James Earl Jones died at the age of 93. The legendary actor is best known for his voice Star Wars‘ Darth Vader and Mufasa in The Lion KingAs well as many other notable roles. Jones was born on January 17, 1931, and got his start in television and on stage. His first movie role came in 1964 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. From that point on, he became a prominent fixture in Hollywood, with his final onscreen role in 2021. Coming 1 America.
Per TermJones died on the morning of September 9. His representatives confirmed the news. A cause of death was not provided at the time of publication, but it was confirmed that he passed away at his home in Dutchess County, New York. Tributes have begun to pour into the Internet, including one of Mark Hamillwho played Jones’ onscreen son in the original Star Wars Movies. Fittingly, Hamill simply wrote, “#Rip dad.”
He created multiple iconic characters and achieved EGOT status
Jones’ impressive career spanned over six decades and saw him become one of the few performers to achieve EGOT status, which means he won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. Some of his most notable credits include Field of Dreams, The Sandlot, The Hunt for Red October, And the great white hope, For which he was nominated for an Oscar. His last onscreen role in Coming 1 America saw him reprise the role he played in the 1988 original, King Jaffe Joffer.
|
award won |
Project and year |
|---|---|
|
Amy |
Heat wave (1991), Gabriel’s fire (1991), Summer’s end (2000) |
|
Grammy |
Great American documents (1977) |
|
Oscar |
Honorary Lifetime Achievement (2011) |
|
Tony |
The Great White Hope (1969), fences (1987), Honorary Lifetime Achievement (2017) |
One of the most distinctive parts of Jones’ screen presence came from his deep, resonant voice, which he used to create one of the most famous movie villains of all time. While the late David Prowse inhabited the Darth Vader suit, Jones voiced the Star Wars Antagonist in the original films and turned the Sith Lord into a striking character who would become the face of the franchise along with its heroes. Jones returned for more Star Wars projects over the years, including in 2016s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Jones also voices Mufasa, the noble father of young Simba, in Disney The Lion King. He notably returned to play the character once again in the studio’s 2019 live action remake, making him the only original cast member to do so. Mufasa continues to be a legendary figure in the Disney canon, as the studio will release a prequel movie, Mufasa: The Lion KingCentered on its origins this December. It is likely that the film will be dedicated to Jones’ memory.
In bringing such vivid characters to life, both in person and through his voice alone, Jones became a part of film history, and his memory will live on through the projects he shared with the world. Even beyond Hollywood, Jones has a Broadway theater named after him, further demonstrating the impact he had on every area he worked in. He will surely be missed by many.
Source: term