Acting icon James Earl Jones’ deep sonorous voice is immediately recognizable no matter what he lends that voice to; hero, villain, or simply Jones himself.
Jones died September 9, 2024 in his Hudson Valley, New York home at the age of 93.
Born in the deep south during Depression, Jones was plagued with bigotry, racism, and Jim Crow Laws…and a severe stutter…to become one of the most iconic voices in Hollywood.
Over the course of his long career on the stage and screen, Jones has a long list of accomplishments and accolades including EGOT status with two Emmys, two Tonys and a special Lifetime Achievement Tony, a Grammy, and an honourary Oscar; has a National Medal of Arts, is a Kennedy Center Honor, a Golden Globe, six Drama Desk Awards, a Theater World Award, and a theatre on Broadway named after him.
Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 in “The Egghead” as an understudy; he earned his own stage debut the following year in “Sunrise at Campobello”. He went on to appear in “The Cool World”, “Danton’s Death”, “A Hand is on the Gate”, “The Great White Hope”, “Les Blancs”, “The Iceman Cometh”, “Of Mice and Men”, “Paul Robeson”, “A Lesson from Aloes”, “Othello”, “MASTER HAROLD…and the Boys”, “Fences”, “On Golden Pond”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “Driving Miss Daisey”, Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man”, “You Can’t Take it With You”, and his final role in 2015 in “The Gin Game”.
His role as the voice of “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader is by far his most famous and recognizable, James Earl Jones made his screen debut in 1966 and went to appear in 190 film and television productions. Those roles include the first African American to appear in a recuring role in a daytime drama – “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns”, “Dr. Strangelove”, “Dr. Kildare”, “The Great White Hope”, “Roots: The Next Generation”, “Coming to America” and “Coming 2 America”, “Field of Dreams”, the Jack Ryan films “Hunt for Red October”, “Patriot Games”, and “Clear and Present Danger”; an episode of “Sesame Street”, three episodes of “The Simpsons”, was the voice of The Unas in an episode of “Starget SG-1” and the voice of Mufasa” in the animated “The Lion King” films and video games.
He was born in a shack with no electricity in Arkabutla, Mississippi on January 17, 1931 but when he was six years old, his mother – a single parent after his father left before he was born – to Michigan and her parents. Jones’ grandparents adopted and raised him. In his autobiography, Jones spoke on the move saying, “a world ended for me, the safe world of childhood. The move from Mississippi to Michigan was supposed to be a glorious event. For me it was a heartbreak, and not long after, I began to stutter.” Speechless for years, it was a teacher in high school that worked with Jones to restore normal speech. Jones noted that after that he could not get enough of speaking; whether it be oration, debating, acting, or just speaking.
After high school, Jones attended the University of Michigan where he studied drama after not making it into pre-Med. He was also a member of the basketball team. He also service in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955.
It was after the Army that Jones moved to New York City and moved in with his father and began looking for acting jobs. Father and son waxed floors waiting for that “break” to be an actor.
Predeceased by his second wife Cecilia Hart, Jones is survived by his son Flynn Earl Jones.
Feature photo credit: The fight of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and The Emperor at Madame Tussauds
In 1993, my family and I lived in Prague for five months. It was only three years after the fall of communism, and a lot of that culture remained, so it was definitely a culture shock. CNN was on the tv from 6 to 10:00am only, and it was a lifeline. Hearing James Earl Jones’ voice saying “this in CNN International” was like an anchor.