Biography for Bruce Lee

Date of Birth

27 November 1940, San Francisco, California, USA

Date of Death 20 July 1973, Hong Kong (cerebral edema)

Birth Name-Lee Jun Fan -Height 5' 7½" (1.71 m)

Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema, and a key figure of modern popular culture. Had it not been for the amazing Bruce Lee and his incredible movies in the early 1970s, it's arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream western cinema & audiences the way it has over the past four decades.

The influence of Asian martial arts cinema can be seen today in so many other film genres including comedies, action, drama, science fiction, horror and animation.....and they all have their roots in the phenomenon that was Bruce Lee.

Lee was born "Lee Jun Fan" 27 November 1940 in San Francisco, the son of Lee Hoi Chuen, a singer with the Cantonese Opera. Approximately, one year later the family returned to Kowloon in Hong Kong and at the age of 5, a young Bruce begins appearing in children's roles in minor films including The Birth of Mankind (1946) and Fu gui fu yun (1948). At the age of 12, Bruce commenced attending La Salle College, and was later beaten up by a street gang, which inspired him to take up martial arts training under the tutelage of "Sifu Yip Man" who schooled Bruce in wing chun kung fu for a period of approximately five years. This was the only formalized martial arts training ever undertaken by Lee. The talented & athletic Bruce also took up cha-cha dancing, and at the age of 18 won a major dance championship in Hong Kong.

However, his temper and quick fists got him in trouble the HK police on numerous occasions, and his parents suggested that he head off to the United States. Lee landed in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1959 and worked in a relative's restaurant, however he eventually made his way to Seattle, Washington where he enrolled at university to study philosophy, and found the time to practice his beloved kung fu techniques. In 1963, Lee met Linda Emery (later his wife) and also opened his first kung fu school at 4750 University Way. During the early half of the 1960s, Lee became associated with many key martial arts figures in the USA including kenpo karate expert Ed Parker and tae kwon do master Jhoon Rhee. He made guest appearances at notable martial arts events including the Long Beach Nationals. Through one of these tournaments, Bruce met Hollywood hair stylist Jay Sebring who introduced him to TV producer William Dozier. Based on the runaway success of "Batman", Dozier was keen to bring the cartoon character of "The Green Hornet" to TV and was on the lookout for an Oriental actor to play the Green Hornet's sidekick, "Kato". Around this time, Bruce also opened a second kung fu school in Oakland, California and relocated to Oakland to be closer to Hollywood.

Bruce's screen test was successful, and "The Green Hornet" starring Van Williams aired in 1966 with mixed success. His fight scenes were sometimes obscured by unrevealing camera angles, but his dedication was such that he insisted his character behave like a perfect bodyguard, keeping his eyes on whoever might be a threat to his employer except when the script made this impossible. The show was surprisingly terminated after only one season (30 episodes), but by this time Lee was receiving more fan mail than the show's nominal star. He then opened a third branch of his kung fu school in Los Angeles, and began providing personalized martial arts training to celebrities including film stars Steve McQueen and James Coburn as well as screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. In addition, he refined his prior knowledge of wing chun and incorporated aspects of other fighting styles such as traditional boxing and Okinawan karate. He also developed his own unique style "Jeet Kune Do" (Way of the Intercepting Fist). Another film opportunity then came his way, as he landed the small role of a stand over man named "Winslow Wong" who intimidates private eye James Garner in Marlowe (1969). Wong pays a visit to Garner and proceeds to demolish the investigator's office with his fists and feet, finishing off with a spectacular high kick that shatters the light fixture. With this further exposure of his talents, Bruce then scored several guest appearances as a martial arts instructor to blind private eye James Franciscus on the TV series "Longstreet" (1971).

