the gentle shower that flowed from every resounding word he spoke.”
Stephen Byrd, lead producer of “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof,” through his company Front Row Productions, shared, “I was devastated, shocked, and saddened to hear of James’s passing. James was hands down, bar none, the best actor I ever had the opportunity to work with in 17 years of producing. He was kind, gentle, and generous. He never failed to do anything that we asked with regards to promoting the show. He was always available and accessible. I don’t see anyone in that mode ever filling his shoes. We were together both on Broadway and in London for almost a year and a half together. The show started on Broadway and ran for five months and then six months in London, [where] we won the Olivier Award.” Describing his legacy: “He was one of the greatest actors in my lifetime. He was always warm, gentle and open to other actors. He was a mentor to the other actors until it was time for him to go on. He was one of the few people who never closed [his] dressing room door.”
Carl Clay, founder of the Black Spectrum Theatre in Queens shared, “One of the things that I remember most about him, although I’ve never met him personally, was when I was in the Third World Cinema training program that Ossie Davis started. The first movie that was done by Third World Cinema was “Claudine,” with Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones. This idea that he was at the forefront at the beginning of a Black Film company, that is my memory of him. ‘Fences’ rings strong to have that Black man on stage, it felt as if he was talking to me.”
Count Stovall, theater actor, director, producer and a personal friend of Mr. Jones for decades, said, “I was dismayed to hear about his passing. Riveted to the lifetime of friendship and admiration for the tremendous artistry and genius that was my friend and colleague in several productions on Broadway. One of the things that shocks you is a person who means that much to you as a role model and a friend, you just can’t imagine the world without them. But, I’m also very appreciative of the time I knew him and the joyful things we did together. He was one of the most generous and creative spirits that I ever encountered. James Earl Jones and Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, these were the mavens that greeted us and bought us along. In “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” on Broadway, I was his standby. I also played Dr. Baugh in the production.”
On his legacy, Stovall said, “….one of the finest artists to ever walk the boards or stand in front of the camera. Not only does everyone remember James as the voice of God, he was one of the greatest voices of the American theater. He was in the same league as Paul Robeson. James leaves a legacy that can never be touched. He’s an EGOT [Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony]. Stephen Byrd securing James Earl Jones as Big Daddy is what helped Stephen Byrd to secure the rights to do the play from the Tennessee Williams estate. He was the name that made a production happen. He couldn’t ask for a more versatile artist to do as many kinds of work. When he put his voice in Darth Vader it made the character iconic for ‘Star Wars’ and he and he brought it decade after decade. He was everybody’s best friend and everybody’s greatest example of how to do it.”
*Editor’s Note: Mr. Jones did indeed win the 1969 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in “The Great White Hope.”
The post Black theater community remembers James Earl Jones appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.