James Earl Jones, Pioneering Actor With Over 190 Credited Roles Passes Away at 93

Over the last few hours, I've been reflecting on the life of James Earl Jones, who passed away earlier today at the age of 93. This is an actor who played several roles before and during my lifetime that have touched millions of people in the world. Most will remember the heavy-handed voice that bellowed from his chest and powered the Dark Side in 'Star Wars.'

Darth Vader would be the role that would define his legacy, although it was one that originally had a $7000 uncredited payout and not much care from Jones, who said many times (including in the interview below) that he "recorded Darth Vader in a couple of hours." After the first film was a massive success, that payout increased considerably. In recent years, Jones agreed to have his voice recreated by AI and used for the iconic role until the end of eternity. So, no fear, 'Star Wars' fans, Vader will live on.

That voice was iconic, but the sound that will never be forgotten that came from James Earl Jones had meager begginnings as a small boy with a studdering problem. In fact, Jones didn't speak for eight years as he struggled with the issue before being accused of plagiarism by a high school teacher.

According to the Washington Post:

He discovered his love of performing in high school when a teacher, in an effort to draw him out, called on Mr. Jones to recite a few lines of poetry composed by the young student. Mr. Jones, then 14, was shocked at the sudden confidence in his voice. “The written word is safe for the stutterer,” he later observed. “The script is a sanctuary.”

I found that article from the Post interesting and full of things I didn't know about Jones, including the fact that he was originally a medical student before switching over to drama as a major because of the influence his grandfather had over him. I'd say that was a good move on his part, as now Jones has over 100 credited roles listed on his IMDb page.

My favorite roles outside of him voicing Vader were easily Terence Mann in 'Fields of Dreams' and Admiral Greer in the Jack Ryan Trilogy during the late 1980s-early 1990s alongside Alec Baldwin first, then Harrison Ford. Fact is, his most iconic role may have come in 1972 when he played the first Black President of the United States, "Douglass Dilman" in 'The Man.'

Jones will forever live on for me, not only as an American Icon but also as a worldly one who helped mold film across several decades of work, winning two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Honorary Academy Award. The video above is a commercial he did in the 1980s that my dad used to always reference when we were fishing—good memories for me of a time passed.

Rest in Peace
James Earl Jones
January 17, 1931 - September 9. 2024