Where Did James Earl Jones Live? He Called This Quaint New York Village Home for More Than 50 Years

The world collectively mourned amid the news that beloved actor James Earl Jones had passed away at age 93 on Sept. 9, 2024.

Whether you knew him as the voices of Darth Vader or Mufasa, or whether you first loved him as the reclusive writer Terence Mann in Field of Dreams, there are so many iconic roles that James brought to life with his magic.

James died at his home in Dutchess County, N.Y. — an area he'd moved to all the way back in 1970. Here's what to know about where James lived.

In 1970, James accompanied a friend of his to check out some land in the quaint village of Pawling, N.Y., located in Dutchess County. James's friend, who was from New Jersey, was interested in building a home in Pawling, and asked James to come along and help him survey the land. The friend ultimately decided he wasn't interested in the property, but James was — so much so that James bought it himself.

"I liked it," James told the Poughkeepsie Journal in 2012. "Big trees ... they were big enough to hug."

Over time, James ended up owning 10 different neighboring properties (including houses and plots of land) in Pawling, according to Realtor.com.

James and his second wife, the late Cecilia Hart, raised their son Flynn in the area as well, and James became involved in fundraising for the Poughkeepsie Day School, which Flynn attended. The actor also took part in a young playwrights' festival at Poughkeepsie's Bardavon 1869 Opera House.

James, who was born in Mississippi and later raised in Michigan, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1955 and began working and performing at a theater amid his military service. He then moved to New York in 1957 and studied at the American Theatre Wing while working as a janitor to support himself before landing his first Broadway gig in 1957.

Those who knew James in Pawling remember him not so much as a Hollywood actor but rather as a "wonderful and kind" neighbor who was a beloved member of the community.

“Yes, he was a celebrity, but he was the most genuine person you would ever want to meet," said Dave Gamache, a Pauling native and former Dutchess County legislator, to Mid Hudson News after the actor's passing.

"There was nothing phony about the man," Dave added of the man he knew. "He loved Pawling, he really loved Pawling, and he loved the people. He was active in the community."

He recalled James once inviting him to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where James was set to speak.

"We went into this room the size of a warehouse and all it is baseball bats, and we had to put the gloves on and the president of the hall of fame takes out a bat used by Babe Ruth and hands it to James and James hands it to me," Dave recalled to the outlet. "I’m like a little kid; it’s lovely."

After they got back to Pawling, Dave thanked James for the incredible experience. As Dave recalled:

"James says, 'You know what the best part of the day was? Seeing how much you enjoyed it.'"