James Earl Jones, The Voice Of Darth Vader And Mufasa, Has Passed Away At 93
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The irreplaceable James Earl Jones has passed away on September 9th at his home in Dutchess County, NY. He was born on January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, Mississippi. He moved to Dublin, Michigan at aged five with his mother, raised on his grandparent’s farm after his father left to pursue an acting career. The trauma of the early upheaval was hard on young James and he developed a severe stutter as a result. He refused to speak in high school, until Donald Crouch, local English teacher discovered his talent for poetry. James Earl Jones’ iconic baritone was born from reading his creations aloud, and a love of performing followed.
“My teacher began to challenge me, to nudge me toward speaking again … toward acknowledging and appreciating the beauty of words.” – James Earl Jones
The budding actor initially signed up as a pre-med to the University of Michigan. He switched to a drama major in junior year and spent time in the military, but thankfully due to timing of the conflicts, he completed his service on domestic soil.
James Earl Jones jumped straight into theatre after graduation. He embraced the ‘Bard’ and was in productions of Othello, King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Measure for Measure in his early years. He was steadily successful in theatre and on Broadway for the rest of his life, but he landed his first television role as a guest character in Guiding Light. His first movie, a small part in Dr Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb took another ten years. Much of the sixties was walk-ons and guest stars. Although bizarrely he was the first celebrity on Sesame Street in 1969 after he had provided test footage of the alphabet to help launch the format. When the pilot was sold, Henson then gave him a guest spot.
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Then in 1970, he got his big break.
James Earl Jones was only the second African American to be nominated for an Oscar (after the great Sydney Poitier) for his role in the boxing biopic, The Great White Hope. Although he didn’t win, he did walk away with a Golden Globe. Written by Howard Sackler, originally for the stage, James Earl Jones also starred in the Broadway version. For that, he took home a Tony.
Then in the late 1970s, George Lucas was looking around for the voice of Darth Vader, he had originally Orson Welles in mind. Considering the budget of Star Wars: Episode V – A New Hope was a measly 11 million dollars; James Earl Jones $7500 fee might have been a little bit more affordable. The actor reportedly laid down all of his lines for the first film in under two and a half hours. Despite being the most recognisable voice of the generation, he wasn’t credited on the movie for twenty years.
After Star Wars, James Earl Jones picked a string of hits, from Field of Dreams to Coming to America. It was no big surprise when in 1994, Disney came knocking. The Lion King’s Mufasa became one of his most iconic roles. The animation mimicked facial movements to create the warm but regal lion. He reportedly based the voice on his own interactions with his family. In 2019, he reprised the role for the remake (And for the sequel The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride), the only member of the cast to do so.
James Earl Jones continually showed that he didn’t take life seriously. His rich humor came through when he got to play himself in camoes like The Big Bang Theory; where he met Carrie Fisher face to face for the first time!
James Earl Jones has swept the awards board of stage and screen. Known as an EGOT, he has been decorated with Grammies, more Tonys and Emmys. He was finally completed the set recognized by the Academy in 2011 when they granted him an Honorary Lifetime Award. He worked right up until the end of his life, finally giving up the black helmet of Darth Vader after Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022. James Earl Jones passed away at the age of 93. He leaves behind a son, Flynn who also works in the industry, voicing audiobooks.
George Lucas led the tributes saying, ‘for nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being.’
Mark Hamill simply posted, ‘RIP Dad’.
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