When you’ve been Darth Vader and arguably the best father Disney has ever created in an animated film, your ticket to cultural immortality has been punched. However, James Earl Jones is also a legend of the stage as well as screen, and now he’s got a theater named in his honor, too.
An article in Variety reveals the Cort Theatre on Broadway in New York City has now been renamed in honor of the 91-year-old entertainer. Jones, who was mute for much of his early years and had to overcome a stutter, got his start at the spot in 1958. His first line was “Mrs. Roosevelt, supper is served,” and Jones is just the second African American (alongside August Wilson) to have his name on a theatre in the iconic performance district which has captured the hearts and minds of legions of people.
At a ceremony to mark the honor, Jones says in a taped message he was a rookie at the time, and began with a humbled presence before his rise. Essentially, at first, he was working with nothing and had to keep persevering until he attained all he has now.
“I spoke my first line ever on Broadway in this theater. I was a kid.”
Others at the ceremony included Samuel L. Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen, and Mayor Eric Adams. For Jackson, Jones is someone who set the standards for others, and, during his early days in entertainment, he was who everyone aspired to be in work.
“If you were an actor or aspired to be an actor, if you pounded the payment in these streets looks for jobs, one of the standards we always had was to be a James Earl Jones.”
Jones continues to work, and recently has appeared in Coming 2 America and The Lion King in 2019. He will not be reprising his role of Mufasa in the prequel film recently announced to be looking at the character and Scar during their younger experiences, which fans will struggle to come to terms with.