James Earl Jones, the legendary voice of Darth Vader, Mufasa, and CNN, has died
James Earl Jones, the award-winning actor known for the deep, commanding voice that brought life to characters ranging from Mufasa to Darth Vader, has died at the age of 93. A Deadline report says Jones' death was confirmed by his representatives at Independent Artist Group.
Jones' film career began in a big way, appearing alongside Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden in the 1964 classic Dr. Strangelove, in which he helped drop the bomb that Slim Pickens famously rode all the way down:
In 1970, he took the lead in The Great White Hope, an acclaimed drama for which he earned an Academy Award for best actor—having previously won a Tony Award for starring in the stage play upon which the film was based. He followed that with a Golden Globe nomination in the 1974 film Claudine.
Probably his most famous role, though, followed a few years later: Darth Vader, the armor-clad villain of the original Star Wars trilogy, The character was actually portrayed by actor David Prowse, but Jones heavier, more ominous voice was dubbed overtop Prowse's in post production—in hindsight, a very good idea.
Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill paid tribute to Jones on Twitter:
#RIP dad
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