James Earl Jones Dies At 93

Legendary actor with that iconic voice, James Earl Jones, passed away at the age of 93 in New York.  He overcame a stutter as a child to go on and have a pioneering career that spanned 60 years. Among Jones’ most memorable roles included playing King Jaffe Joffer in Coming 2 America, Mufasa in The Lion King, and roles in Dr. Strangelove, Conan the Barbarian, and Field of Dreams.

You might be stunned to hear that he was only paid $7,000 for his most famous role, as the voice of Darth Vader in 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope.  He then declined screen credit for that film and its sequel, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, out of deference to the actor who played the role on screen, David Prowse. By 1983’s Return of the Jedi, he got received credit for his work. He returned to Vader’s voice again for 2005’s Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  Jones then gave permission to Lucasfilm to use archived recordings and AI to recreate his voice for the 2022 Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.

He was recognized for more than 80 film credits leaving a lasting legacy as an EGOT winner, He earned 2 Emmys, a Grammy, an Honorary Oscar and and 3 Tony Awards.