Although Jones has had a long and successful career as a theatre, film, and voice actor, the character of Darth Vader, which he voiced in the first three Star Wars films, is possibly his most well-known.
James Earl Jones Net Worth: How Much Did James Earl Jones Make From Star Wars?
James has won a number of important awards over his career, including three Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy Award.
Jones has maintained a high level of involvement in the entertainment business throughout the years and is a major participant in the field.
First and foremost
James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, on January 17th, 1931. Mississippi was his birthplace. James Earl was raised largely on a farm in Jackson, Michigan, after his father left the family to pursue a career as an actor in New York and Hollywood.
While his father was away, James Earl was cared for by his grandparents. Jones moved to the state of Michigan as part of the Great Migration.
Jones began having problems with his speech shortly after moved outside of Mississippi. He was initially entirely mute, and he maintained this silence throughout his junior high years.
He later obtained help from a teacher who helped him overcome his stutter; nevertheless, he still has some stammering to this day.
Jones enrolled in the University of Michigan after graduating from high school, intending to major in pre-medicine.
Despite this, he enlisted in the Reserve Officer Training Corps because he was intrigued by the military’s organisation.
He then chose against pursuing a career in medicine and instead focused his time and energy on performing, eventually enrolling in the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.
One of the reasons he became interested in theatre was simple: he needed to keep himself engaged with something entertaining before being recruited into service during the Korean War, as he didn’t know if he would survive the conflict.
Following the Korean War, James Earl Jones joined the US Army and rose through the ranks to the rank of second lieutenant. Prior to that, he had worked as a stagehand for a short time.
On his educational path, he visited the Ranger School and the Cold Weather Training Command in Colorado. He was eventually discharged from the military at the rank of first lieutenant after years of service.
Career
In the year 1955, “hi” was a popular greeting. As a direct result of this incident, Jones went on to have a highly successful career as a Shakespearean actor in the 1960s, which marked the start of a lifelong association with Shakespeare performances.
Jones got his start as an actor in the 1960s, with roles in films including “Dr. Strangelove” and “The Comedians.” Following that, he became well-known for his role in “The Great White Hope,” which he played both on stage and in the film adaptation.
Jones volunteered to lend his voice for Darth Vader in the 1977 film “Star Wars: A New Hope” after acquiring more experience in the theatre and performing in films such as “The Man” and “Claudine.” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” his next two films, both featured him in the same role.
Jones went on to star in a succession of critically praised films in the 1980s, including “Conan the Barbarian,” “Coming to America,” and “Field of Dreams,” after obtaining more theatre experience. Throughout the 1990s, he appeared in a number of critically praised films, including “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger,” and many others of other films.
He also found popularity as a voice actor around this time, and was offered the role of Mufasa, the lion king’s father, in “The Lion King.” He also had leading parts in a variety of television shows during this time period, including “Gabriel’s Fire,” “Roots: The Next Generations,” and “Heat Wave.”
He has been in a variety of notable television shows over the course of his career, including “The Simpsons,” “Law & Order,” “Will & Grace,” “Two and a Half Men,” and “The Big Bang Theory.” Throughout the decade of the 2010s, Jones refocused his efforts on his theatre work.
Relationships
Julienne Marie, an actress, married James Earl Jones for the first time in 1968. Their relationship lasted a total of four years before ending in divorce. Jones married Cecilia Hart, a fellow actress, in the year 1982. Before Hart died of ovarian cancer in 2016, they were only able to conceive one child together.
Concerns
Jones said in 2016 that he had lived with type 2 diabetes for the most of his life.
Despite the fact that he had been guaranteed a portion of the film’s total revenue, he chose to accept the cash payment for his voice acting job instead.
He ended up recording his lines for a couple of hours at the studio and was paid $7,000 for his time there.
Because James was short on cash and needed money to buy food at the time, he believed this was a fantastic offer because it would save him money.
To put things in perspective, seven dollars in 1977 had nearly the same purchase power as twenty-seven thousand dollars now.
Jones’ decision to pay in cash, on the other hand, proved to be a highly ill-advised one.
The first Star Wars film was released in 1977 and grossed over $775 million in theatres. The Star Wars franchise has gone on to become one of the most popular film franchises of our generation, as everyone knows (not adjusting for inflation).
As a result, it is now the third-highest grossing picture of all time. What did all of this mean for James Earl Jones, you might wonder? In a nutshell, it indicates that he has suffered a major financial setback. The expression “tens of millions” is applicable here.
Sir Alec Guinness, on the other hand, decided to incorporate a percentage of the box office proceeds as part of his remuneration package (despite his own reservations about the film’s prospects).
Until now, his estate and heirs have earned dividends totaling more than $95 million as a result of this decision. You may now understand what Jones was missing out on as a result of this.
Estimated Net Worth
In the United States, James Earl Jones is a well-known actor with a net worth of $40 million.