James Earl Jones, the booming baritone famous for voicing characters like Darth Vader and Mufasa, tragically passed on September 9th, 2024, at 93. He’s well-known for being in films such as Coming to America, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Though it’s clear he’s most famous for being the voice of Darth Vader.
But his voice wasn’t something he used to take pride in, it was quite the opposite. So, rewinding to 1936, Jones was just whisked away from his hometown, Arkabutla, Mississippi, and taken in by his grandparents up north in Michigan. This big move caused him to develop quite a stutter, he was mute until high school. That was until a poetry teacher taught him how to speak properly, Jones recalls this experience in an interview with Achievement “He began to challenge me, to nudge me toward speaking again … toward acknowledging and appreciating the beauty of words,”. After high school, he went to the University of Michigan and took drama, where he learned the beauty of acting.
Shortly after he went to New York, where he landed a multitude of roles in Shakespearean stage productions, his big break there would be landing Othello in the play Othello. Though this is nothing compared to characters he’d play after his rocket to stardom in film. His first film debut was being a bombardier in “Dr. Strangelove” in 1964. But that’s nothing too big. Jones’ next big role was playing a boxer, Jackson Johnson, in the theatrical production of “The Big White Hope”. It was a career-changing role that was so good it got him a Tony. He became the second African-American man to be nominated for an Academy Award. So in the 70s and on he built up a career in film, his energy never slowing for the following 5 decades.
He’s been in so many memorable films, yet they all don’t stand up to the one and only; Star Wars. Jones plays the antagonist, Darth Vader, a ruler of the Imperial Forces, holding Princess Leia hostage to suppress the rebellion against the Galactic Forces. So Luke Skywalker and Han Solo work with R2-D2 and C-3PO to help rescue Leia, help the Rebel Alliance, and restore freedom and justice to the galaxy. His role as Darth Vader is by far the most memorable out of every film he’s been in, his deep voice perfectly complimenting Darth Vader’s antagonistic nature. Speaking of his voice, Jones (and Lucas) discusses his thoughts behind the character in an interview “I wanted to make Darth Vader more interesting, more subtle, more psychologically oriented,” Jones said. “He (Lucas) said, ‘No, no … you’ve got to keep his voice on a very narrow band of inflection, ‘cause he ain’t human.”. Nobody knew of the fame Star Wars would gain, with Jones’s name not even being in the credits (though that’s because he was humble, but he’s still very remembered for voicing Darth Vader) and only being paid $7,000. Either way, his resonating voice has become very well-known throughout the years, and probably the most recognizable out of all voice actors.
