Stage and screen actress Cecilia Hart, a frequent television player of the 1970s and wife of James Earl Jones for 34 years died October 16 following a battle with ovarian cancer. She was 68. The news was made public by the Westport, Connecticut focused website WestportNow.
Originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming, Hart received a Drama Desk Award nomination in 1977 for performing in Dirty Linen & New-Found-Land, and has several other Broadway credits to her name, including revivals of The Heiress and Design for Living, as well as playing Desdemona in the 1982 Broadway production of Othello.
On television, her credits include Emergency!, Three’s Company, Quincy M.E., MacGyver and Law & Order among others. She also appeared in the short-lived TV drama Paris, which ran in 1979-1980 and starred James Earl Jones in the title role. Jones also starred in the title role in Othello two years later, and the couple were married that same year.
Hart’s last public appearance was alongside her husband at the 2016 Tony Awards in June. She’s survived by Jones, their son Flynn, and her brothers James and William. Donations may be made in her name to The Actors Fund or Hudson Valley Hospice.
