James Earl Jones, whose career on stage, film and television spanned over six decades, died on Monday, September 9, at the age of 93.
Known the world over as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise and as Musafa, King of the Pride Lands in the animated film The Lion King, Jones was one of the rare actors to have garnered EGOT status, winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards in his lifetime.
With nearly 200 screen credits to his name, Jones was instantly recognizable by his distinctive, mellifluous voice. Beyond Star Wars and The Lion King, he lent his dulcet tones to numerous commercials for many of America’s blue chip companies. He was especially known for: “Thank you for using a Verizon payphone.”
A great deal of his life was spent onstage. Lucky audiences would have seen him on Broadway as Howard Sackler’s The Great White Hope, in which he played Jack Jefferson, a character based on the Black boxing legend Jack Johnson; South African playwright Athol Fugard’s A Lesson from Aloes and MASTER HAROLD…and the Boys; August Wilson’s Fences; and D. L. Coburn’s The Gin Game. Off-Broadway work included many appearances in plays by Shakespeare, Chekov, and Brecht.
His work in the theatre garnered Tonys, Obies, Drama Desk and Outer Circle Critics’ Awards. His shelf of prizes also includes Emmys, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award and, in 2011, an Honorary Oscar.
His film appearances run the gamut from the sublime (he made his cinematic debut in Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove) to the ridiculous (wild-eyed British comedian Marty Feldman’s The Last Remake of Beau Geste). That miraculous bass voice still appears in dozens of commercials and video games and cartoons.
Over the course of his life, James Earl Jones was devoted to civil rights. Growing up in a segregated America, he experienced firsthand the injustices of racial discrimination. He spoke out against racism and inequality and worked to promote diversity and inclusion in American theater.
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