James Earl Jones: 1931 - 2024

Actor James Earl Jones has passed away at 93. 

 

An owner of the most distinctive and iconic voices in cinematic history, James Earl Jones was born in Mississippi in 1931. A pre-med major in college, he served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War before pursuing a career in acting. He would have his Broadway debut in 1957 and would perform in several Shakespeare plays. In 1964 he would have his big-screen debut in Stanley Kubrick’s DR. STRANGELOVE. In 1974 he would co-star with Diahann Carroll in CLAUDINE, which would earn him a Golden Globe nomination. 

 

In 1977, he would land the role that would define him for the rest of his life, when up-and-coming filmmaker George Lucas cast him as the voice of Darth Vader in STAR WARS. He would reprise the role in the direct sequels, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), and RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983). He would come back to Darth over the long Saga, voicing him in REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005), ROGUE ONE (2016), and THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (2019).

 

His impressive filmography would include the towering villain Thulsa Doom in CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982), along with roles in SOUL MAN (1986), Francis Ford Coppola’s GARDENS OF STONE (1987), COMING TO AMERICA (1988), FIELD OF DREAMS (1989), SNEAKERS (1992), SOMMERSBY (1993), THE SANDLOT (1993), and JUDGE DREDD (1995). He would have a significant role in films based on Tom Clancy novels, including THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990), PATRIOT GAMES (1992), and CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994). 

 

Walt Disney Pictures would further elevate his iconic status when the cast him as the voice of Mufasa in their towering THE LION KING (1994). He would reprise the role in THE LION KING II: SIMBA’S PRIDE (1998), and the live-action/animated remake in 2019. 

 

In his career he would win two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award. He would earn a Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2011, he received an honorary Oscar. The former Cort Theatre on Broadway was named the James Earl Jones Theatre in 2022. 

 

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This Blogger still remembers his first time seeing STAR WARS way back in 1977. The dramatic entrance of Darth Vader, the maske intimidating bad guy with the chilling mechanical breathing made an instant impression. As awesome as that moment it was, it was nothing compared to what would come next…hearing him speak. The voice went right through us back then, and it still does now. 

 

James Earl Jones was gifted with a voice that was unforgettable, but he also knew what he was doing as an actor. His roles as a CIA Chief and a baseball-loving writer (where he delivered one of the greatest monologues of all time), also made deep impressions, and he always seemed to make every movie he was in a little bit better. The voice of Darth Vader has been silenced, but it will echo in our core memories as long as the stars burn.