Legendary actor James Earl Jones, best known for his innumerable movie roles and the booming voice of the character of Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” franchise, has died, his representative confirmed to ABC News. He was 93.
The office of his agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed the death in a statement. From destitute days working in a diner and living in a $19-a-month cold-water flat, Mr. Jones climbed to Broadway and Hollywood stardom with talent, drive and remarkable vocal cords. He was abandoned as a child by his parents, raised by a racist grandmother and mute for years in his stutterer’s shame, but he learned to speak again with a herculean will. All had much to do with his success.
Widely regarded as among the world’s great stage and screen actors Jones is one of the few entertainers to have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), though his Academy Award was Honorary. Jones has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Daytime Emmy, a spoken-word Grammy Award in 1977 and three Tony Awards.
The actor amassed nearly 200 screen credits during his brilliant 60-year career, starting some early-’60s TV guest roles and Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). He probably is best known for his voice role as the dastardly Darth Vader in George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars (1977) The Empire Strikes Back, 1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). He also reprised the villainous role in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and TV’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars: Rebels.
Movie fans will remember such chilling, immortal Vader quotes as “When I left you, I was but the learner — now I am the master,” “I find your lack of faith disturbing” and, of course, “No, I am your father.” Under the artistic and competitive demands of daily stage work and heavy commitments to television and Hollywood — pressures that burn out many actors — Mr. Jones was a rock. He once appeared in 18 plays in 30 months. He often made a half-dozen films a year, in addition to his television work. And he did it for a half-century, giving thousands of performances that captivated audiences, moviegoers and critics.
Jones also voiced “The Lion King‘s” Mufasa in both the 1994 animated pic and 2019 hybrid remake. Among his dozens of other films are “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings” (1976), “A Piece of the Action” (1977), “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Soul Man” (1986), “Coming to America” (1988), “The Hunt for Red October” (1990), “Patriot Games” (1992), “Sneakers” (1992), “The Sandlot” (1993), “Clear and Present Danger” (1994), “Judge Dredd” (1995), “Gang Related” (1997) and “Coming 2 America” (2021).
He also lent his sonorous voice to the famous “This is CNN” promo campaign for the cable news network and recurring as the narrator on “Third Rock from the Sun”. He also appeared on “The Simpsons” three times.
Among his scores of TV are guest roles on such classics series as The Big Bang Theory, House, Two and a Half Men, Homicide: Life on the Street, Frasier, Touched by an Angel, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Picket Fences, Law & Order, Sesame Street, Highway to Heaven, NYPD Blue; daytime soaps Guiding Light and As the World Turns; and miniseries Roots: The Next Generation and Jesus of Nazareth.
He was nominated for a Lead Actor Oscar for his role in “The Great White Hope” (1971) and was given an honorary Oscar at the 2012 ceremony. An eight-time Emmy nominee, his two wins both came in 1991: Lead Actor in a Drama series for Gabriel’s Fire and Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for Heat Wave. The Great White Hope, in which he played a lightly fictionalized version of heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, was Jones’ breakthrough role. He also starred in the 1970 film adaptation, his first leading role on the big screen.
Jones married twice. His second wife, Cecilia Hart, died in 2016 after 34 years of marriage. The couple is survived by their son, Flynn Earl Jones.
