James Earl Jones, American actor who voiced Darth Vader and Mufasa, has died at 93

CULTURE – American actor and theater man James Earl Jones, iconic voice of Darth Vader in the saga Star Wars or Mufasa in the cartoon The Lion Kingdied at the age of 93, his agents announced on Monday, September 9.

The African-American actor, often sporting a chevron moustache, is known for his long career both on the silver screen and on stage. However, nothing predestined him to become one of the most iconic voices in the history of cinema: until he was 8 years old, young James Earl Jones hardly spoke due to a severe stutter.

Born in 1931 in Mississippi, a segregated state in the South, James Earl Jones moved with his family to Michigan, in the northern United States, at the age of 5. He eventually regained control of his speech through the recitation of poems, at the initiative of his English teacher, himself a poet.

Broadway Debut

“I didn’t think I would become an actor. Even when I started studying acting, I imagined myself as a soldier. And the idea of ​​becoming an actor didn’t come to me until almost the end of my military service.”explained James Earl Jones in 1998 to the American public channel PBS.

After completing his enlistment in the US Army with the rank of lieutenant, he moved to New York in the mid-1950s to attempt to become an actor, while working at night as a janitor. I have cleaned quite a few toilets”he told NPR radio in 2014.

The actor made his Broadway debut in 1958 with the play Sunrise at Campobello at the Cort Theatre, renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in 2022. Between 1961 and 1964, he played in New York in The Blacksthe play by Jean Genet entitled The Negroes in French, alongside the poet Maya Angelou in particular.

Member of the “EGOT” club

His first film role came with Dr. Strangelove by Stanley Kubrick, where he plays Lieutenant Zogg aboard a B-52 bomber. His first recognition in the industry came in 1969 with his victory at the Tony Awards, American theater awards, for his title role in the play The Insurgent.

In total, the actor would be nominated four times for Tony Awards between 1969 and 2012, and would win two, as well as a special Tony for his entire career in 2017. The cinema also distinguished him in 2011 with an honorary Oscar. He is one of the rare actors in the “EGOT” club, that is to say holders of the four flagship awards of the profession: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.

His most iconic role, however, would never see him appear on screen. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, chose him, after considering Orson Welles, to play the voice of the man who would become the most famous villain in the history of cinema, Darth Vader.

The sepulchral voice of Darth Vader, and his famous “I am your father”thrown at Luke during a lightsaber fight, have left their mark on millions of movie fans. “Rest in peace, dad”reacted on X the actor Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker.

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