America’s greatest actor James Earl Jones – whose deep, resonant voice once voiced the dark lord Darth Vader in Star Wars – has died at the age of 93. As the king of cinema, Jones was a voice in history, carrying messages of love and self-respect.

Jones has also starred on stage, in classics such as The Great White Hope , The Lion King , and has won two Tony Awards during his career.

The most unique voice

James Earl Jones died at his home in Dutchess County, New York (USA) on September 9 – according to an announcement from his representative. The announcement did not state the cause of death.

Among those paying tribute to Jones was Star Wars creator George Lucas, who praised him as “an incredible actor and a unique voice, both artistically and spiritually.” Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader’s son, in Star Wars , said: “Rest in peace, Dad.”

Legendary actor James Earl Jones celebrates his two Emmy awards in 1991

“That resonant voice. That quiet strength. The kindness he radiated,” wrote Kevin Costner, Jones’ co-star in Field of Dreams . “There’s so much that could be said about his legacy, so I just want to say how incredibly grateful I am to have been a part of it, including Field of Dreams .”

Actress Octavia Spencer paid tribute to Jones’s immense impact on cinema, while actor Colman Domingo described him as “a master of our craft. We stand on his shoulders. Rest in peace. You gave it your all.”

Jones was not actually the original choice for the role of Vader. British bodybuilder David Prowse was cast in the first film, released in 1977, because of his massive physique. However, director George Lucas was unhappy with Prowse’s thick West Country accent.

So Jones was tasked with recreating Vader’s menacing lines, nailing the immortal villain’s signature line as soon as he opened his mouth. Not a big name at the time, Jones considered himself a “special effects” and didn’t get credit until the third Star Wars film, The Return of the Jedi , in 1983.

In total, Jones’ voice can be heard in six Star Wars films , including the original trilogy, plus The Revenge of the Sith (2005), Rogue One (2016), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019) — as well as the Holiday Special (1978) and the Star Wars: Rebels television series that aired from 2014 to 2018.

James Earl Jones is the voice behind the dark lord Darth Vader

Jones also had great success with another voice role: Mufasa in Disney’s 1994 animated film The Lion King , a voice that has been remembered for generations. He reprised the role in the 2019 remake directed by Jon Favreau, bringing a familiar feel to the story.

“Like Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte or Paul Robeson, Jones was an African-American actor whose great voice was the key to his dignity and self-respect as a performer. It was the way his characters rose above racism and cruelty” – film critic Peter Bradshaw paid tribute to Jones.

In 2011, Oscar-nominated actor Alec Baldwin called Jones “one of the greatest actors in American history”.

Outstanding black man

By the time he voiced Mufasa, James Earl Jones had already achieved great fame and a considerable career as a stage actor.

Born in Mississippi in 1931, Jones grew up in Michigan after his family moved there during the Great Migration. His father was actor Robert Earl Jones, who appeared in Langston Hughes’s play Don’t You Want to be Free?, as well as a series of films by African-American film pioneer Oscar Micheaux and several notable Hollywood films including The Sting , as conman Luther Coleman. However, Jones’ father abandoned the family before Jones was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 and they had little contact until the 1950s.

James Earl Jones (right) and Vanessa Redgrave in “Driving Miss Daisy” in 2011

Jones suffered from a stutter as a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, but he overcame it with the help of a teacher. After studying drama at the University of Michigan and a stint in the military, Jones quickly established himself as a stage performer, making his Broadway debut in 1958 with a small role in Sunrise at Campobello .

Jones performed in a number of major productions in the 1960s, including Jean Genet’s The Blacks , Bertolt Brecht’s Baal and Georg Buchner’s Danton’s Death . He also appeared in many Shakespeare plays on Broadway, including The Merchant of Venice , Coriolanus , The Winter’s Tale and, most famously, in Othello in 1964.

At the same time, Jones began to find roles on screen. His first role was as pilot Lothar Zogg in Stanley Kubrick’s nuclear war satire Dr Strangelove .

In 1967, Jones landed what could be considered his defining stage role—boxer Jack Jefferson, modeled after real-life legend Jack Johnson, in Howard Sackler’s play The Great White Hope .

Jones won the Tony Award for Best Actor in 1969, and then reprised the role in the 1970 film adaptation directed by Martin Ritt. This time, he received another Oscar nomination for Best Actor, becoming only the second black actor to be nominated for the award.

The film also established Jones as a leading man in Hollywood, and he took advantage of the new opportunities available to African-American actors at the time. He appeared in The Man as a senator who becomes the first black president, and in Claudine , a romantic comedy opposite Diahann Carroll (who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her role).

Star Wars and its sequels cemented Jones’ presence in mainstream cinema. He also cemented his reputation with a series of supporting roles in major films, becoming one of the most prominent black American actors of the 1980s and 1990s. He played the villain Thulsa Doom opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian , Eddie Murphy’s father in Coming to America , author Terence Mann in Field of Dreams and the deputy director of the CIA in The Hunt for Red October .

James Earl Jones (right) and Jane Alexander in “The Great White Hope”

Jones continued to appear on stage whenever he could: He starred in August Wilson’s Fences , won his second Tony in 1987 for his role as garbage man Troy Maxson, and played chauffeur Hoke Colburn in Driving Miss Daisy in 2010. In 2013, he played Benedick, opposite Vanessa Redgrave in Mark Rylance’s Much Ado About Nothing .

Jones, who died at the age of 93, left behind a prolific body of work, as one of America’s most versatile actors in stage, film and television. He is also one of the most admired American actors of all time. In 2011, Oscar nominee Alec Baldwin called him “one of the greatest actors in American history.”

Jones was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1985, and has been honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, the Honorary Academy Award in 2011, and numerous other prestigious awards.

Moreover, his work is credited with having a major impact on African Americans. Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis said Jones’ career reflected “black excellence.”

“Like a black angel. Even when tormented by suffering, his presence has an almost moral force, and his voice cries out human anguish in a nɑƙeɗ way,” said critic Clive Barnes of Jones’ performances.

Personal life and health

In 1968, Jones married actress and singer Julienne Marie – whom he met while performing in Othello – in 1964. They had no 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren and divorced in 1972. Ten years later, he married actress Cecilia Hart, with whom he had a son, Flynn, also an actor. Hart died of ovarian cancer in 2016. Jones has since lived with his son.

In April 2016, Jones spoke publicly for the first time in nearly 20 years about his long battle with type 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed with the disease in the mid-1990s, after doctors discovered he had fallen asleep while working out at the gym.