James Earl Jones, Legendary Voice of Darth Vader and The Lion King, Has Died

The American actor was 93 years old.

His voice will remain one of the most memorable in Hollywood history. James Earl Jones died Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York. He was 93.

Even more than his face, it is the dark and penetrating tone of his voice that will remain in the annals. Because the actor dubbed Darth Vader throughout the franchise Star Warslending his voice to the iconic villain in the original trilogy, then in the prequel films, and then in the animated series Star Wars Rebels then in Rogue One. Until the Disney+ series, where he returned to face Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was also the calm and imposing voice of Mufasa in The Lion King Disney's and its sequels and the live-action remake (2019).

James Earl Jones ultimately had little screen presence during the six decades of his career, working mainly on stage. Notable Shakespearean performances, which earned him three Tony Awards.

In cinema, he made his debut in Dr. Strangelove (1964) by Stanley Kubrick, and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Role for The Insurgent (1967), where he played a boxer facing racism in early 20th-century America. He has also appeared in Conan the Barbarian and he was the father of Eddie Murphy, king of Zamunda, in the film A Prince in New York (in 1988). A role he reprised in 2021 for the sequel on Prime Video. His last role in front of the camera.

On the small screen, he shone in the police series Gabriel Bird then in the TV movie Heat Wave. Two performances for which he won Emmy Awards. And he recently played himself in a memorable episode of The Big Bang Theory (facing Sheldon Cooper).

James Earl Jones was married to actress Cecilia Hart, who died in 2016.