 | Indiana Jones Adventure | Disneyland Resort (2025) as Mara (voice) |
 | BET News & ET Present James Earl Jones: Life and Legacy (2024) as Self (archive footage) |
 | Butterfly in the Sky (2024) as Guest Narrator (archive footage) |
 | Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021) as Self (archive footage) |
 | Coming 2 America (2021) as King Jaffe Joffer |
 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) as Darth Vader (voice) |
 | On Broadway (2019) as Self (archive footage) |
 | Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage (2019) as Self |
 | The Lion King (2019) as Mufasa (voice) |
 | The Space: Theatre of Survival (2019) as Narrator |
 | Words from a Bear (2019) as Self |
 | Warning Shot (2018) as Pendleton |
 | The Lion Guard: Life In The Pride Lands (2017) as Mufasa (voice) |
 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) as Darth Vader (voice) |
 | God Bless You, Mr Rosewater (2016) as Kilgore Trout |
 | The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2016) as Mufasa (voice) |
 | Driving Miss Daisy (2015) as Hoke Colburn |
 | Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal (2015) as Darth Vader (voice) |
 | August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand (2015) as Self |
 | Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion (2014) as Darth Vader (voice) |
 | The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014) as Ruben |
 | Gimme Shelter (2013) as Frank McCarthy |
 | Muse of Fire (2013) as Self |
 | Blackfish (2013) as Self (archive footage) |
 | Milius (2013) as Self |
 | An Amazing Time: A Conversation About End of the Road (2012) as Self |
 | Joe Papp in Five Acts (2012) as Self |
 | Strange Septembers: The Hill Abduction & the Exeter Encounter (2011) as Himself |
 | Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (2010) as Admiral (voice) |
 | Jack and the Beanstalk (2009) as The Giant (voice) |
 | Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009) as Self (archive footage) |
 | Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008) as Papa Jenkins |
 | Earth (2007) as Narrator (voice) |
 | Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson (2007) as Self |
 | John, Paul, George and Ben (2007) as Narrator |
 | Searching for Orson (2006) as Self |
 | Click (2006) as Narrator of Michael's Past (voice) (uncredited) |
 | The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays (2006) as Jack Jefferson (segment "The Great White Hope") / Troy Maxson (segment "Fences") |
 | Scary Movie 4 (2006) as Narrator (uncredited) |
 | The Benchwarmers (2006) as Darth Vader (voice) |
 | The Trail Of Tears: Cherokee Legacy (2006) as Narrator |
 | Hollywood's Greatest Villains (2005) as Self |
 | The Sandlot 2 (2005) as Mr. Mertle |
 | The Reading Room (2005) as William |
 | Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) as Darth Vader (voice - uncredited) |
 | Robots (2005) as Voice Box at Hardware Store (voice) |
 | By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X' (2005) as Narrator |
 | No Fighting in the War Room Or: 'Dr Strangelove' and the Nuclear Threat (2004) as Self |
 | Nine Dog Christmas (2004) as Storyteller (voice) |
 | Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004) as Self |
 | The Story of Star Wars (2004) as Darth Vader (archive footage) |
 | Black Indians: An American Story (2004) as Narrator |
 | The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror (2003) as Maggie Simpson (voice) |
 | The Great Year (2003) as Narrator |
 | Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'The Hunt for Red October' (2003) as Self |
 | Fredericksburg: A Documentary Film (2002) as Narrator |
 | Muhammad Ali - Through The Eyes Of The World (2001) as Self |
 | Feast of All Saints (2001) as Older Marcel |
 | Recess Christmas: Miracle On Third Street (2001) as Mister (voice) |
 | Finder's Fee (2001) as Avery Phillips |
 | Disney's American Legends (2001) as Narrator |
