With his distinctive voice, James Earl Jones voiced the Star Wars villain Darth Vader. The honorary Oscar winner spent six decades in front of the camera and on stage. He was 93 years old.
He lent his deep voice to the “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader and became world famous as a result. The iconic phrase “I am your father” and the menacing wheezing of his breath were forever remembered by millions. Now Hollywood must say goodbye to James Earl Jones. The legendary actor died on Monday (local time) in his house in Dutchess County (US state of New York), his management announced. He was 93 years old.
As a character actor, he appeared in films as diverse as “The Hunt for Red October,” “Field of Dreams,” “Coming to America” and “The Cartel.” James Earl Jones was also revered as a stage star.
Jones, who stuttered for years as a child, later said that he overcame his speech impediment by reciting poems and acting. He began appearing in front of the camera in 1964. Jones made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.” He was nominated for an Oscar for his role as black boxer Jack Jefferson in “The Great White Hope” (1970).
“I wanted to make Darth Vader more interesting (…)”
Director George Lucas hired him to voice the supervillain Darth Vader in “Star Wars,” played by actor David Prowse. Lucas and Jones initially had different ideas: “I wanted to make Darth Vader more interesting, more subtle and more psychologically oriented,” Jones later recalled in an interview with the American Film Institute. “He (Lucas) said, ‘No, no… you have to keep his voice on a very narrow tape because he’s not human.'”
Within a few hours he had voiced Darth Vader, received 7,000 euros for the first film and considered that a good wage. After the film was released in cinemas in 1977, everyone knew Jones.
Hollywood colleagues mourn
Mark Hamill, who played Darth Vader’s son Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars saga, said goodbye to his longtime co-star on the X platform: “Rest in peace, father,” Hamill wrote – with a broken heart as an emoji.
Other Hollywood colleagues also expressed their sadness. The word “legendary” does not “even begin to describe his iconic roles and his influence on cinema,” wrote Oscar winner Octavia Spencer on Instagram. Jones’ voice and talent will always be remembered. “Rustin” star Colman Domingo thanked Jones as a master of the art of acting “for everything.” “We stand on your shoulders,” Domingo wrote on X.
Also a star on stage
As a theater actor, Jones won two Tony Awards. He has appeared in several Shakespeare plays, as well as in Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and on Broadway in New York in “Driving Miss Daisy” alongside Vanessa Redgrave. He has also received two Emmys for television roles and a Grammy for his voice-over work. In 2011, the Academy Awards presented him with an honorary Oscar for his services to film. Jones was able to join the ceremony via video link as he was performing in London at the time.
His distinctive voice could also be heard in commercials and video games. In the 1994 animated film “The Lion King” he voiced the old Mufasa, and he also voiced the Lion King in the 2019 remake. In 2021 he returned to the screen once again in the sequel to the hit 1988 comedy “Coming to America”. In “Coming to America 2” he played King Jaffe Joffer alongside Eddie Murphy.
“Star Wars” film scene interview about Darth Vader (American Film Institute, Part 2)
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
