Robert Earl Jones

Robert Earl Jones
Robert Earl Jones in Langston Hughes' Don't You Want to be Free? (23 June 1938)
Born	February 3,1910 Tate County, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	September 7, 2006 (aged 96) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names	Earl Jones
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1939–1993
Spouse(s)	Ruth Williams Jumelle P. Jones Ruth Connolly
Children	2 (including actor James Earl Jones)

Robert Earl Jones (February 3, 1910 – September 7, 2006) was an American actor. One of the first prominent black film stars, he was best known for his leading roles in films such as Lying Lips (1939) and later in his career for supporting roles in films such as The Sting (1973), Trading Places (1983), The Cotton Club (1984) and Witness (1985). He was the father of actor James Earl Jones.

Born in Mississippi, the specific location is unclear as some sources indicate Senatobia, while others suggest nearby Coldwater.

A son of Robert and Elnora Jones, Robert Earl Jones left school at an early age to become a sharecropper. As a young man, he married Ruth Connolly, but they separated before James Earl was born in 1931. The couple later divorced, and Jones did not come to know his son until the mid-1950s. Jones had to leave school to become a sharecropper, and later he became a prizefighter before making his way, via Chicago to New York City, and a career on stage and in film. Under the name "Battling Bill Stovall", he was a sparring partner of Joe Louis.

Jones appeared in more than twenty films, including The Cotton Club (1984) and The Sting (1973). His film career started with the leading role of a detective in the 1939 race film Lying Lips. Jones acted mostly in crime movies and dramas after that, with such highlights as Wild River and One Potato, Two Potato.