 | Antietam: A Documentary Film (2000) as Narrator |
 | Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan' (2000) as Self |
 | Inside: 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' (2000) as Self - 'Lieutenant Lothar Zogg' |
 | The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove (2000) as Self |
 | Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light (2000) |
 | Fantasia 2000 (2000) as Self - Host |
 | Santa and Pete (1999) as Grandpa Nicholas |
 | The Annihilation of Fish (1999) as Fish |
 | Undercover Angel (1999) as The Judge |
 | On the Q.T. (1999) as Leo |
 | Summer's End (1999) as Dr. William 'Bill' Blakely |
 | Our Friend, Martin (1999) as Daddy King (voice) |
 | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) as Mufasa (voice) |
 | Primary Colors (1998) as CNN Voiceover (voice) |
 | Alone (1997) as Grey |
 | The Second Civil War (1997) as Jim Kalla |
 | What the Deaf Man Heard (1997) as Archibald Thacker |
 | Gang Related (1997) as Arthur Baylor |
| | Hitler's Forgotten Victims (1997) as Narrator (voice) (DVD version) |
 | Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) as Kibosh (voice) |
 | Sports on the Silver Screen (1997) as Self (archive footage) |
 | Good Luck (1997) as James Bing |
 | Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery (1997) as Self |
 | Afro Promo (1997) as Self (archive footage) |
 | Timepiece (1996) as Lawrence |
 | Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996) as Dr. McDuffie |
 | Looking for Richard (1996) as Self - Interviewee |
| | Corwin (1996) as Self |
 | A Family Thing (1996) as Ray Murdock |
 | Cry, the Beloved Country (1995) as Rev. Stephen Kumalo |
 | Who's in Rabbit's House? (1995) as Narrator (voice) |
 | Judge Dredd (1995) as Narrator (uncredited) |
 | The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies (1995) as Self |
 | The Making of 'Jurassic Park' (1995) as Host |
 | Jefferson in Paris (1995) as Madison Hemings |
 | Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable (1995) as Mufasa |
 | People: A Musical Celebration (1995) as The Storyteller (voice) |
| | Bah, Humbug!: The Story of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' (1994) as Narrator |
 | Clear and Present Danger (1994) as Admiral James Greer |
 | The Making of the Lion King (1994) as Self |
 | The Lion King (1994) as Mufasa (voice) |
 | The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics (1994) as Host |
 | Clean Slate (1994) as John Dolby |
 | Africa: The Serengeti (1994) as Narrator |
 | Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994) as James Earl Jones (uncredited) |
 | Gangs: Turning the Corner (1994) as Self |
 | Confessions: Two Faces of Evil (1994) as Charles Lloyd |
 | The Vernon Johns Story (1994) as Vernon Johns |
| | Hallelujah (1993) as Old Man Taylor |
 | Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films (1993) as Self (voice) (uncredited) |
 | Percy & Thunder (1993) as Percy Banks |
 | The Meteor Man (1993) as Earnest Moses |
 | Dreamrider (1993) as Bill Perry |
 | Excessive Force (1993) as Jake |
 | The Sandlot (1993) as Mr. Mertle |
 | Sommersby (1993) as Judge Barry Conrad Issacs |
| | Lincoln (1992) as Narrator (voice) |
 | Sneakers (1992) as Mr. Bernard Abbott |
 | Patriot Games (1992) as Adm. James Greer |
 | The JFK Conspiracy (1992) as Self - Host |
 | True Identity (1991) as James Earl Jones |
 | When It Was a Game (1991) as (voice) |
 | Scorchers (1991) as Bear |
| | Portrait of Castro's Cuba (1991) as Host/Narrator |
 | Visitors from the Unknown (1991) as Narrator (voice) |
 | Convicts (1991) as Ben Johnson |
 | Grim Prairie Tales (1990) as Morrison |
 | Ivory Hunters (1990) as Inspector Nkuru |
 | Heat Wave (1990) as Junius Johnson |
| | Last Flight Out (1990) as Al Topping |
 | By Dawn's Early Light (1990) as Alice |
 | The Ambulance (1990) as Lt. Spencer |
 | The Hunt for Red October (1990) as Vice ADM James Greer |
