James Earl Jones has landed the Paul Robeson Award from legit thesps’ union Actors’ Equity Assn.
Inaugural kudo was awarded to Robeson in 1971, and in subsequent years has been given to an actor or other creative who exemplifies the renaissance-man principles of Robeson, a thesp, singer, athlete, author and civil rights activist.
Jones, currently in London performing in the West End incarnation of the recent Broadway revival of “Driving Miss Daisy,” is due back on the Rialto in the spring in a revival of “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man.” His long stage career has included a string of Shakespeare and Athol Fugard plays as well as “The Great White Hope” and the 1987 bow of “Fences.” Recent Main Stem credits include the 2005 revival of “On Golden Pond” and the 2008 staging of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
The Robeson Award is due to be handed out at an Equity general membership meeting Friday, but because Jones is in London, he won’t be there to accept the award in person.
