James Earl Jones, the renowned artist who appeared in a number of movies and TV shows and voiced some of the most famous characters in video history, has passed away. He was 93.
His agent confirmed his passing on September 9 to ABC News and Deadline.
Jones, born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, is known by many as the voice of Darth Vader in the original” Star Wars” franchise and as Mufasa in” The Lion King”. He is also a three-time Tony Award win, two-time Emmy Award winner and one-time Grammy Award winner.
Jones and his family relocated to Michigan when he was five, and he afterward attended the University of Michigan, where, according to the Academy of Achievement, he “found himself drawn to the theatre.”
In 1952, he became the first African American to direct a play at the school. One of his earliest breaks through barriers for Black stars was this.
Prior to attending school, Jones joined the Reserve Officers ‘ Education Corps. After graduating from college, he anticipated being deployed to the Korean War and participated in cold-weather education at Camp Hale in Colorado.
” I took to the real issue, so much so that I wanted to stay that, testing myself in that wonderful environment, mastering the skills of survival”, he told the Army. I adored the rugged beauty of the peaks and the adrenaline-pumping level. I did n’t mind the rigors of the work or the pioneer-like existence. I thought the life was good.
Jones enlisted as a minute colonel, but he never went to Korea. Otherwise, he moved to New York City to pursue his love of acting.
He made his initial appearance on Broadway in 1957. Referred to by The Kennedy Center as “one of the most ( in-demand ) actors” of his time, he once appeared in 19 plays over a two-year span.
The primal power he brings to his tasks is what The Washington Post theatre writer David Richards once said,” It’s not just his natural size that is imposing, what clinches the feeling is what he brings to his jobs.” Jones ‘ melodic voice “is capable of moving in moments from juvenile ingenuity to near-biblical trend and apparently suggesting all the variances in between.”
In 1969, Jones won his first Tony Award for his role in” The Great White Hope,” which he would later reprise on screen. His boxing career led to his first Academy Award nomination in 1970 for Jack Jefferson.
For Jones, who gave Darth Vader his first speech in 1977, the 1970s were a joyous decade. One of the most recognizable roles in cinematic history is the evil one.
” George ( Lucas ) thought he wanted, pardon the expression, a darker voice”, Jones told the American Film Institute. ” So he hires a person born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. And that’s the message. That’s me”.
He starred alongside the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eddie Murphy and Kevin Costner in pictures throughout the 1980s —” Conan the Barbarian”,” Coming to America” and” Field of Goals”.
All the while, Jones continued to appear on Broadway. For his part as Troy Maxson in” Fences,” he received his second Tony nomination in 1987.
In the 1990s, when he portrayed Mufasa in” The Lion King,” his classic speech was instantly recognisable to younger generations. He even appeared in the boy’s sports video” The Sandlot”.
Another wonderful role for Jones was Admiral Greer, the autocratic find in” The Hunt For Red October” and its two sequel. In the 1990s and 2000s, he continued to appear in lots of TV shows.
In 1992, Jones was presented with the National Medal of the Art at the White House. In 2003, he received the Kennedy Center Honor.
” People claim that the president’s speech is the most well-known speech in America. Also, I’m not going to make that claim in the presence of James Earl Jones”, then-President George W. Bush said at the time.
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