RIP James Earl Jones: Voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa Dies at 93

By Emma Taggart on September 10, 2024

Photo: Stuart Crawford via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

James Earl Jones, renowned for his legendary voice roles as Darth Vader and Mufasa in The Lion King, has passed away at age 93. He died at his home in Dutchess County, New York, during the early hours of September 9, surrounded by his loving family.

The acclaimed stage and screen actor enjoyed an extraordinary career, continuing to work well into his 80s. Jones earned three Tony Awards, two Emmys, and a Grammy, along with an honorary Oscar in 2011 for lifetime achievement. In 1971, he became the second Black actor to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, following Sidney Poitier. And in 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor.

Despite being celebrated for his iconic deep voice, Jones struggled with a stutter in his childhood, making it difficult for him to speak. Born in Mississippi in January 1931, Jones was virtually mute for several years, relying on handwritten notes to communicate with teachers and classmates. Fortunately, his high school teacher, Donald Crouch, helped him overcome his speech impediment, encouraging him to recite poetry aloud to rebuild his confidence and voice.

The Broadway star achieved his first major breakthrough in 1970, winning the Best Actor Tony Award for his portrayal of a Jack Johnson-inspired boxer in the play The Great White Hope. Over the next decade, Jones cemented his reputation as one of the era’s foremost Shakespearean actors.

Jones’s film debut came in 1964 with a minor role in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, where he played a bombardier on a nuclear-armed aircraft. He went on to take several prominent film roles, appearing in The Comedians, The Man, Claudine, and The Greatest—a biopic starring Muhammad Ali in which Jones portrayed Malcolm X.

However, it wasn’t until 1977 that Jones really got his big break. While filming Star Wars, British bodybuilder David Prowse, who played Darth Vader, didn’t quite have the menacing tone needed for the role. So, George Lucas asked Jones to come in and lend his legendary voice to the character.

“I knew the voice had to be very, very special,” Lucas said in 2015 at an American Theatre Wing gala honoring Jones. “It was a tough choice, but in the end, it was a really easy choice. It was really a choice between Orson Welles and James Earl Jones. James Earl Jones won hands down. He created, with very little dialogue, one of the greatest villains that ever lived.”

Jones provided the iconic voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy—A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi—as well as in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special and several animated releases.

Jones lent his distinctive voice to other iconic roles as well, including Mufasa in The Lion King and as the narrator for CNN. Coming to America, Field of Dreams, and The Hunt for Red October are just some of his memorable on-screen credits.

Kevin Costner is one of many friends and colleagues who have posted a public tribute to the legendary actor, writing of his Field of Dreams co-star, “That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I’ll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams.

If you’ve seen it, you know that this movie wouldn’t be the same with anyone else in his role. Only he could bring that kind of magic to a movie about baseball and a corn field in Iowa. I’m grateful to have been a witness to him making that magic happen.

Rest in peace, friend.”