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Robert Earl Jones

Robert Earl Jones

Actor · Died September 7, 2006, aged 96 · Tate County, Mississippi, USA

Robert Earl Jones (February 3, 1910 – September 7, 2006), sometimes credited as Earl Jones, was an American actor and professional boxer. One of the first prominent black film stars, Jones was a living link with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, having worked with Langston Hughes early in his career. Jones 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. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 3, 1910
Died
September 7, 2006 (aged 96)
From
Tate County, Mississippi, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 33% in 30 days

What are Robert Earl Jones' films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
26%
Self
26%
Society
19%
Survival
18%
Bonds
12%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles
Hero
1 of 3
Ally
1 of 3
Threshold guardian
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Melancholic
4
Dread
2
Hopeful
3
Warm
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Haunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Robert Earl Jones' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Robert Earl Jones' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

27 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page.

  • Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor(1992)

    as Ben (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Rain Without Thunder(1992)

    as Old Lawyer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Maniac Cop 2(1990)

    as Harry

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Starlight: a Musical Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Joe

  • Witness(1985)

    as Custodian

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Cotton Club(1984)

    as Stage Door Joe

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • A Billion for Boris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Grandaddy

  • Sleepaway Camp(1983)

    as Ben

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Trading Places(1983)

    as Attendant

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Cold River(1982)

    as The Trapper

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Sophisticated Gents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 3 episodes · as Big Ralph Joplin

  • Proof of the Man(1977)

    as Wilshire Hayward

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Lou Grant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Displaced Person(1977)

    as Astor

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Cockfighter(1974)

    as Buford

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Sting(1973)

    as Luther Coleman

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Kojak(1973)

    Show 1 episode · as Judge

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • Mississippi Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Actor

  • Great Performances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Creon

  • One Potato, Two Potato(1964)

    as William Richards

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Terror in the City(1964)

    as Farmer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Defenders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Joe Dean

  • The Secret of the Purple Reef (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Tobias

  • Wild River(1960)

    as Sam Johnson (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Odds Against Tomorrow(1959)

    as Jazz Club Patron (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Notorious Elinor Lee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Benny Blue

  • Lying Lips(1939)

    as Detective Wenzer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 86th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 27 titles from 1939 to 2012; peak year 1973.

Biggest box office

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

$1.9K worldwide

Highest rated

One Potato, Two Potato (1964)

Midcredits 85th

Most popular right now

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Film career

19392012

Peak 1973 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting27 of 27: 27 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score62nd

By decade

1930s1 · acting1940s1 · acting1950s1 · acting1960s5 · acting1970s8 · acting1980s8 · acting1990s2 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 12th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Robert Earl Jones' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

14thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Rain Without Thunder (1992)

82nd percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Sting (1973)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 55/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 64, detractors 27. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.