This article is a List of awards and nominations received by James Earl Jones.
James Earl Jones was an American actor known for his roles on stage and screen. Jones was known as one of the few entertainers to have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). Jones received four Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award and three Tony Awards. While Jones never won a competitive Oscar, he was presented with the Honorary Academy Award in 2011 by Ben Kingsley.
Jones received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for The Great White Hope (1970). He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Claudine (1974), the Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Cry, the Beloved Country (1995) and the Independent Spirit Award for Matewan (1987). He gained worldwide recognition for voicing Darth Vader in the George Lucas space opera Star Wars films (1977–present) and for Mufasa in the Walt Disney animated film The Lion King (1994). He also acted in films such as Dr. Strangelove (1964), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Sandlot (1990), Patriot Games (1992), and Sneakers (1992).
For his work in the theatre, he received four competitive Tony Award nominations for Best Actor in a Play winning twice for his originating the roles of boxer Jack Jefferson in Howard Sackler's The Great White Hope in 1969 and as a working class father Troy Maxson in August Wilson's Fences in 1987. He was Tony-nominated for playing part of an aging couple in a revival of the Ernest Thompson play On Golden Pond (2005), and an Ex-President in the Gore Vidal revival The Best Man (2012). In 2017 he received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre at the 71st Tony Awards. He also won six Drama Desk Awards, three Outer Critics Circle Awards, and a Theater World Award.
For his work in television he received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning twice for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Heat Wave and for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Gabriel's Fire both in 1991. He was Emmy-nominated for his roles in East Side West Side (1963), By Dawn's Early Light (1990), Picket Fences (1994), Under One Roof (1995), Frasier (1997), and Everwood (2004). He also has been nominated for three Grammy Awards winning in 1977 for Best Spoken Word Album for Great American Documents.
Over his career he received several honorary awards including the National Medal of the Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009, and the Academy Honorary Awards in 2011.
Major awards Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1970 Best Actor The Great White Hope 2011 Honorary Award
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Primetime Emmy Awards 1963 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series East Side/West Side 1990Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries By Dawn's Early Light 1991 Heat Wave Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Gabriel's Fire 1994 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Picket Fences 1995 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Under One Roof 1997 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Frasier 2004 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Everwood Daytime Emmy Awards1988 Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming CBS Schoolbreak Special 2000 Outstanding Performer in Children's Special Summer's End New York Emmy Awards 1963 Individuals Stage Two
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1970 Most Promising Newcomer - MaleThe Great White Hope Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama 1974 Best Actor in a Motion Picture– Musical or Comedy Claudine 1990Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama Gabriel's Fire 1991 Pros and Cons
Grammy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1970Best Spoken Word The Great White Hope 1977 Great American Documents 2001 Best Spoken Word for Children The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Screen Actors Guild Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1995 Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role Cry, the Beloved Country 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award
Tony Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1969Best Actor in a Play The Great White Hope 1987 Fences 2005 On Golden Pond 2012 The Best Man 2017 Special Tony Award
Other theatre awards Organizations Year Category Work Result Drama Desk Awards 1965 Vernon Rice Award Othello 1969Distinguished Performance The Great White Hope 1971 Les Blancs 1973 The Cherry Orchard Hamlet 1978 Outstanding Actor in a Play Paul Robeson 1987 Fences 2008 Special Award Outer Critics Circle Awards 1987 Outstanding Actor in a Play Fences 2005 On Golden Pond 2008 Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 2012 The Best Man Theatre World Awards 1962 Distinguished Performance Moon on a Rainbow Shawl
Miscellaneous accolades Organizations Year Category Work Result Black Reel Award 2000 Best Supporting Actor - Network or Cable Santa and Pete 2016 Best Actor - Limited Series or TV Movie Driving Miss Daisy 2020 Best Voice Performance The Lion King CableACE Awards 1987 Actor in a Comedy Series Faerie Tale Theatre 1991 Actor in a Dramatic Series American Playwrights Theater Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Heat Wave Critics' Choice Television Awards 2014 Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series The Big Bang Theory Independent Spirit Award 1987 Best Supporting Actor Matewan Kansas City Film Critics Circle 1995 Best Actor Cry My Beloved Country NAACP Image Award 1975 Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Claudine 1989 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Field of Dreams 1993 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Gabriel's Fire 1996 Outstanding Performance in a Children's Special Happily Ever After Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture Cry My Beloved Country 1998 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Frasier 2020 Outstanding Character Voice Performance The Lion King
Honorary awards Organizations Year Notes Result National Medal of Arts 1992 Medal National Board of Review 1995 Career Achievement Award Kennedy Center Honors 2002 Medal Screen Actors Guild Awards 2009 Life Achievement Award Chicago Film Critics Association 2011 Oscar Micheaux Award Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Academy Honorary Award
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