In Memory of James Earl Jones, an Acting Legend for the Ages
By Joseph Montgomery
When an entertainment icons passes on, their passing leaves an impact within popular culture as massive and significant as their accomplishments during their lifetime. Even after death, such icons live on through the legacies they leave behind ― legacies defined by roles and performances that captivate and influence the imagination of many.
Such is the case with the recent passing of James Earl Jones, an actor widely revered for his one-of-a-kind voice best associated with larger-than-life roles such as Darth Vader from “Star Wars” and Mufasa from “The Lion King.”
As confirmed by his representative, Barry McPherson, in an article by Variety, the actor passed away on September 09, 2024 at his home in Dutchess County, New York at the age of 93. McPherson also shared a statement for USA Today confirming Jones’ passing, although the cause behind it was not disclosed.
“He passed this morning surrounded by his loved ones,” McPherson shared in his statement. “He was a great man.”
Many honored and offered their condolences to the late actor via social media, including various celebrities such as Mark Hamill, LeVar Burton, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
On September 26, the lights of every theater on Broadway were dimmed at 6:45 P.M. Eastern Time for a single minute to pay tribute to the actor. "James Earl Jones was a true pillar of the Broadway industry, providing unforgettable experiences to multiple generations of theatregoers — all while accumulating many well-deserved honors, awards, and achievements for his iconic performances in other entertainment fields," Jason Laks, Interim President of The Broadway League, shared in a statement regarding Jones' passing. "While we acknowledge and celebrate Mr. Jones’ significant legacy across multiple mediums, we are particularly proud of his legacy on Broadway, and are grateful for the many memorable performances with which he graced our stages."
Despite the greatness Jones achieved as an actor for both the stage and screen, it was the hardships from his own upbringing that ultimately shaped his rise to stardom.
James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, Mississippi. Before Jones’ birth, however, his father Robert Earl Jones left the family “to become an actor in New York and Hollywood,” an article from CNN explains. Furthermore he was “working with playwright Langston Hughes and eventually earning supporting roles in hit movies including ‘The Sting."
At the age of five, Jones moved to Dublin, Michigan, to live with his grandparents. “I was an adopted child of my grandparents, and I don’t know how I can ever express my gratitude for that because my parents would have been a mess,” he explained in an interview for the Academy of Achievement.
Jones also explained in the interview how he began to experience uncertainty with thoughts of his own life due to the frequent discussions between his grandparents regarding his own future, “and that began to bother me when I’d hear those discussions at night. ‘Where should James Earl go?’”
Such concerns and anxieties left Jones in a state of trauma to the point where he developed a stutter. He was nearly regarded as mute until his years spent in high school, during which poetry teacher Donald Crouch helped Jones triumph over his disability by encouraging him to read poems aloud to others.
“He began to challenge me, to nudge me toward speaking again, and by using my own poetry — and then other poets because he himself… was a poet,” the actor shared about his memories with Crouch. “He himself said he learned a poem a day. In case he went blind, he’d have a whole book of poems in his head. And he nudged me toward that, toward acknowledging and appreciating the beauty of words.
When overcoming his disability, Jones was unsure of how to feel from such an accomplishment. "I didn’t know if I was happy or not. I was in shock and awe," he elaborated in his interview with the Academy of Achievement. "I won’t put a pleasure label to it. I was in trouble."
This accomplishment arguably marked the beginning of his escalation towards greatness as an influential actor.
After high school, Jones decided to pursue acting, following the footsteps of his father. After studying acting at the University of Michigan, he moved to New York in 1957, where he began to star in Shakespearean stage productions. Jones also began to star in movies around that time, starting with his premier in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 dark comedy “Dr. Strangelove” as the bombardier Lieutenant Lothar Zogg.
Jones won his first ever Tony for his performance in the 1967 production of “The Great White Hope,” in which he starred as African-American boxer Jack Johnson who experiences hardships due to his romantic relationship with a white woman. He went on to reprise the role three years later in a big-screen adaptation of the play, and was even given his first and only Oscar nomination for his performance.
Jones’ first big break, however, arguably involved his vocal work as Darth Vader, the iconic villain of the classic “Star Wars” trilogy from the mid-1970’s and early 1980’s. Originally, English actor David Prowse — who wore the iconic costume for the villain on set for the trilogy — was given the opportunity to speak Vader’s lines for the first film from 1977. According to Jones in an interview for the American Film Institute, however, George Lucas then decided that “he wanted a — pardon the expression — darker voice” for the character."
After the first “Star Wars” film — currently titled “A New Hope” — was a massive hit, Jones went on to reprise his vocal role as Vader for the following sequels, “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. He also reprised the role in other installments in the “Star Wars” franchise, from the spin-off film “Rogue One” in 2016 to the Disney Plus-exclusive limited series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” in 2022.
Jones is also widely recognized for his vocal work in Disney’s animated classic “The Lion King,” in which he voiced the protagonist Simba’s father Mufasa. In fact, he was the only one of the actors of the original film who went on to reprise the role for Disney’s remake in 2019.
Jones' performances as Vader and Mufasa across the decades proved how synonymous those roles are with his voice, even to the point where he reprised such roles across the decades for new generations to experience; while his voice defines the threatening power and dominance of an iconic villain, it also compliments the gravitas and calmness of an influential king and father-figure.
Jones performed other vocal roles for a variety of animated works such as Blue Sky’s 2005 film “Robots”; the Rankin/Bass fantasy movie “The Flight of Dragons”; various segments in a couple of “Treehouse of Horror” specials for “The Simpsons”; and the two-part Christmas special of Disney Channel’s “Recess” from 1998.
He is also remembered fondly for roles in numerous other iconic films across different genres — with primary instances including “Field of Dreams”; “The Sandlot”; “The Hunt for Red October”; “Conan the Barbarian”; and “Coming to America.”
Along with his Tony for his performance in “The Great White Hope,” Jones won another Tony for his performance in the 1987 production of “Fences” and a Lifetime Achievement Tony in 2017. He also won two Emmys, one Golden Globe, and even one Honorary Academy Award in 2012.
In 2019, Jones was inducted into the Disney Legends Hall of Fame for his vocal performances within various properties made or owned by Disney.
“From the gentle wisdom of Mufasa to the menacing threat of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones gave voice to some of the greatest characters in cinema history,” Bob Iger, the current CEO of The Walt Disney Company, shared in a statement regarding the actor’s passing. “A celebrated stage actor with nearly 200 film and television credits to his name, the stories he brought to life with a uniquely commanding presence and a true richness of spirit have left an indelible mark on generations of audiences. On behalf of all of us at Disney, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
With such a one-of-a-kind voice and a multitude of unforgettable roles and characters, James Earl Jones has left a massive impact as a world-famous actor. Surely, his legacy and accomplishments will never be forgotten for years upon years to come.