James Earl Jones, stage and screen actor and voice of Star Wars' Darth Vader, dies aged 93

James Earl Jones, the movie, TV and theatre actor who James Earl Jones, has died aged 93.

Reps for Jones confirmed to Variety that the legendary performer died on Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York.

Jones had an incredible career throughout his years in the spotlight.

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Perhaps best known for his voice roles as Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King, Jones also earned several Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards and both an honorary Academy Award and Grammy for his work.

Jones kicked off his illustrious career as a Broadway star in 1958 at the Cort Theatre, which in 2022 was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre.

He spent most of the '60s establishing himself as a star of the stage, wining the Tony for Best Actor in 1970 with his role as Jack Jefferson in the play The Great White Hope.

He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in that same role when it was adapted into a movie.

Jones got his start in film amid his journey on Broadway, scoring a small role in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 dark comedy Dr. Strangelove.

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From there, he went on to star in more than 80 films.

He appeared as the first Black president in The Man (1972), villain Thulsa Doom in Conan The Barbarian, writer Terence Mann in Field of Dreams (1989) and King Jaffe Joffer in Coming to America (1988) as well as reprising the role in the 2021 sequel, Coming 2 America.

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But perhaps his biggest mark left on the industry was made from inside a recording booth.

David Prowse appeared as Darth Vader in the 1977 Star Wars film, however fans didn't think he had quite the right voice for such a character.

In 2015, at a gala honouring Jones, Star Wars director George Lucas said he knew the voice had to be "very, very special."

Explaining the final decision was between Orson Wells and Jones, Lucas said Jones won that battle "hands down."

"He created, with very little dialogue, one of the greatest villains that ever lived."

In 2014, Jones was asked by the New York Times how he had kept his career alive for so many years, a feat that most in Hollywood never achieve.

"The secret is never forgetting that you're a journeyman actor and that nothing is your final thing, nothing is your greatest thing, nothing is your worst thing," he said.

"I still consider myself a novice."

Jones was born on a farm in Mississippi in 1931, with his father leaving soon after his birth to pursue his own career in acting. The pair later reconciled their relationship and even performed together.

At a young age, Jones had a stutter so severe he could only communicate through writing, which he started to overcome in high school when his English teacher encouraged him to read his written poetry aloud in class.

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He went on to study medicine at the University of Michigan, before realising his interests lied more in the realm of drama and switching majors.

He first married actress Julienne Marie from 1968 to 1972. In 1982, he married actress Cecilia Hart.

The pair were together for 34 years before Hart died in 2016. Jones is survived by his son, Flynn Earl Jones.

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