With his minor success in Hollywood and money in his pockets, Bruce returned for a visit to Hong Kong and was approached by film producer Raymond Chow who had recently started "Golden Harvest" productions. Chow was keen to utilize Lee's strong popularity amongst young Chinese fans, and offered him the lead role in _Tang sha da xiong (1971)_ ( aka "Fists of Fury", aka "The Big Boss"). The film was directed by Wei Lo, shot in Thailand, on a very low budget and in terrible living conditions for cast and crew. However when it opened in Hong Kong, the film was an enormous hit! Young Chinese flocked in their thousands to see this ground breaking film starring a tough, athletic Chinese hero who dispensed justice with his fists and feet. Chow knew he had struck box office gold with Lee, and quickly assembled another script entitled The Chinese Connection (1972) (aka "The Chinese Connection", aka "Fist of Fury"). The second film (with a slightly improved budget) was again directed by Wei Lo and was set in Shanghai in the year 1900, with Lee returning to his school to find that his beloved master has been poisoned by the local Japanese karate school. Once again, he uncovers the evil doers and sets about seeking revenge on those responsible for murdering his teacher. The film features several superb fight sequences, and at the film's conclusion, Lee refuses to surrender to the Japanese law and seemingly leaps to his death in a hail of police bullets!

Once more, Hong Kong streets were jammed back with thousands of fervent Chinese movie fans who could not get enough of the fearless Bruce Lee, and his second film went on to break the box office records set by the first! Lee then set up his own production company, Concord Productions, and set about guiding his film career personally by writing, directing and acting in his next film, _Meng long guojiang (1972)_ (aka "Way of the Dragon", aka "Return of The Dragon"). A bigger budget, meant better locations and opponents, with the new film set in Rome, Italy and additionally starring hapkido expert Ing-Sik Whang, karate legend Robert Wall and seven times US karate champion Chuck Norris. Bruce plays a seemingly simple country boy sent to assist at a cousin's restaurant in Rome, and finds his cousins are being bullied by local thugs for protection.

By now, Lee's remarkable success in the Orient had come to the attention of Hollywood film executives and a script was hastily written pitching him as a secret agent penetrating an island fortress. Warner Bros. financed the film, and also insisted on B-movie tough guy John Saxon co-starring alongside Lee to give the film more Western appeal. The film culminates with another show stopping fight sequence between Lee and the key villain, Han, in a maze of mirrors. Shooting was completed in and around Hong Kong in early 1973 and in the subsequent weeks, Bruce was involved in completing over dubs and looping for the final cut. Various reports from friends and co-workers cite how he was not feeling well during this period, and on July 20th 1973 he lay down at the apartment of actress Betty Ting Pei after taking a headache tablet, and was later unable to be revived. A doctor was called, and Lee was taken to hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead that evening. The official finding was death due to a cerebral edema, caused by a reaction to the headache tablet. In other words, death by misadventure.

Chinese movie fans were absolutely shattered that their virile idol, had passed away at such a young age, and nearly 30,000 fans filed past his coffin in Hong Kong. A second, much smaller ceremony was held in Seattle, Washington and Bruce was laid to rest at Lake View Cemetary in Seattle with pall bearers including Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Dan Inosanto. Enter the Dragon (1973) was later released in the mainland United States, and was a huge hit with American audiences, which then prompted National General films to actively distribute his three prior movies to US theaters...each of them was a box office smash. Bruce Lee was an international film star after he had died!

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Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy was born in Brooklyn New York, in 1961, the youngest son of Lillian Murphy, a widow who married Vernon Lynch, the step-father of Eddie, his brother Charles Q. Murphy, and Vernon Jr. Eddie himself had aspirations of being in show business since he was a child. A bright kid growing up in the streets of New York, Murphy spent a great deal of time on impressions and comedy stand-up routines rather than academics. His sense of humor and wit made him a stand out amongst his classmates at Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School. By the time he was 15, Murphy worked as a stand-up comic on the lower part of New York, wooing audiences with his dead-on impressions of celebrities and outlooks on life.

