James Earl Jones, the actor and voice behind Star Wars’ Darth Vader, has died. He was 93.
Born on Jan. 17, 1931, Jones would become an acclaimed actor, making his big-screen debut in the 1964 Stanley Kubrick film, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
But Jones is arguably best known for being the voice of Darth Vader, the antagonist in the original Star Wars trilogy.
In a 1995 interview on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Jones shared how he ended up with the role.
“When Lucas put the film together, he realized he wanted a darker voice, or a bass voice,” the actor said. “So he called around — I think he thought of Orson Welles first and then realized that he might be too recognizable. So, he picks a kid that comes from Mississippi who stutters and [was] raised in Michigan — me.”
In a 2009 interview with the American Film Institute, he also offered some insight into how he wanted to approach the character’s voice — and how that led to disagreements with Star Wars creator George Lucas.
“I wanted to make Darth Vader more interesting, more subtle, more psychologically-oriented,” Jones said. “[Lucas] said, ‘No, no. What we’re finding out is — you got to keep his voice on a very narrow band of inflection, ‘cause he ain’t human, really.’”
That Jones struggled with a severe stutter as a child only to become such an accomplished and beloved actor is a testament to his legacy. Along with Star Wars, he served as the voice of The Lion King’s Mufasa, as well as starred in films like The Sandlot and Claudine. He was also a Broadway actor, appearing in plays like Othello and Of Mice and Men.
Ultimately, Jones’ career resulted in him being a recipient of the EGOT. He is one of several entertainers to be a non-competitive EGOT winner, meaning he won each of the four major awards — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — with one of those being an honorary award (his Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences).
Following news of his passing, a number of people have shared tributes to Jones, including Colman Domingo, LeVar Burton, Mark Hamill and Lucas.
“James was an incredible actor, a most unique voice both in art and spirit,” the latter said in a statement shared on the Star Wars website. “For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being. He gave depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn. James will be missed by so many of us…friends and fans alike.”
