The voice of Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King, the infamous Darth Vader in Star Wars, and countless Verizon phone service commercials will be honored at the next Screen Actor Guild Awards.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has announced that James Earl Jones will receive the Life Achievement Award for career achievement and charitable accomplishments on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. The event will be simulcast on TNT and TBS.

Earl Jones was born Jan. 17, 1931, and grew up in Michigan and raised by his grandparents. You would never guess that as a child he had a stuttering problem, which he overcame completely with the help of his high school teacher, Donald Crouch.  His greatest weakness turned out to be his greatest strength.

He attended the University of Michigan as pre-med, but changed his major to drama. After graduation and serving in the military as an infantry officer, Jones moved to New York City, where he supported himself by working as a janitor and struggled to make it as an actor. He made his Broadway debut in 1957 as an understudy in The Egghead and returned to Broadway the following year in Sunrise at Campobello.

His first major breakthrough was as Michael William in a New York Shakespeare Festival production of Henry V in 1960. This marked the beginning of Jones’ affiliation with the Festival with which he starred in many productions, a major accomplishment for an African American during that time.

Based on his success in the theater, Jones made the leap to television with some small roles. Again he broke new ground as one of the first African-American actors to appear regularly in daytime soap operas.

He then made his film debut in 1964’s Dr. Stangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. This led to a prolific film career which has earned him numerous awards. This includes an Academy Award nomination for his work in The Great White Hope. His most recent work included his role as Martin Lawrence’s father in this year’s comedy, Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins as well as narrator for the Martin Luther King documentary Montgomery to Memphis.

Jones has been married since March 1982 to actress Cecilia Hart. Their son, Flynn, is 25.

James Earl Jones has long been an advocate for literacy. He has traveled the country reading to kids while talking to them about the value of reading. Jones is passionate about the importance of young readers and continues to promote the cause regularly. Jones continues to be an inspiring force within the acting community, and is a positive rolemodel for all.