In the early 1980s, at the age of 19, Murphy was offered a contract for the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players of "Saturday Night Live" (1975), where Murphy exercised his comedic abilities in impersonating African American figures and originating some of the shows most memorable characters: Velvet Jones, Mr. Robinson, and a disgruntled and angry Gumby.

Murphy made his feature film debut in 48 Hrs. (1982), alongside Nick Nolte. The two's comedic and antagonistic chemistry, alongside Murphy's believable performance as a streetwise convict aiding a bitter, aging cop, won over critics and audiences. The next year, Murphy went two for two, with another hit, pairing him with John Landis, who later became a frequent collaborator with Murphy in Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994). Beverly Hills Cop (1984) was the film that made Murphy a box-office superstar and most notably made him a celebrity worldwide, and it remains one of the all-time biggest domestic blockbusters in motion-picture history. Murphy's performance as a young Detroit cop in pursuit of his friend's murderers earned him a third consecutive Golden Globe nomination. Axel Foley became one of Murphy's signature characters. On top of his game, Murphy was unfazed by his success, that is until his box office appeal and choices in scripts resulted into a spotty mix of hits and misses into the late 1980s and early 1990s. Films like The Golden Child (1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) were critically panned but were still massive draws at the box office.

In 1989, Murphy, coming off another hit, Coming to America (1988), found failure with his directorial debut, Harlem Nights (1989). Another 48 Hrs. (1990) and his turn as a hopeless romantic in Boomerang (1992) did little to resuscitate his career. However, his remake of Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor (1996) brought Murphy's drawing power back into fruition. From there, Murphy rebounded with occasional hits and misses but has long proven himself as a skilled comedic actor with applaudable range pertaining to characterizations and mannerisms.

Though he has grown up a lot since his fast-lane rise as a superstar in the 1980s, Murphy has lived the Hollywood lifestyle with controversy, criticism, scandal, and the admiration of millions worldwide for his talents. As Murphy had matured throughout the years, learning many lessons about the Hollywood game in the process, he settled down with more family-oriented humor with Doctor Dolittle (1998), Mulan (1998), Bowfinger (1999), and the animated smash Shrek (2001), in a supporting role that showcased Murphy's comedic personality and charm. In spite of being vocal in interviews about his career, Eddie Murphy continues to live a happy life with his wife and kids and has said that if his career would to end tomorrow he would be content just being with his family.

Spouse

Nicole Mitchell Murphy

(18 March 1993 - 17 April 2006) (divorced) 5 children

Trade Mark

His laugh

Often plays multiple characters in one movie

His moustache

Trivia

Was cast by "Saturday Night Live" (1975) and NBC in 1980 when he was 19 years old.

Ranked #78 in Empire (UK) magazine's Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list (October 1997).

Born at 1:30pm-EST.

In a TV commercial never shown in the USA, Eddie Murphy kissed the front bumper of a Toyota sedan.

Has eight children: His first and oldest child was by 'Paulette McNeely': son Eric Murphy (born on 10 July 1989). He also has a child by 'Tamara Hood': son Christian Murphy (born on 29 November 1990) Murphy also fathered five children with Nicole Mitchell Murphy: daughter Bria L. Murphy (born on 18 November 1989 in Sacramento); son Miles Mitchell (born on 7 November 1992); daughter Shayne Audra (born on 10 Ocotber 1994); daughter Zola Ivy (born on 24 December 1999 in Los Angeles); and daughter Bella Zahra (born on 29 January 2002); and, One child with ex-girlfriend Melanie Brown a daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown (born on 3 April 2007).

Attended Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York, before beginning his acting career.

Did stand-up comedy at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as Robin Williams and Caryn Johnson (whose stage name eventually became Whoopi Goldberg) before getting into acting.

Was voted Most Popular while attending Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School in Roosevelt, New York, due to the stand-up comedy routines he would perform in the school's auditorium and jokes he would tell classmates during lunch.

Older brother Charles Q. Murphy is also an actor. Younger brother Vernon Jr. was half of the hip-hop group K-9 Posse, which released two albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Turned down the role of Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters (1984).

