The great, baritone-voiced actor James Earl Jones has passed away at the age of 93. After a career spanning almost seven decades, the legacy Jones leaves behind is one that is almost unparalleled among his peers, and spreads across both stage and screen. Along with his many on-screen appearances, his instantly recognizable voice was known to many for giving life to Star Wars villain Darth Vader, and Mufasa in Disney’s 1994 animated classic, The Lion King.
Jones was born in 1931, in Arkabutla, Mississippi, and found his way into acting as a way of overcoming a severe stutter during his younger years. After overcoming his speech impediment, Jones enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he studied drama and soon found himself gaining recognition for his first powerful performances in Shakespearean plays. This very quickly led to the actor finding his way to Broadway, making his debut in Sunrise at Campobello in 1958. Just over a decade later, Jones won a Tony Award for playing Jack Johnson in The Great White Hope.
Jones would earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 1970 when The Great White Hope was adapted to the screen in 1970.
James Earl Jones’ Screen Career Was Impeccable
Jones’ movie career began in 1964, when he played Lt. Lothar Zogg in the Peter Sellers satirical comedy Dr. Strangelove. While he would quickly build a reputation as a solid performer, in early roles such as The River Niger in 1976 and portraying Malcolm X in The Greatest in 1977, it was his deep, authoritative voice that would lead to his best known role – one that did not even involve him appearing on screen.
In 1977, he voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars, bringing a chilling gravitas to a character widely regarded as the greatest movie villain of all time. As one of the Star Wars Saga’s most defining characters, the legacy of the series has always been entwined with Jones, as no matter how many new villains have been introduced over the last five decades, Jones’ vocal presence as Vader stands above them all.
A year later, Jones became the first guest star to appear on the Jim Henson children's show, Sesame Street. Proving that his voice could bring something special to anything - including reading the alphabet - his appearance is certainly one that is worth its place in history. You can check out the video below.
Jones’ on screen appearances continued throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, with some of his memorable roles including Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and The Hunt for Red October (1990), and The Sandlot (1993), among many others. However, Jones would also become an icon for another generation, when he lent his voice to Mufasa in 1994’s The Lion King. While Jones’ tone brought menace to Vader in Star Wars, in The Lion King, he portrayed a wise, majestic, and above all, fatherly, character. The role is one that Jones would reprise in 2019 when he returned to record new dialogue for Disney’s “live-action” remake of the film.
Jones Continued to Enthral Audiences Later in His Life
Jones continued to make regular appearances on both the big and small screen, covering all genres from comedy to drama and everything in between. As well as making guest appearances on TV shows such as Frasier, House, The Big Bang Theory, and acting as the uncredited narrator of 3rd Rock from the Sun, his later movies included 2013’s Gimme Shelter, 2014’s The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, and further appearances as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Rogue One and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. His final movie appearance was reprising his role as King Jaffe Joffer in the Eddie Murphy-starring sequel, Coming 2 America.
On Sep. 9, 2024, the beloved EGOT died quietly at his home in Dutchess County, NY. He will be forever missed.
