Well, shit.
That voice was one in a zillion, but he also seemed like a genuinely likable fellow.
Rest in peace, Mr. Jones. I will miss you.
He narrated Poe’s “The Raven” on the very first Simpsons Halloween special, and it’s always been my favorite rendition.
Loved his King Jaffe Joffer character.
This makes me so sad.
He had a great run and is beloved by so many.
RIP
He was great in many things, but my favorite was his speech about baseball in Field of Dreams. R.I.P.
I think I was ten when I saw this (12 seconds)…instantly hooked:
His lack of life disturbs me.
Magnificent voice.
He overcame a severe stutter to provide such a mellifluous voice.
If you’re a fan of his, and have never seen the episode of The Big Bang Theory on which he guest-starred as himself, seek it out. He’s extremely funny in it, and it’s clear that he had a blast making it.
I fall asleep to BBT episodes, and just saw that one (again) a couple of days ago. So much fun!
Nooooooooo!
So long, Thulsa Doom. It was always a treat seeing you whether it was Star Wars, The Sandlot, or guest starring on a television show.
One of his lesser known works is the movie adaptation of a novel called The Man by Irving Wallace. The book came out in the 1960s and was about an African American congressman ascending due to the line of succession to become President of the United States. Bare in mind it was written during the time when in real life there was uncertainty and backlash towards the cause for Civil Rights with legislation in real life not having been passed at the time of publication. It was a very successful book and Jones played the character President Dillman in the movie.
More precisely, he overcame the stutter by developing that mellifluous voice.
He was the commencement speaker at Villanova one of the years I was there (the band was at all of the commencements), and he did a great job of it.
I will contemplate this on the Tree of Woe.
One of the greatest voices ever, he was usually a powerful presence and had an underrated flair for comedy.
It’s easy to forget he’s in Dr Strangelove as one of the bomber crew (“Negative function”) because he plays it so straight while Slim Pickens plays Slim Pickens.
In the same year of his dignified performance as “Kokumo” in the execrable Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), he played an Arab sheikh in The Last Remake of Beau Geste. Political correctness aside, I recall him being hilarious in this truly surreal comedy.
One of his rare overacted performances occurred in the deservedly little-seen End of the Road (1970) as a doctor treating catatonia-prone teacher Stacy Keach. I’m not sure I can think of another role where he even came close to being this bad.
Of course, he might have had an even greater career if he hadn’t shot MLK, Jr.
“Mellifluous”
“Oprah”
A good guy. May his voice be eternal.
In “Dr. Strangelove”, his first screen role, he had a sort of controlled panic - a guy who’s determined to be a good soldier when things went south.