Idolized Richard Pryor and was inspired by him to do comedy. Went on to cast Pryor in his directorial debut Harlem Nights (1989).

At the height of his popularity in the mid 1980s, he began a music career, spawning the popular song "Party all the Time," which he recorded with Rick James. Also recorded an album in the early 90s, entitled "Whazzupwitu," in which he performs in a video of the single of the same name, alongside Michael Jackson. Murphy appeared in Jackson's "Remember the Time" video in 1992 alongside fellow celebrities Magic Johnson and Iman.

Close friends with former late night talk show host Arsenio Hall

Paid for the funeral of comedic inspiration Redd Foxx.

Was criticized tremendously by Spike Lee for not using his show business stature to help black actors break into film.

Named one of E!'s Top 20 Entertainers of 2001.

His wife Nicole Mitchell Murphy gave birth to their daughter Bella Zahra(30 January 2002).

Is the only cast member of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) to host while still a cast member. Nick Nolte was to host but fell ill and Eddie replaced him.

Was in a relationship with singer Whitney Houston before she married former husband, Bobby Brown.

Former wife, Nicole Mitchell Murphy, is an Associate with Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.

In 1997, he and his late-night encounter with Shalimar Seiuli was ranked #61 on E! TV's The Greatest Shocking Moments In Entertainment History.

His brother Charles Q. Murphy is a regular performer on the hit sketch comedy show "Chappelle's Show" (2003) on Comedy Central.

Has a house in Englewood, New Jersey.

Scored two hits on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts with "Party All the Time" (US #2, 1985) and "Put Your Mouth on Me" (US #27, 1989).

Although arguably the biggest movie star ever to come out of "Saturday Night Live" (1975), he has never attended a cast reunion and is not known to even talk about having been on the show.

Chosen as #10 in Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comics of All Time.

Stepson of Vernon Lynch.

Hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 1993

At one time, was considered to play The Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).

Met Nicole Mitchell Murphy in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for a year and a half before they married. They were married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City.

Was one of the last movie actors to sign an exclusive contract with a studio. In this case, it was Paramount Pictures, which released all of his early films.

Chris Rock is an admirer of Murphy and considers him his role model and inspiration to become an actor and comedian.

His favorite TV show is "Star Trek" (1966).

Nephew of Uncle Ray Murphy.

The first actor to receive $1,000,000 for his first film.

Huge fan of Elvis Presley.

Is mentioned, along with Vanessa Redgrave, and Joe Piscopo in the song "Jammin' Me", by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

He and his ex-wife, Nicole Mitchell Murphy, celebrated their first wedding anniversary in Montego Bay, Jamaica where they stayed for one week.

Ex-girlfriend Melanie Brown gave birth to a daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on 3 April 2007.

One of 115 people invited to join AMPAS in 2007.

A huge fan of the bands "Ratt" and "Cinderella", particularly the former as can be seen in The Golden Child (1986) where their song "Body Talk" (from their 1986 album "Dancing Undercover") is featured.

Got the idea of playing multiple roles in one film after watching another one of his idols, Peter Sellers, in one of his all time favorite films Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).

Married Tracey E. Edmonds in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora on 1 January 2008, but their nuptials were not legal in the U.S. They initially decided to renew their vows in America, but eventually separated 2 weeks after their island wedding.

After picking up a pre-op transsexual prostitute on Santa Monica Boulveard in West Hollywood, he was arrested by LAPD deputies, but finally released (2 May 1997).

Was heavily influenced by Bill Cosby.

Born to Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer, and his wife Lilian, a telephone operator, his father left the family when Eddy was three years old and was stabbed five years later.

He is an avid fan of professional wrestling, with Hulk Hogan as his all time favorite wrestler.

Supports Senator Barack Obama's bid to win the Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election.

Was considered for the move Star Trek: The Voyage Home (1986) as a UFO-file who gets involved with Captain Kirk's search for a hump back whale.

