---
name: "Robert Earl Jones"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-earl-jones"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "3 February 1910"
died: "7 September 2006"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 82
updated: "2026-09-16T21:21:00.660973+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Robert Earl Jones

Actor. Born 3 February 1910 in Tate County, Mississippi, USA. Died 7 September 2006.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 3 February 1910, Tate County, Mississippi, USA
- **Died:** 7 September 2006
- **Active:** 1973–1985
- **Also known as:** Robert Earl

## Biography

Robert Earl Jones was an American actor. He was born on 3 February 1910 in Senatobia, Mississippi, and died on 7 September 2006 in Englewood, New Jersey. Early in his career he worked as a sharecropper and as a prizefighter under the name Battling Bill Stovall, serving as a sparring partner to Joe Louis. He later studied acting at the American Theatre Wing.

Jones made his Broadway debut in 1945 in *The Hasty Heart* and appeared in further stage productions including *Caesar and Cleopatra* (1949) and *Mule Bone* (1991). He performed alongside his son, actor James Earl Jones, in several Off-Broadway shows. His film roles included a leading part in *Lying Lips* (1939) and supporting parts in *The Sting* (1973) as Luther Coleman, *Trading Places* (1983), *The Cotton Club* (1984) and *Witness* (1985). He was also seen in television series such as *Kojak*.

*Sources: imdb.com, nytimes.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Witness* (1985), Fi1m 84, as Custodian — [page](https://film.one/film/witness.md)
- *Trading Places* (1983), Fi1m 80, as Attendant — [page](https://film.one/film/trading-places.md)
- *Kojak* (1973), Fi1m 80, as Judge — [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md)
- *The Sting* (1973), Fi1m 85, as Luther Coleman — [page](https://film.one/film/the-sting.md)

## Also known for

- *Sleepaway Camp* (1983), Ben
- *The Cotton Club* (1984), Stage Door Joe
- *Maniac Cop 2* (1990), Harry
- *Wild River* (1960), Sam Johnson (uncredited)
- *Odds Against Tomorrow* (1959), Jazz Club Patron (uncredited)
- *Cockfighter* (1974), Buford
- *Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor* (2012), Ben (archive footage)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/robert-earl-jones