James Earl Jones, born on January 17, 1931 and passing away on September 9, 2024, was a celebrated American actor. He famously provided the voice for Darth Vader in the iconic Star Wars saga. A highly respected stage performer, Jones lent his vocal talents to override David Prowse's physical acting in Vader's costume throughout the original trilogy. Bob Anderson served as the stunt performer for Vader, while Sebastian Shaw portrayed the character without his mask. Jones also contributed Vader's dialogue to The Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978, the animated series Star Wars Rebels spanning from 2014 to 2016, and the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Additionally, he voiced certain lines in 2005's Revenge of the Sith and 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. For the 2022 television show Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lucasfilm utilized an AI program to recreate Jones's voice as Darth Vader, while Hayden Christensen physically portrayed Vader in his suit.
Born in the state of Mississippi within the United States of America on January 17, 1931, James Earl Jones achieved great success as a stage actor, despite struggling with a stutter during his formative years. He was brought up in Michigan, having moved there with his family, along with many other African Americans, as part of the Great Migration. Jones served in the US Army domestically during the Korean War. Following his military service, he relocated to New York City to pursue acting studies at the American Theatre Wing. Jones gained recognition as a prominent interpreter of William Shakespeare's works on Broadway. His film debut was a minor part in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. He also appeared in test segments for the children's TV program Sesame Street in 1969. Furthermore, Jones received a Tony Award for his performance in Howard Sackler's play The Great White Hope in 1969. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 1970 film adaptation, and he co-starred with Diahann Carroll in the 1974 movie Claudine. Jones also portrayed Malcolm X in The Greatest, a 1977 film about Muhammad Ali. He secured another Tony Award for his involvement in August Wilson's play Fences in 1987, and he voiced Mufasa in Disney's 1994 animated feature The Lion King.
David Prowse physically embodied Darth Vader, wearing the character's iconic armor. George Lucas initially considered employing Orson Welles, known for his resonant voice, for the role of Darth Vader's voice. However, Lucas ultimately chose James Earl Jones, stating that he "won hands down" because he "created, with very little dialogue, one of the greatest villains that ever lived." In March of 1977, James Earl Jones dedicated a single day to recording Vader's voice-over lines for Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope at Goldwyn Studios. Consequently, Jones declined credit for his work on Star Wars and 1980's Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, even denying his involvement. He recalled that upon reading Vader's line "No, I am your father" for The Empire Strikes Back, he initially believed that Vader was being untruthful and wondered about the narrative implications. While Prowse continued to portray Vader physically, Bob Anderson, a skilled swordsman, also participated in the lightsaber combat sequences of Empire and its sequel, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
With Prowse and Anderson continuing their respective roles in Vader's suit, and Jones returning to provide Vader's voice for Return of the Jedi, Jones finally accepted credit for his vocal performance in the film's 1983 release. Veteran actor Sebastian Shaw also played Vader unmasked, after the character's redemption by his son, Luke Skywalker, portrayed by Mark Hamill.
Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, shared with Rolling Stone magazine in 1980 that he had discussed with George Lucas the potential racial implications of contrasting Darth Vader, "the dark, black fear," with Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the "white knight." Williams, himself a black actor, explained that the inclusion of Lando Calrissian—a black character ultimately aligned with the protagonists—demonstrates that Star Wars focuses on symbolism independent of skin color, with "darkness" representing an aversion to "clarity." With viewers also discovering that Darth Vader was a human who had been corrupted by the dark side of the Force, Williams suggested that the character had become more frightening as a man rather than just a "mechanical monster." James Earl Jones himself commented that his goal "was to keep awareness out of Darth Vader's voice—take all the humanity out of it." He maintained the voice within strict inflection boundaries, ensuring that "there was no way to enlighten the voice with awareness." After attending a comic-book convention, Jones expressed his "happiness to be a part of the whole cult movement" surrounding Star Wars, even acknowledging some fans as "fanatics."
James Earl Jones returned to voice Vader in George Lucas's 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Hayden Christensen portrayed Anakin Skywalker and, after the character's fall to the dark side of the Force, Darth Vader in his suit. During production, Jones remarked on Christensen: "I see great potential toward all the Darth Vader choices in that young man." Later, Jones stated that "Darth Vader doesn't think he's evil," and the addition of the prequel trilogy transformed the Star Wars narrative—which Lucas described as Anakin Skywalker's "tragedy"—into: "How does one become evil and how is one redeemed from it?" In 2011, James Earl Jones was awarded an honorary Academy Award, completing his EGOT achievement. Jones reprised his role as Darth Vader's voice in several episodes of the Star Wars Rebels television series and in the 2016 anthology movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
For the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader's voice was created artificially using technology from Respeecher. Respeecher employs archival recordings and a proprietary AI algorithm to generate new dialogue using actors' voices. Respeecher, which also created the voice of young Luke Skywalker for The Book of Boba Fett, was used because Jones had retired from the role. After recording a brief line for 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, Jones had expressed to Matthew Wood at Skywalker Sound his intention to step away from the role of Vader. Wood presented Jones with Respeecher's work, and the actor approved the use of his archival voice recordings to maintain Vader's presence artificially. Jones is credited with guiding the performance in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Wood described his contribution as that of "a benevolent godfather." They kept the actor informed about their plans for Vader and valued his advice on maintaining the appropriate direction. As a Ukrainian start-up with employees in Kyiv and Lviv, Respeecher communicated extensively with Matthew Wood and director Deborah Chow on creating Darth Vader's dialogue leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and continued to refine Vader's voice amidst the Russian bombardments.
James Earl Jones reflected that he was very happy with being "a part of that whole legend" of Star Wars, but considered himself "just an observer. I'm a special effect, you know, at best." Jones passed away on September 9, 2024, and received numerous tributes. US Vice President Kamala Harris praised Jones for overcoming his stutter and "every obstacle to dazzle the world on stage and screen," voicing "some of the most notable characters in our culture" and challenging "America's thinking on civil rights and race." Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm, described Jones as "one of the most versatile and talented actors of our time," commending his "commanding presence on screen" and "warm personality off screen." George Lucas praised Jones's dedication to his roles and his devotion as a husband to Cecilia Hart and father to Flynn Jones. Anthony Daniels, the actor behind C-3PO, acknowledged Jones's acting abilities and compassion in a social media post, while Hamill also shared a post regarding the passing of his on-screen father.
- The Jedi Master's Quizbook
- " Speaking for Darth: The Magic of James Earl Jones " — Star Wars Insider 25 (also reprinted in Icons of the Galaxy)
- Star Wars Insider 49
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Scrapbook
- Star Wars: The Complete Vader
- Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
- Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle, Updated Edition
- Star Wars in 100 Scenes
- Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, Updated and Expanded Edition
- Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – The Official Collector's Edition
- Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, New Edition
- James Earl Jones: 1931-2024 on StarWars.com (backup link)
- " Launchpad " — Star Wars Insider 228