Prolific actor James Earl Jones, best known as the voice of Darth Vader and King Mufasa, dead at 93
Published on: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
By: AFP
James Earl Jones' rich baritone will always be remembered as the iconic voices of characters Darth Vader and King Mufasa. — AFP
LOS ANGELES: James Earl Jones, the actor whose rich baritone provided the voice for Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has died at age 93, his representatives said yesterday.
Jones, who also voiced King Mufasa in Disney's animated feature The Lion King, had a prolific and varied career.
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Over six decades he worked with some of the greatest figures in cinema and theater, including Stanley Kubrick in his 1964 Cold War satire Dr Strangelove.
He also had roles in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Conan The Barbarian and the 1989 Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams.
But it was for his role as one of cinema's most famous villains that he became most widely known.
While Darth Vader's immense physicality was the result of the towering British actor David Prowse, the sinister voice that appeared to emanate from inside the reconstructed man-in-a-mask was Jones.
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And it was Jones who gave the Star Wars franchise some of its most memorable lines, including when he reveals to Luke Skywalker — played by a young Mark Hamill — “I am your father.”
Hamill took to social media this morning to share news of Jones' death, writing simply: “#Rip dad” with a broken heart emoji.
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