Like a lot of young actors in the 1960s, James Earl Jones spent some time early in his television career appearing on daytime soaps. After a short-lived stint as "Dr. Jim Frazier" on Guiding Light, he was cast in a recurring role as "Dr. James Turner?" on As The World Turns in 1966.
Later that year, he appeared as "Dr. Lou Rush" in four episodes of the hit primetime series Dr. Kildare.