US Theater World, Hollywood Master
Famous for 'Darth Vader' Voice
James Earl Jones, the voice actor and actor who portrayed the iconic villain Darth Vader in the classic sci-fi film series 'Star Wars,' has passed away at the age of 93.
Jones's agent, Barry McPherson, announced on the 9th (local time), "Jones passed away this morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York." The cause of Jones's death has not yet been disclosed.
Jones was born in January 1931 in Mississippi. While his voice is known worldwide today, Jones struggled with a speech disorder during his childhood. According to foreign media including AP News, Jones was adopted and raised by his grandparents after moving to Michigan at the age of six. In his autobiography, Voices and Silences, he recalled, "After moving to Michigan, my heart ached, and shortly thereafter I began to stutter."
Fortunately, Jones was able to overcome his speech disorder in high school after meeting a mentor. The mentor encouraged him by training him to read poetry aloud. Later, Jones enrolled at the University of Michigan to study theater.
After his military service, Jones moved to New York, home of Broadway, to pursue a full-fledged acting career. Early on, he was active in theater, film, and television. After appearing in the 1967 play The Great White Hope, he won the Tony Award two years later in 1969. The Tony Award is regarded as the Academy Award of the theater world.
The film that brought Jones his current fame was the Star Wars series. He played Darth Vader consecutively in the classic first film A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). Originally, the voice of Darth Vader was to be performed by the actor himself, but director George Lucas reportedly cast Jones separately, saying he wanted "a darker voice."
Jones, praised for his distinctive deep and solemn voice, also voiced Mufasa, the father of the protagonist Simba, in Disney's major animated film The Lion King in 1994. Throughout his career in American theater and Hollywood, Jones received two Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and an Academy Honorary Award. The Cort Theatre in Manhattan, New York, was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in 2022 in his honor.
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