News in Brief

James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa, dies at 93

James Earl Jones, the actor whose rich baritone provided the voice for Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has died at age 93.

A man with glasses smiles.

Actor James Earl Jones died on Monday morning at home, his agent, Barry McPherson confirmed. Source: Getty / Marianna Massey

The story: James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to The Lion King and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.

His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died on Monday morning at home. The cause was not immediately clear.

The pioneering Jones, who worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards and a Grammy, and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theatre was renamed in his honour.
The key quotes: James Earl Jones uttered the iconic "I am your father" line as Darth Vader in the Star Wars series.

In 2015, he told The Associated Press: "The need to storytell has always been with us."

"I think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn't get him."

Fascinating background: Jones was born by the light of an oil lamp in a shack in Arkabutla, Mississippi, on 17 January 1931. His father, Robert Earl Jones, had deserted his wife before the baby's arrival to pursue life as a boxer and, later, an actor.

When Jones was six, his mother took him to her parents' farm near Manistee, Michigan. His grandparents adopted the boy and raised him.

"A world ended for me, the safe world of childhood," Jones wrote in his autobiography, Voices and Silences.

"The move from Mississippi to Michigan was supposed to be a glorious event. For me, it was a heartbreak, and not long after, I began to stutter."


Share
2 min read
Published 10 September 2024 8:29am
Updated 10 September 2024 10:09am
Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends