James Earl Jones, the highly regarded actor with a very distinctive voice, passed away on September 9th at the age of ninety-three. He made a great impact on the stage and screen throughout his long career but it was his voice work he provided for the villainous character, Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” film series that he will probably be best remembered.
Born in Mississippi, he was the son of Robert Earl Jones, who left the family when he was child and went on to have an acting career during the Harlem Renaissance and worked with Langston Hughes. Jones would not reconnect with his father until he was in his twenties when they reconciled their relationship. Jones had ended up going on to live with his grandparents on a farm in Michigan shortly after his father left. These traumatic events caused the young Jones to develop a stutter. While in high school, an English teacher encouraged Jones to read poetry aloud in class which helped cure him of his stuttering.
He attended the University of Michigan and initially had a pre-med major. But soon discovered he was not cut out to become a doctor, shifting his focus on the theater. After serving in Korea, Jones headed to New York to attempt a career as an actor and studying at the American Theatre Wing. He soon found work, appearing on Broadway and becoming well known as an accomplished Shakespearean performer. Jones made his film debut in 1964 in Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb". But his major breakthrough came through the play, "The Great White Hope" where he played a fictionalized version of Jack Johnson who became the first black world heavyweight boxing champion. The play went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Jones won the 1969 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He went on to recreate the role for a film adaptation of the play, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Jones' career would take off, appearing in the films, "The Man" (about a senator who unexpectedly becomes the first African-American president of the United States), "Claudine" with Diahann Carroll, "The River Niger", "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings" and "The Greatest". He was hired to do a voiceover for Darth Vader in "Star Wars" after director George Lucas decided the voice of actor, David Prowse, who appeared on screen as the character, was not suitable. Jones had initially declined to be acknowledged for his role but by the third movie, he received a screen credit.
Another film that utilized Jones' iconic voice was in Disney's 1994 animated blockbuster, "The Lion King" with the role of Mufasa, Simba's father. Other screen highlights include "Matewan", "Field of Dreams", "Coming to America", "The Hunt for Red October", "Sneakers" and "Clear and Present Danger". One of Jones' last film performances was in the sequel to "Coming to America", "Coming 2 America" in 2021. Jones also continued to do stage work throughout his career with his final appearance was in "The Gin Game" with Cicely Tyson in 2015. The Cort Theatre on Broadway was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in 2022 in his honor.
