James Earl Jones, the legendary actor known for his powerful voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King, has died at 93.
Jones was celebrated as one of the greatest actors of his generation. His career ranged from Shakespeare on stage to blockbuster films in Hollywood. He’s one of the few to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award—an elite status known as “EGOT.”
The news of his death was reported by Deadline through his representatives at Independent Artist Group.
Born on January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, Mississippi, James Earl Jones grew up in Dublin, Michigan with his grandparents. Despite becoming one of the world’s most recognizable voices, he struggled with a stutter as a child. “I was a stutterer. I couldn’t talk,” Jones shared in a 1996 interview.
“So my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school.” A teacher helped him overcome his stutter by encouraging him to read poetry aloud.
After serving in the US Army during the Korean War, Jones decided to become an actor. He studied at the American Theatre Wing while working as a janitor to support himself. By the 1960s, he was a prominent Shakespearean actor, playing roles like Othello and King Lear. He also made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 comedy Dr. Strangelove, where he played Lt. Lothar Zogg.
In 1967, Jones starred as a boxer in The Great White Hope, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He reprised the role in the 1970 film version, earning his first Academy Award nomination.
Jones’s most famous role came in Star Wars, where he voiced the iconic Darth Vader. Even though David Prowse wore the Vader costume, Jones’s deep, resonant voice made the character unforgettable. “The voice of Darth Vader is my most famous role, but it was really just a voice,” Jones said.
He continued voicing Vader for decades, including in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith, and Rogue One. In 2022, he retired from the role but allowed his voice to be used in future projects through AI and archive recordings.
Jones also voiced Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King (1994) and returned for the 2019 remake.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jones appeared in numerous films like Conan the Barbarian, Coming to America, Field of Dreams, and The Hunt for Red October. He also won his second Tony Award for his role in August Wilson’s Fences.
Jones received eight Emmy nominations for his television work and won twice in 1991 for Heat Wave and Gabriel’s Fire. He continued to shine on Broadway, starring in revivals of On Golden Pond, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Driving Miss Daisy, The Best Man, and You Can’t Take It With You.
In addition to his many awards, Jones received an Honorary Academy Award in 2011. He became one of the few to achieve EGOT status. Broadway’s Cort Theatre was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in his honor in 2022.
James Earl Jones leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. Rest in peace, James Earl Jones. Please share this story to honor his remarkable life and career. 💔