Set a new Razzie Award record for most nominations by one person in a single year, with five nominations total. All of which were for the movie Norbit (2007). Murphy was nominated for Worst Actor (as the character Norbit), Worst Supporting Actor (as the character Mr. Wong), Worst Supporting Actress (as the character Rasputia), Worst Screen Couple (Eddie Murphy as Norbit and either Eddie Murphy as Mr. Wong or Eddie Murphy as Rasputia) and Worst Screenplay. He went on to "win" all three of the acting nominations, becoming the first person to ever "win" in both male and female acting categories in one year.

Although he frequently plays multiple characters in films and television, and has lent his voice to a dozen animated projects, he has never once voiced more then one character in the same animated project.

Was considered for the role of Furious Styles in Boyz n the Hood (1991).

Is a huge fan of Kylie Minogue.

At first denied that he was the father of Melanie Brown's daughter Angel until a DNA-test proved that he was.

Does an excellent impersonation of Stevie Wonder. This can be seen and heard on Saturday Night Live; Best of Eddie Murphy (last scene).

He doesn't drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and the only drug he takes is caffeine.

Sold his Granite Bay vacation home, near Sacramento, for $6.1 million shortly after divorcing ex-wife, Nicole. [2008]

Vacations in Hawaii nearly every year, almost always staying at Maui's Four Seasons Hotel.

Was considered for the title role in Candyman (1992).

The first (and so far only) actor to receive a BAFTA nomination for a voiceover performance - Best Supporting Actor for Shrek (2001).

Was only 19 years old when He joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" (1975).

Personal Quotes

[in 1985] I'd like to produce, direct, write, score, and star in a film in exactly the way [Charles Chaplin] did. I'll do that before I'm thirty.

Every bad decision I've made has been based on money. I grew up in the projects and you don't turn down money there. You take it, because you never know when it's all going to end. I made ['Beverly Hills Cop III (2002)_ (v)] because they offered me $15 million. That $15 million was worth having Roger Ebert's thumb up my ass.

I started out as an impressionist and that's all about observing - how people move, their voice quality, their attitudes and quirks.

[on why he accepted a part in Best Defense (1984)] The door opened and four guys came in carrying a check.

That's my idol, Elvis Presley. If you went to my house, you'd see pictures all over of Elvis. He's just the greatest entertainer that ever lived. And I think it's because he had such presence. When Elvis walked into a room, Elvis Presley was in the fucking room. I don't give a fuck who was in the room with him---[Humphrey Bogart], Marilyn Monroe.

If you're involved in with something that's original, you know, you'll always go back and try to rehash it.

The advice I would give to someone is to not take anyone's advice.

I keep telling people I'll make movies until I'm fifty and then I'll go and do something else. I'm going to be a professional gentleman of leisure.

The only reason I did Showtime (2002) was Robert De Niro. I definitely consider him to be in the top 5 all time best actors.

[on rumours he will play The Riddler in the next Batman movie] I would love to be in one of those Batman movies. Jim Carrey did The Riddler once and he did a wonderful job. Egghead, I could be Egghead.

[on Dan Aykroyd] Robotic the way he handles people: "Ah, yes, good to meet you." Very straightforward, very clean-cut, very polite, real nice guy.

[on Richard Pryor, Charles Chaplin, Bill Cosby and George Carlin being his greatest influences] I feel like those are the most brilliant comic minds ever. You can draw a line from them to anyone who's trying to do comedy - or just be funny - today, including me.

I know what I'm capable of doing and what I'm capable of not doing. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little afraid of doing a straight dramatic film. I'm not saying I couldn't do it. I'm saying I'm afraid to. Everyone is afraid of failure.

With the success that I've had and the money that I make, if I and a white man went out to get a cab together, the cab wouldn't stop for me. It would stop for the white man.

