Actor James Earl Jones To Lecture At University Of Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Actor James Earl Jones will give a free lecture at 8 p.m. Tuesday, January 21, in Barnhill Arena on the campus of the University of Arkansas. Jones’s visit is part of the Martin Luther King week celebration and is sponsored by the MLK Celebration Committee and the Distinguished Lecture Series.

Free tickets to the lecture are available at the information booth on the fourth floor of the Arkansas Union (575-2304)or by contacting Kabin Thomas, assistant professor of music and moderator of the event (575-7607).

Born January 17, 1931 in Mississippi, Jones suffered from a stuttering problem as a child and took up acting to help him get rid of it. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and soon began a career on Broadway. In 1959, he won a Tony award for his role as a prizefighter in The Great White Hope. He later reprised the role on film and in 1971 was nominated for an Academy Award for the role. Jones gained widespread fame as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars films. He also starred with Kevin Costner in the award winning film Field of Dreams. His rich, melodic voice can be heard doing voiceovers for CNN and as the voice of King Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King.

Jones will lecture on culture and the arts in America. Jones will talk about the need for cultural awareness in America, his childhood, his mentors, his life’s work and the struggles he has had to overcome.

There will be a reception afterward at the Radisson Hotel on East Street just north of the Fayetteville Square.

The lecture is free and open to the general public.