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The voice of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones, captivated generations of movie fans. But behind the voice was an extraordinary actor.
The voice of Darth Vader – an extraordinary career
James Earl Jones, one of Hollywood’s most distinctive voices, has not only left his mark on the big screen with unforgettable characters. The actor, who died in September 2024 at the age of 93, looked back on a remarkable life story full of personal challenges and great successes.
- Born in Mississippi in 1931, Jones grew up with his grandparents after his parents separated and struggled with his stutter as a child. Theater helped him reclaim his voice and conquer his stutter. To overcome his stutter, Jones wrote poems at an early age and presented them to the class, which gave him confidence in his speaking abilities. His story of overcoming a stutter to become a popular speaker and actor has even been immortalized in a children’s book.
- From 1949 to 1953, Jones completed a pre-medical degree at the University of Michigan. During his time there, he trained as an officer. When he realized during his studies that medicine was not for him, he switched to acting.
- The Korean War, however, forced Jones to interrupt his studies. While he waited for his recruitment, he worked as a stagehand at the Manistee Summer Theater while continuing his military career. After three years of service, he left the Army with the rank of First Lieutenant to devote himself entirely to acting from now on. During his time in the military, he converted to Catholicism.
- After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1955, Jones began a successful career on Broadway. He appeared in major plays such as “King Lear” and “Othello”, which earned him critical acclaim and numerous awards. He also won a Tony Award in 1968 for his role in “The Great White Hope”.
The iconic voice of Darth Vader
In 1977, Jones lent his voice to Darth Vader in “Star Wars: A New Hope”. Although George Lucas initially wanted Orson Welles to do the voiceover, he decided on Jones, whose deep voice made the character unforgettable.
- Jones was already known for his modesty back then and initially did not ask for credit for his role because he considered his contribution to be insignificant. It was only with The Return of the Jedi (1983) that his name was added to the credits.
- Interestingly, Jones used to use “Darth Vader” as a nickname on his CB radio in the past, but stopped when people started to get scared. His voice was not only used in the film series, but also for various commercials on US television.
- In addition to Darth Vader, Jones also spoke the lion Mufasa in the Disney classic “The Lion King” and appeared in films such as “The Hunt for Red October” and the miniseries “Roots”, which deals with the history of slavery. Jones is also one of the few actors to have achieved an “EGOT,” meaning he has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
