Legendary actor James Earl Jones, who is behind the iconic voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa from The Lion King, passed away on Monday morning at his residence in Dutchess County, New York. He was 93.
“From the gentle wisdom of Mufasa to the menacing threat of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones gave voice to some of the greatest characters in cinema history,” said Bob Iger, chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, in a statement. “A celebrated stage actor with nearly 200 film and television credits to his name, the stories he brought to life with a uniquely commanding presence and a true richness of spirit have left an indelible mark on generations of audiences.”
Born in 1931 in Mississipi, Jones had a remarkable career on stage, television and on the big screen. He starred in several films. Some notable works include Roots: The Next Generations, Field of Dreams, The Hunt for Red October, Coming To America, Conan the Barbarian, Patriot Games and The Lion King.
Jones was best known for voicing Darth Vader, one of the most famous villains in the history of cinema. Although British actor David Prowse provided Darth Vader's physical presence, it was James Earl Jones' deep, menacing voice that made the character unforgettable.
Mark Hamill, who played Vader's son Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, posted "RIP Dad" on his social media handles with a broken heart emoji. Several other actors too shared their condolences and expressed grief on his passing. Actor Bryan Cranston wrote a long post on Instagram and noted that "James was a Giant in our ranks. Revered by all for his immense talent, only to be matched by his enormous capacity to extend kindness to everyone who met him."
Kevin Costner, who co-starred with Jones in Field of Dreams, said: “That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I’ll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams." Crystal Minkoff, wife of The Lion King co-director Rob Minkoff, posted a photo of Jones holding a statue of Mufasa alongside the words: “Rest in Power, Mr Jones. You made a young animator’s dream come true when you accepted the role of Mufasa.
Colman Domingo wrote: "Thank you dear James Earl Jones for everything. A master of our craft. We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best."
Even in his later stage, James continued acting and voicing several characters. In 2019, he once again returned to voice Mufasa in Disney’s remake of The Lion King. He was the only cast member to reprise his role from the first film. He also reprised his role as King Jaffe Joffer in Coming 2 America, a remake to the 1988 classic. According to IMDb, his final credit was for voicing Darth Vader in the 2022 Disney+ mini series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Jones was among the few to win an EGOT, which means he earned an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. He won an honourary Oscar in 2011 for lifetime achievement, but he won two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Daytime Emmy, a Grammy for best spoken word album Great American Documents in 1977, and two Tony Awards for 'The Great White Hope' in 1969 and 'Fences' in 1987 on Broadway.
