James Earl Jones, the revered actor who voiced some of the most iconic characters in film history and appeared in an array of movies and TV shows, has died. He was 93.
His representative confirmed his death to ABC News and Deadline on Sept. 9.
Jones, born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, is known by many as the voice of Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” franchise and as Mufasa in “The Lion King.” He is also a three-time Tony Award winner, two-time Emmy Award winner and one-time Grammy Award winner.
Jones and his family moved to Michigan when he was 5, and he later attended the University of Michigan, where he “found himself drawn to the theater,” according to the Academy of Achievement.
In 1952, he became the first African American to lead a play at the university. It was among the first times he broke barriers for Black actors.
Prior to attending college, Jones joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He expected to be deployed to fight in the Korean War after college and took part in cold-weather training at Camp Hale in Colorado.
“I took to the physical challenge, so much so that I wanted to stay there, testing myself in that awesome environment, mastering the skills of survival,” he told the Army. “I loved the austere beauty of the mountains and the exhilaration of the weather and the altitude. I didn’t mind the rigors of the work or the pioneer-like existence. I thought it was a good life.”
Jones became a second lieutenant but was never deployed to Korea. Instead, he moved to New York City to pursue his passion of acting.
He first made his mark on the Broadway stage in 1957. Referred to by The Kennedy Center as “one of the most (in-demand) actors” of his time, he once appeared in 19 plays over a two-year span.
“It’s not just his physical size that is imposing, what clinches the impression is the elemental force he brings to his roles,” The Washington Post theater writer David Richards once said. “Jones’ resonant voice is capable of moving in seconds from boyish ingenuousness to near-biblical rage and somehow suggesting all the gradations in between.”
Jones won his first Tony Award in 1969 for his role in “The Great White Hope,” which he would later take to the big screen. His performance of boxer Jack Jefferson earned him his first Academy Award nomination in 1970.
The 1970s was a triumphant decade for Jones, who first gave voice to Darth Vader in 1977. The villainous role is considered one of the most iconic in film history.
“George (Lucas) thought he wanted, pardon the expression, a darker voice,” Jones told the American Film Institute. “So he hires a guy born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. And that’s the voice. That’s me.”
He starred alongside the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eddie Murphy and Kevin Costner in films throughout the 1980s — “Conan the Barbarian,” “Coming to America” and “Field of Dreams.”
All the while, Jones continued to appear on Broadway. He won his second Tony award in 1987 for his role of Troy Maxson in “Fences.”
His iconic voice became instantly recognizable to a younger generation in the 1990s, when he voiced Mufasa in “The Lion King.” He also appeared in the kid’s baseball movie “The Sandlot.”
Another memorable role for Jones was Admiral Greer, the authoritarian figure in “The Hunt For Red October” and its two sequels. He went on to appear in dozens of TV series throughout the 90s and 2000s.
Jones received the National Medal of the Arts at the White House in 1992. In 2003, he received the Kennedy Center Honor.
“People say that the voice of the president is the most recognized voice in America. Well, I’m not going to make that claim in the presence of James Earl Jones,” then-President George W. Bush said at the time.
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