Trailblazing Actor James Earl Jones Passes Away at 93

Trailblazing actor James Earl Jones, best known as the legendary voice of the character of Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” franchise has passed away according to his representative. He was 93 years old. 

Jones acted for more than six decades and won three Tony Awards, including a lifetime honor in 2017, two Emmys, and a Grammy. The Academy Awards recognized him for lifetime achievement in 2011.

Jones, widely known for his iconic voice on Star Wars, was born in 1931 in Mississippi and battled a chronic stutter as a child.

“People would come to the house and there’d be introductions made and I couldn’t introduce myself,” he told PBS in 2014 of just how bad the affliction was back then. 

The stutter led Jones into acting after a high school teacher used poetry to improve his speech. After college and then the Army, serving in the Korean War, Jones explored Broadway for his start in theater and the arts.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Jones was a Broadway staple. From “On Golden Pond” to “The Best Man,” his work earned four Tony nominations, winning for “The Great White Hope” in 1969 and “Fences” in 1987, and at the same time found television acclaim on “East Side/Wide.” 

In 1991, he won the Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award in the miniseries “Heat Wave” and Best Actor for the series “Gabriel’s Fire.” He also won a Daytime Emmy for the children’s special “Summer’s End” in 2000.

In 1970, Jones later received his first Oscar nomination for “The Great White Hope” playing boxer Jack Jefferson. Jones was just the second Black actor after Sidney Poitier.

In 1977, he was cast as the voice of a new villain, Darth Vader, in the space saga, “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Jones voiced the iconic lines I find your lack of faith disturbing,” and to Luke Skywalker in 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back,” his big reveal, “No, I am your father.” Jones was always humble about being the voice of the famous villain. 

“I’m simply special effects,” he told the American Film Institute in 2009 about voicing a character who was physically played by someone else.

After “Star Wars,” Jones made memorable appearances in the 1988 film “Coming to America,” “Field of Dreams” in 1989, and “The Lion King” as Mufasa years later.

Jones had almost 200 credits to his name, according to IMDB, as he stayed active for more than 60 years, including in movies like “The Sandlot,” shows like “House” and “The Simpsons,” and  2004’s “Revenge of the Sith.” He came back to voice Vader several more times in recent years, including in the animated series “Rebels,” 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” and the 2022 Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

He also reprised his role in the “Coming to America” sequel, “Coming 2 America,” in 2021.

In March 2022, it was announced that Broadway’s Cort Theatre would be renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Jones passed away on Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York, surrounded by his family. Jones is survived by his son, Flynn Earl Jones.