Salary

Tower Heist (2011)	$7,500,000
Shrek Forever After (2010)	$4,000,000 (Back end bonus)
Shrek 2 (2004)	$10,000,000
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)	$20,000,000
Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)	$20,000,000
Shrek (2001)	$3,000,000
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)	$20,000,000 (and 20% of the gross)
Doctor Dolittle (1998)	$17,500,000
The Nutty Professor (1996)	$16,000,000
Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)	$15,000,000
Coming to America (1988)	$8,000,000
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)	$8,000,000
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)	$14,000,000
Best Defense (1984)	$1,000,000

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Matangazo ya makampuni mbalimbali

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Late Eazy-E

Born: 7-Sep-1963
Birthplace: Compton, CA
Died: 26-Mar-1995
Location of death: Los Angeles, CAEazy-E" align="right" hspace="10" vspace="10">
Cause of death: AIDS
Remains: Buried, Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, CA

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Rapper

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: N.W.A. member died of AIDS

Eazy-E (a.k.a. Eric Wright) was born in South Central Los Angeles, in the Compton district. He was one of the founding members of the rap group N.W.A., as well as a record producer. He is also the founder of the Ruthless Records company, in which he also produced other rap artists like The D.O.C., and the rap group Above The Law. He debuted with "Boyz-N-The-Hood" which was a revolution song in rap history. During his reign as the lead member of N.W.A., he might have been known to embezzle funds, in which two members (Ice Cube and Dr. Dre) left the group over financial reasons. He fathered seven children, but lived a promiscuous life that resulted in contracting AIDS, which led to his demise in March 1995.

Always wore dark sunglasses

His voice

Wore a black Compton hat

Has a day each year in his name in Compton, Eazy-E day, by order of the mayor.

Has nine children by seven different women.

Played drums and piano competently (though not expertly).

His most famous song "Boyz in the Hood" was never meant to be sung by him. It was intended for an east side group called "HBO" to sing.

He was the unofficial front man of N.W.A., although he had relatively little contribution to the music (all of it being crafted by DJ Yella & Dr. Dre) and even his own lyrics (most of which were written for him by Ice Cube).

N.W.A. was voted the 33rd Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone.

Was a member of the Kelly Park Compton Crips.

Married the mother of his last two children one week before his death.

Fellow NWA rapper DJ Yella wrote a solo single called "One More Nigga To Go" in dedication to him, and to help raise money for college for his nine kids. Yella reportedly also was the only member of NWA to stay friends with him all the way from beginning to end.

Had his own record label, Ruthless Records.

Paid $2,490 for a plate at the 1991 Republican Senators Inner Circle luncheon.

"I'm not a registered Republican. I'm not even registered to vote. I was just curious, so I went to check it out after they sent me an invitation to the lunch. Some of my friends are saying to me

, 'Oh, so you're a Republican now?' But how could I be a Republican when I have a song called 'Fuck Tha Police'? I was surprised when I got the invitation. I guess they sent it to me because I contributed to the City of Hope [medical center]. But at the luncheon -- I wore a black leather suit -- everybody looked at me funny, like, 'What's he doing here?'"

Father: Richard Wright (postal worker)
Mother: Kathie Lolis (school administrator)
Brother: Kenneth
Wife: Tomika Wood (m. 14-Mar-1995)
Girlfriend: Shannon Jones
Girlfriend: Tracy Jernagin
Son: Eric, Jr.
Son: Dominick
Daughter: Erin

N.W.A.
Crips Kelly Park Compton Crips
Risk Factors: AIDS,

FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
CB4 (12-Mar-1993) · Himself

M.C. Ren

Date of Birth

14 June 1969, Compton, California, USA

Birth Name

Lorenzo Patterson

Nickname

Ruthless Villain

Trade Mark

Always wears a hat, usually a Compton-hat

Trivia

Former member of pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A.; now a solo artist.

Former member of Kelly Park Compton Crips.

Grew up in East Compton.

