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Showing posts with label James Earl Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Earl Jones. Show all posts

Monday, November 07, 2011

Jones, Smith and Winfrey Will Receive Governors Awards This Saturday


James Earl Jones, Dick Smith and Oprah Winfrey will receive the Academy’s Governors Awards Saturday, 12 November. An honorary film series starts Wednesday, 9 November.

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present Honorary Awards to actor James Earl Jones, makeup artist Dick Smith, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to philanthropist Oprah Winfrey.  All three awards will be presented at the Academy’s 3rd Annual Governors Awards dinner on Saturday, November 12, at the Grand Ballroom at the Hollywood and Highland Center.

To honor the recipients, the Academy is holding a special screening series, beginning this Wednesday, November 9, until Friday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m., at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. Films include The Color Purple (Winfrey), The Great White Hope (Jones) and The Exorcist (Smith). 
James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope (1970)
Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, Jones made his film debut in 1964 in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.  In 1970, he earned an Academy Award nomination for his role as boxer Jack Jefferson in The Great White Hope.

Jones has appeared in more than 50 feature films including Claudine, Conan the Barbarian, Field of Dreams, Coming to America and, as Vice Admiral James Greer, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.  Additionally, Jones has also voiced some of the most iconic characters in motion pictures including Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy and Mufasa in The Lion King.

Known as the "godfather of makeup," Smith began his career in 1945 as NBC’s first makeup man. In 1984, he won an Oscar® for his work in Amadeus, and received a nomination for Dad (1989). He is known for his makeup artistry on such films as The Godfather, The Exorcist and Taxi Driver.

Since receiving her Oscar nomination for her debut film performance in The Color Purple, actress, television host and producer Winfrey has gone on to establish herself as one of the most influential figures in entertainment and philanthropy. She has been especially dedicated to supporting educational initiatives and raising awareness of issues that affect women and children, both in the United States and around the globe.

Her philanthropic efforts have included Oprah’s Angel Network, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which opened in South Africa in 2007.

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual for "extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy."

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.

The Governors Awards presentation will be produced for the Academy by writer-director Phil Robinson with Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare of Don Mischer Productions.

To see much more, including the full list of films in the screening series, click the title of this post.
BOOK NOOK
Professor Román Gubern, PhD, cinema historian and critic has finally agreed to have one of his books translated into English, and it will be available this January: Luis Buñuel: The Red Years, 1929-1939 (Wisconsin Film Studies) [Paperback] Roman Gubern (Author) with Paul Hammond, $28.49. ENGLISH. Pre-order now. Lowest price guaranteed when shipped! 
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Friday, October 03, 2008

SAG Honors James Earl Jones with Achievement Award

Actor James Earl Jones will receive the Screed Actors Guild (SAG) Lifetime Achievement Award when the Guild's annual awards are presented Sunday, 25 January 2009. His million-dollar voice is one of the most recognizable of any actor working today.

He is probably best known as the voice of Darth Vader in STAR WARS and Mufasa in THE LION KING. He has also done countless voiceovers (VO) in commercials and on CNN.

Jones has garnered laurels for his distinguished acting on television and in movies, as well as his appearances on the stage. This year, he starred in Broadway revivals of 'On Golden Pond' (Normal Thayer Jr.) and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (Big Daddy). His honors include one Golden Globe, two Tony awards, three Emmys, an Oscar nomination (male lead actor in THE GREAT WHITE HOPE, 1971), and the National Medal of Arts.

In 1995, he received the prestigious National Board of Review, USA, Career Achievement Award. The next year, he was nominated for a SAG award for best performance by a male leading actor in a movie, CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY.

Probably few know today that Jones had a terrible stuttering problem as a child. His problem was so acute that he actually stopped speaking for a long time. His love of reading eventually helped him gain confidence to begin speaking again.

When he did find his voice, he soon became aware his presence and deep resonant voice might lead to an acting career. The 77-year-old actor says his voice is his most prominent asset.

He has two VO projects in the pipeline at the moment: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (2008), completed, and QUANTUM QUEST: A CASSINI SPACE ODYSSEY (2010), in post-production. However I suspect, as an accomplished actor his real love is live theatre.


For more on current and upcoming awards, click the link on the right sidebar for Mimi's Awards Page.