Jones was 93.
James Earl Jones, the award-winning actor known for the deep, commanding voice that brought life to characters ranging from Mufasa to Darth Vader, has died at the age of 93. A Deadline report says Jones’ death was confirmed by his representatives at Independent Artist Group.
Jones’ film career began in a big way, appearing alongside Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden in the 1964 classic Dr. Strangelove, in which he helped drop the bomb that Slim Pickens famously rode all the way down:
In 1970, he took the lead in The Great White Hope, an acclaimed drama for which he earned an Academy Award for best actor—having previously won a Tony Award for starring in the stage play upon which the film was based. He followed that with a Golden Globe nomination in the 1974 film Claudine.
Probably his most famous role, though, followed a few years later: Darth Vader, the armor-clad villain of the original Star Wars trilogy, The character was actually portrayed by actor David Prowse, but Jones heavier, more ominous voice was dubbed overtop Prowse’s in post production—in hindsight, a very good idea.
Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill paid tribute to Jones on Twitter:
#RIP dad 💔 https://t.co/YXpFoBb2UaSeptember 9, 2024
More prominent roles in film and television followed, as did numerous awards and honors, and he amassed a remarkably diverse array of credits in subsequent decades, from Conan the Barbarian—Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1982 breakthrough—to the comedy hit Coming to America, the Academy Award-nominated sports drama Field of Dreams, and the Tom Clancy blockbusters The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger. He also continued to provide notable voice work: He read Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Raven in The Simpson’s first Treehouse of Horror Halloween special, voiced Mufasa in the Disney animated film The Lion King, and of course very famously said “This is CNN.” He was also on Sesame Street.
And yes, there was videogame work in there too. Jones has credits in multiple Lion King games, but he also provided the voice of the Great PI of the Universe in Under a Killing Moon and is probably best known on the game front as General James Solomon in Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun.
Ironically, despite having one of the most powerful and instantly recognizable voices in any entertainment medium, Jones said in an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in 1995 that it’s something he struggles with because he has a stutter.
“I’m lucky that it comes out enough to talk to you right now,” Jones said. “I have no presumptions or no arrogance about my voice. You want to think that I might even be in love with my voice. I’m not, because it would be the most unfaithful lover I’ve ever had, because it fails me often.
“Because I’m a stutterer … Being a stutterer for that long in my developing years, I can’t have an extemporaneous conversation. I cannot be an emcee, for instance. It’s impossible for me. I can’t string ideas and words together that well.”
At the same time, he wasn’t afraid to embrace the power of his most famous asset, nor did he seem inclined to take it too seriously.
James Earl Jones was 93.
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