NWA members from left is Ice Cube,DR. Dre, Eassy E, DJ Yella and Mc Ren.



Samuel L. Jackson




Moja ya sehemu aliyocheza kwenye Movie ya Coming to America.

James Earl Jones

Date of Birth

17 January 1931, Arkabutla, Mississippi, USA

Nickname

Todd (childhood)

Height

6' 1½" (1.87 m)

Mini Biography

James Earl Jones was born in 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi, USA. At an early age he started to take dramatic lessons to calm himself down. It appeared to work as he has since starred in many films over a 40-year period, beginning with the Stanley Kubrick classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Probably best known for his role as Darth Vader (for the voice only, as the man in the Darth Vader suit was David Prowse, whose voice was dubbed because of his British West Country accent). Has appeared on "The Simpsons" (1989) a couple of times and played Mufasa in The Lion King (1994). James Earl Jones returned as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).

Spouse

Cecilia Hart	(15 March 1982 - present) 1 child
Julienne Marie	(1968 - 1972) (divorced)

Trade Mark

Famous for his deep authoritative voice, used most famously for impressive roles as leaders like Darth Vader in the Star Wars films and Mufasa in The Lion King (1994)

Unmistakeable contagious laugh

Trivia

Took acting lessons to control his stutter.

He won a Tony in 1969 for "The Great White Hope".

Born at 6:05am.

Son, with Cecilia Hart: Flynn Earl Jones.

Had stuttering problem as a child and said very little as a child; still struggles with the problem and says he has to think about what he says carefully before saying it (impressive, since he is known widely for his voice).

Provided the thunderous voice (uncredited) of the villain, Darth Vader, in the 'Star Wars' film trilogy.

Son of prizefighter-turned-actor Robert Earl Jones, from whom he was (allegedly) estranged long into adulthood. Yet they starred together in a well-received stage revival of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice And Men," as Lennie Small and Crooks, respectively (Kevin Conway also starred in the play, as George Milton).

He's the commanding voice that says "This is CNN".

Graduated from The University of Michigan.

His first time acting was at the Ramsdell Theater in Manistee, Michigan.

Graduated from Kaleva-Norman-Dickson High School in Brethren.

Grew up in the small town of Dublin, Michigan.

Callers using Bell Atlantic pay phones often hear Jones's voice assuring them "Welcome to Bell Atlantic", just before a female voice asks for a calling card number.

Was once an Army officer after college.

His "death" was announced during a live broadcast of an NBA playoff game in April of 1998. The deceased was actually James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King.

He received the John F. Kennedy Centre Honour in December 2002.

Narrated the documentary Black Indians: An American Story (2001) , which explores issues of racial identity between the mixed-descent peoples of both Native American and African American heritage. Jones himself is a Black Indian.

Announced the forty-fifth greatest movie villain of all time by Maxim Magazine's "Fifty Greatest Movie Villains of all Time" list for his character of Darth Vader in Star Wars (1977).

Co-starred with Madge Sinclair five times.

Has won two Tony Awards: in 1969, as Best Actor (Dramatic), for "The Great White Hope", a role he recreated in an Oscar-nominated performance in the film version of the same title, The Great White Hope (1970) and in 1987, as Best Actor (Play), for August Wilson's "Fences".

In the original Star Wars trilogy, he and Billy Dee Williams were the only black actors to play major roles. One of Billy Dee Williams's other roles was the title role in Scott Joplin (1977) (TV). Scott Joplin's ragtime music was used as the score for The Sting (1973), which features James's father, Robert Earl Jones.

Known for his humility, he declined to have his name appear on the credits of both Star Wars (1977) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), claiming that he felt his contribution wasn't significant enough to warrant a credit. He did agree to have his name appear of the credits of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).

Appears in Robots (2005) with Stanley Tucci. In a television biopic of Peter Sellers, Stanley Tucci played Stanley Kubrick, who directed Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), which was also Jones's first film.

He was the first established celebrity to appear on the series "Sesame Street" (1969).