 | Teach 109 (1990) as Dr. Winston |
 | Terrorgram (1990) as Retribution (voice) |
 | 11-22-63: The Day the Nation Cried (1989) as Narrator |
 | Best of the Best (1989) as Frank Couzo |
 | Field of Dreams (1989) as Terrence Mann |
 | Three Fugitives (1989) as Dugan |
 | Stories to Remember: Noah's Ark (1989) as Narrator |
 | The Hunting of the Snark (1989) as Narrator (voice) |
 | Coming to America (1988) as King Jaffe Joffer |
 | Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues (1988) as Narrator (voice) |
 | Matewan (1987) as 'Few Clothes' Johnson |
 | Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987) as Emperor of the Night (voice) |
 | Gardens of Stone (1987) as Sgt. Maj.'Goody' Nelson |
| | A House Divided (1987) |
 | Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986) as Umslopogaas |
 | Soul Man (1986) as Professor Banks |
 | My Little Girl (1986) as Ike Bailey |
 | Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1986) as Genie / Narrator |
 | The Lone Star Kid (1986) as Holmes |
| | Moses (1985) as Pharaoh |
 | City Limits (1985) as Albert |
 | Night of 100 Stars II (1985) as Self |
 | Visual Pathfinders: Robert Abel & Associates (1985) |
 | The Vegas Strip War (1984) as Jack Madrid |
 | Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears (1984) as Narrator |
 | Return of the Jedi (1983) as Darth Vader (voice) |
 | Blood Tide (1982) as Frye |
 | Amy and the Angel (1982) as Gabriel |
 | The Flight of Dragons (1982) as Ommadon (voice) |
 | Conan the Barbarian (1982) as Thulsa Doom |
 | Night of 100 Stars (1982) as Self |
 | Golden Book Video - Beauty and the Beast (1981) as Narrator (voice) |
| | The Creation (1981) as Narrator (voice) |
 | The Bushido Blade (1981) as The Prisoner |
 | There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues (1981) as himself, voice |
| | Beauty and the Beast (1981) as Narrator (voice) |
 | God's Trombones (1981) as Narrator (voice) |
 | The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1980) as Dane Oliver |
 | The Empire Strikes Back (1980) as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited) |
 | The Me Nobody Knows (1980) as Self |
 | A Walking Tour of Sesame Street (1979) as Self - Host |
 | Paul Robeson (1979) as Paul Robeson |
 | Black Theatre: The Making of a Movement (1978) as Self |
 | The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) as Darth Vader (voice) |
 | The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened (1977) as Morris Bird, Jr. |
 | A Piece of the Action (1977) as Joshua Burke |
 | The Making of Star Wars (1977) as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited) |
 | Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) as Older Kokumo |
 | The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977) as Sheikh |
 | Star Wars (1977) as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited) |
 | The Greatest (1977) as Malcolm X |
 | Swashbuckler (1976) as Nick Debrett |
 | The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) as Leon |
 | The River Niger (1976) as Johnny Williams |
 | Deadly Hero (1975) as Rabbit Shazam |
 | The UFO Incident (1975) as Barney Hill |
 | The Cay (1974) as Timothy |
 | Claudine (1974) as Rupert D. "Roop" Marshall |
 | King Lear (1974) as King Lear |
 | The Man (1972) as Douglass Dilman |
 | Malcolm X (1972) as Biographical Narration (voice) |
 | Martin Luther King, Jr.: Legacy of a Dream (1971) as Narrator |
 | The Great White Hope (1970) as Jack Jefferson |
 | King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970) as Self (archive footage) |
 | End of the Road (1970) as Doctor D |
 | The Comedians (1967) as Dr. Magiot |
 | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) as Lt. Lothar Zogg |
 | The Story of the Faithful Wookiee as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited) |
 | Broadway: The Next Generation as Self |
 | Mufasa: The Lion King In Memory Of |
