How Did Paul Robeson Influence James Earl Jones

872 Words4 Pages

Paul Robeson and James Earl Jones
If there were ever a time to mention two profound actors that have made history it would have to these great men. Paul Robeson and James Earl Jones have been successful in their careers of acting and through their trying times as African American men they both over came many adversities. First I would like to point out why Paul Robeson began acting and talk about a few of his many works as an African American Actor.
When it comes to his acting carrier, Robeson had experience on the stage and in front of the big screen. What influenced him to act, which was different than many other performers of his time, was his belief that the famous have a responsibility to fight for justice and peace. Paul Robeson was …show more content…

There's no entitlement...The arts have always been an important ingredient to the health of a nation, but we haven’t gotten there yet. Actors have to accept that. So the idea of not getting work, that's part of the territory (James Earl Jones).
James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, Mississippi. While in grade school Jones had a very bad studering issue but this all changed after he was asked to prove that he wrote by reciting it allowed in-front of class “And I did it without stuttering. So he [the teacher] used that as a program to get me to talk(Jones).". This began his desire to speak in front of others. Years later after graduating from Michigan with a bachelor’s in drama (1953) and serving in the military for a few years Jones made his Broadway debut in the late 1950s in the play Sunrise at Campobello(Notablebiographes). For several years, he took on a variety of roles for stage, television and film. In 1959 Jones began a long stretch with the New York Shakespeare Festival, carrying a spear in Henry V. Before long he was given bigger roles, and in 1963 he played the lead in Othello, one of thirteen plays he appeared in that year. Othello ran for a year with Jones in the lead. He also found time to make one film appearance, in director Kubrick's (1928–1999) Dr. Strangelove. In the mid-1960s Jones became the first African American man to take a continuing role on a daytime soap opera when he played a doctor on As The World