On October 8, 2002 appeared along with Theo Lion from PBS's "Between the Lions" (1999) before the House Education Reform Subcommittee to explain the importance of supporting literacy programs.

Is of African-American, American Indian and Irish ancestry. His paternal great-great-grandmother, Parthenia Connolly, was a native of Ireland who worked as an indentured servant. She married a former slave named Brice. Because Brice had no surname of his own, he took his wife's name Connolly. His maternal grandmother, Maggie Anderson, was part Choctaw Indian. He also has Cherokee ancestry.

His parents, Ruth Connolly and Robert Earl Jones, separated just before he was born. He was raised by his maternal grandparents.

To help get over his stuttering, he would write poetry, and his schoolteachers would let him read it in front of the class.

On June 15th 2005, he was forced to leave the Broadway revival of On Golden Pond (1981) due to a bout of pneumonia.

While in college, was a member of the Pershing Rifles, Co. M-3, a collegiate fraternal organizations for members of the school's ROTC program. Other members of this organization include Colin Powell and G. Gordon Liddy.

Has appeared in two films with Madge Sinclair where they play the main character's parents. In Coming to America (1988), they play the mother and father of Eddie Murphy's character, Hakeem. In The Lion King (1994), they play the mother and father of Simba. In Coming to America (1988), he appears with Samuel L. Jackson, who also appears with him in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), in which James Earl Jones voices Darth Vader, the father of original trilogy hero Luke Skywalker. In The Lion King (1994), Jones' character is named Mufasa. In Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), Darth Vader is severely injured on the planet Mustafar, which necessitates the synthesized voice Jones provides.

He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1992 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.

His vocal performance of Darth Vader is ranked #84 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

His father-in-law's favorite movie is Gunga Din (1939).

Is a member of the National Rifle Assocation of America (NRA).

Brother: Matthew Earl Jones.

According to Jones, when George Lucas was trying to cast the voice of Darth Vader, his immediate idea was to cast Orson Welles. However, he felt that Welles was too well-known for the role. So instead he looked for an actor with a deep voice, "like Orson Welles", which is how he got the role.

A Norwegian rock band has named themselves after him: James Earl Jones Barbershop Explosion!.

Is a US Army veteran and former member of the 75th Rangers Regiment.

He used to use "Darth Vader" as his handle on his CB radio but stopped when it was freaking people out.

First African American actor to play the "President of the United States" on film in The Man (1972) (TV).

Personal Quotes

[from "James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences" page 360]: My voice is for hire. My endorsement is not for hire. I will do a voice-over, but I cannot endorse without making a different kind of commitment. My politics are very personal and subjective.

If you take a villain like Thulsa Doom or Darth Vader and have fun with it, that destroys the credibility of the character.

When I read that part in the script where it said, "Luke, I am your father", I thought, "He's lying. I have to see how they carry this lie out".

[on the Iraq war]: All people have to be prepared. If we are going to be the police, we also have to be the guardians. We can no longer play games. I was not against the war in Bosnia. I was against it taking so long. I was not against the war in Somalia. Again, it took too long, and we didn't finish the job. We should've stayed and finished the job. About this pending war, I just think we should've finished that war the first time.

[on the terrible stutter he suffered from as a young man]: One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.

The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose.

"I have to look for film or TV work. If the great roles aren't around -- and they usually aren't -- then I try to pick projects which will at least take me to interesting locations. To the best of my abilities, I give them Academy Award caliber performances. I can't put down any jobs that help me pay my bills. The problem is most of the movies and TV shows I've been in haven't given me much to do or say."

Salary

Coming to America (1988)	$900,000
Star Wars (1977)	$9,000

Where Are They Now

(October 2003) Lives in Millbrook, New York.

(September 2006) Lives in Pawling, New York.

(December 2009) In London, UK playing "Big Daddy" in 'Tennessee Williams (I)'' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at the Novello Theatre.

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