Checked on 2024-09-25
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The late James Earl Jones previously opened up about living with a stutter and how he spent several 'mute years' as a kid until a high school teacher encouraged him to start speaking again through ...
The late actor, who died at 93, had a lifelong speech impediment that made him silent for years as a child. He learned to manage it with a teacher's help and became a renowned voice actor.
After discovering his gift for writing, high school educator Donald Crouch demanded he read one of his poems aloud in class. Jones did so perfectly. From there, persistent practice brought the speaking barrier tumbling. "I could not get enough of speaking, debating, orating—acting," Jones said in his book.
More than that, Crouch encouraged Jones to work on his stuttering by getting him involved in debating and dramatic reading, especially poetry. Jones's favourite poet was Edgar Allan Poe, and he would later read 'The Raven' in the classic Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons in 1990.
In fact, his stuttering was so severe as a child that he barely spoke and was essentially mute from first grade to his freshman year of high school. That’s when a teacher had him read poetry in front of class, which helped him get a handle on the condition. The experience also inspired him to pursue a career in the arts, eventually leading ...