One of the most famous voices of all time has gone silent.
James Earl Jones, the prolific film, TV and theatre actor whose resonant, unmistakable baritone was most widely known as the voice of “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader, died yesterday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York.
He was 93.
A contemporary of Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, Jones didn’t land the same coveted leading roles at a time when there were few to go around for Black actors in Hollywood, but he earned unmatched longevity as a character actor, from his first movie credit in 1964’s “Dr Strangelove” to the reprisal of his role as King Joffer in the 2021 sequel to “Coming to America.”
According to his co-star in the 1986 comedy “Soul Man, Rae Dawn Chong, Jones doesn’t get enough credit for being a pathblazer for actors like Denzel Washington, who came after him.
While he earned two Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, an honorary Academy Award and a Grammy over his long career, he may be best remembered for an uncredited role in “Star Wars” — supplying the voice for Darth Vader, which has reverberated far beyond that galaxy far, far away.
[Source: Variety.com]
