The Screen and Stage Hall

Hollywood has been shaped, in ways it has rarely acknowledged, by men and women who grew up in Mississippi. The Screen and Stage Hall gathers the state’s most celebrated figures in film, television, and theater — and in doing so, makes an argument that no other Southern state could make with equal force.

‍ ‍James Earl Jones, born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, is among the most honored actors in American history — a winner of Tony Awards, Golden Globes, and Emmy Awards, and the recipient of an Honorary Academy Award. His voice — the voice of Darth Vader, of Mufasa, of some of the most commanding characters in the history of cinema — is among the most recognizable in the world. He began his life in the Mississippi Delta.

‍ ‍Morgan Freeman, born in Charleston, Mississippi, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and has been nominated four additional times. He is one of the most respected and beloved actors in the history of American film — and he is a Mississippian.

‍ ‍Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in poverty, and rose to become the most influential media personality in American history. Her performance in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her life story is among the most remarkable in American cultural history — and it begins in Mississippi.

‍ ‍Jim Henson, born in Greenville, Mississippi, created the Muppets and in doing so created one of the most enduring contributions to children’s culture in the history of the world. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Elmo — the entire universe of characters that has shaped the imaginative lives of generations of children traces its origins to a boy from the Mississippi Delta.

The Screen and Stage Hall will also honor Tennessee Williams of Columbus, Mississippi — winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and four Tony Awards, author of A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and one of the most important dramatists in the history of the American theater — as the anchor of the hall’s theatrical legacy. Together, these figures represent a depth of screen and stage achievement that would be remarkable for any state and is extraordinary for one Mississippi’s size.