James Earl Jones, renowned American actor most known for voicing Darth Vader in Star Wars, died at age 93.
The news comes out of Duchess County, NY where Jones’ agent Barry McPherson says he passed Monday morning surrounded by his family.
Jones was well regarded for his great on-stage and on-screen performances. He most notably starred in films such as Star Wars, The Man, Conan The Barbarian, Matewan, Coming to America, Field of Dreams and others. Jones participated in Broadway plays including Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus, and King Lear.
Star Wars fan James McClellan was sad to hear about his passing. “I remember watching the original Star Wars movies in the theaters and the voice of Darth Vader was so cool to me.”
Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi on Jan. 17, 1931. His parents split before his birth, and he went on to live with his maternal grandparents in Michigan at age 5 during the Great Migration. The move was said to be traumatic for him as he developed a stutter which caused him to barely speak from ages 6 to 14. Jones credited his overcoming of the stutter to an English teacher in high school when he learned that Jones wrote poetry. The teacher encouraged Jones to read aloud his poetry to the class to regain his power of speech.
Jones began his acting career in 1953 at Ramsdell Theatre, in Manistee, Michigan. He made his Broadway debut in 1957 with a minor role in a play called The Egghead. Jones participated in various Shakespearean plays throughout the 60s and was thought of as one of the best Shakespearean actors of the time.
In 1977, his life and career changed as he voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope. The movie was a huge success, and he reprised the role in the sequel films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi although he was not credited for the role until the third film due to his discretion. He would later participate in box office hits such as Terrence Mann in Field of Dreams, Mr. Mertle in The Sandlot and Mufasa in The Lion King.
Long time watcher Sarah McLaughlin said, “My children have watched a lot of his roles in movies and really enjoyed them. It’s sad to hear but I believe he lived a very impactful life.”
