The enduring popularity and success of Shakespeare is an international and cross-cultural phenomenon. The aim of the "Actors on Shakespeare" series is to provide an accessible, contemporary commentary to each of the plays via the top-class actors who have performed them. In 1964, at the age of 33, James Earl Jones won an Obie award for his portrayal of Othello in Joseph Papp's production in Central Park, New York. Over the next 25 years he went on to play the Moor a further six times with his 1982 performance being described as "definitive, masterly, magnificent". He brings his vast wealth of experience to this text, articulates the themes and issues in the play and looks at the personal and universal significance of the drama.