James Earl Jones, who voiced Darth Vader and Mufasa, dies at 93
James Earl Jones, who famously voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in Lion King, has died. He was 93.
According to PEOPLE Magazine, Jones's agent said he died at his home in New York on the morning of Sept. 9, Monday.
Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi and later raised by his grandparents in Michigan. He spent most of his childhood in silence because of a stutter.
“I stuttered badly, and so I retreated and lived in a world of silence rather than speak,” Jones is quoted as saying in a 2002 interview.
He overcame his stutter with the help of a teacher who made him recite aloud the poems he had written.
Before entering the acting world, Jones took up pre-medicine and joined the Army. He said he didn't originally want to become an actor.
He also had to work as a janitor to make ends meet.
He got his big break in the '60s through the play The Great White Hope, which eventually earned him a Tony Award, considered the highest accolade in theater. The play was adapted into a movie in 1970, and he took the lead role which later earned him a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination for best actor, the second Black actor to get one after Sidney Poitier.
Jones also starred in movies like Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Sandlot (1993), and The Hunt for Red October (1990).
His most popular role, however, was voicing Darth Vader in Star Wars.
Jones initially didn't want to claim credit for his voiceovers, but eventually agreed and continued to voice the character in a variety of media, including video games and television series.
He had to step away from his role when he reached his 90s, but gave the rights to his voice recordings to a company that collaborates with Lucasfilms. This allows the company to use artificial intelligence to preserve and recreate his voice for future projects.
This technology was successfully used in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Several industry colleagues paid tribute to Jones, including Mark Hamill, who portrayed Luke Skywalker and is Darth Vader's son. On X, Hamill quote-tweeted the report from Variety, saying, "#RIP dad" with a broken heart emoji.
Star Trek actor LeVar Burton on X said "There will never be another of his particular combination of graces."
Theater and silver screen actor Colman Domingo thanked Jones "for everything," noting he's a "master of our craft" and that they "stand on your shoulders." He also shared a photo of a young Jones.
Jones is survived by his only son Flynn Earl Jones. his wife Cecilia Hart died in 2016.