Actor James Earl Jones Is Survived By His Lookalike Son, Flynn
Flynn Earl Jones has plenty of audiobook credits under his name, though he's never been an actor.
Published Sept. 9 2024, 5:45 p.m. ET
Award-winning actor James Earl Jones, known best for being the voice of the familiar Star Wars villain Darth Vader, passed away on Sept. 9. Throughout his career, James took home three Tony awards for his work on various Broadway productions, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy.
His long career in acting helped him meet his wife, Cecilia Hart. As actors, their paths frequently crossed, and after Cecilia's divorce from her first husband, Bruce Weitz in 1980, she married James just two years later.
But before there was Cecilia, there was Julienne Marie Hendricks. James was Julienne's second husband, but their marriage was short-lived, as the pair divorced less than five years into their marriage.
Did James have any kids? Between his two marriages, he only had one child.
James Earl Jones had one son with Cecilia.
Though James starred in plenty of films that made him a recognizable face and voice for children, the actor only had one kid. Throughout their marriage, Cecilia and James had Flynn Earl Jones in 1982 — the same year the pair got married.
James Earl Jones' son Flynn in 2022.
Cecilia was pregnant with Flynn while she starred on-stage in Othello alongside James, giving their son a stage debut before he was even both. Despite being the son of two well-known actors, though, Flynn doesn't seem to want to be in the spotlight as much as his parents did, as he's never picked up an acting role.
Flynn's work seems to be more in narration. According to People, Flynn is an audiobook narrator, reading several titles for Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook service. His wife, however, is also an actress.
Flynn wed actress Lorena Monagas in 2019; her portfolio is further supported by her education, as she's studied at the Shakespeare Theatre, William Esper Studio, The Barrow Group, and Casa Cruz de la Luna.
Before his death, James worked with his son, who was his assistant at one point and spoke about their relationship in an interview with CBS News in 2014.
"Finally, you see, when a child is born, mom is the main pal, until that day when you say 'let's go outside and play catch,' then suddenly pop comes into focus," he said. "With me, it was 'let's go work together.'"
He also made fatherhood a central part of many of his characters.
"I initially approached my character with the utmost dignity, befitting the king of the jungle. The more I did that, however, the more we realized we were missing something. We were missing the dad," he said of his Mufasa role to Disney. "Fathers are not always grand, certainly not with their sons. When you accommodate being a father, you are often dopey and goofy. You are just Dad… In The Lion King, Mufasa urges his son, Simba, to take his place in the great circle of life — and for me, the heart of that circle is my family."