James Earl Jones, the beloved stage and screen actor who lent his iconic, deep voice to Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King, has died at 93.
Regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, Jones’ career spanned Shakespeare to Hollywood hits. He is one of the few actors to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony Award.
The actor’s death was reported by Deadline, via his representatives at Independent Artist Group.
James Earl Jones was born January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi and raised by his grandparents in Dublin, Michigan. While he would later become one of the most famous voices in the world, he says he suffered from a stutter in his youth.
“I was a stutterer. I couldn’t talk,” Jones recalled in a 1996 interview. “So my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school.” A teacher encouraged him to overcome his stutter by reading poetry aloud.
Jones served in the US Army during the Korean War, and after decided to pursue a career in acting. He studied at the American Theatre Wing, working as a janitor to support himself. By the 1960s, Jones was establishing himself as one of his generation’s great Shakespearean actors, playing roles like Othello and King Lear. He also made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1964 comedy Dr. Strangelove, as bombadier Lt. Lothar Zogg.
In 1967, he played a boxer in The Great White Hope, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He reprised the role in the 1970 film version, receiving his first Academy Award nomination.
Amidst all his acclaimed acting work, Jones soon landed his most well-known and iconic role — one where he didn’t even have to appear on set: voicing the villainous Darth Vader in Star Wars. While Vader was played in costume by David Prowse, Jones dubbed over the lines with his own deep bass voice, helping to create one of the most famous characters in movie history.
While Jones originally opted to go uncredited for the role, it has become perhaps his most famous performance. He continued to voice Vader for decades, in the two sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the prequel Revenge of the Sith and the spin-off Rogue One. In 2022, Jones retired from the role, but signed an agreement for his voice to be used in future projects using artificial intelligence and archive recordings.
Jones also provided the voice of another beloved movie character, Mufasa in the 1994 Disney film The Lion King. Jones later reprised the role in the 2019 remake.
Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Jones appeared in many Hollywood films, including Conan the Barbarian, Coming to America, Field of Dreams, and The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and The Sandlot. He also won his second Tony Award, starring in the original production of August Wilson’s Fences.
He received eight Emmy Award nominations for his television work, winning twice in 1991: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Heat Wave and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Gabriel’s Fire.
Jones also continued to perform on Broadway: over the past 20 years he starred in revivals of On Golden Pond, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Driving Miss Daisy, The Best Man and You Can’t Take it With You.
Jones was the recipient of many awards and honors throughout his acclaimed career. He received an Honorary Academy Award in 2011, making him one of the only people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award, known as “EGOT.” Broadway’s Cort Theatre was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in his honor in 2022.
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Julie Andrews makes rare public appearance at 87, and everyone’s saying the same thing
One of the most active actors in her generation is Julie Andrews. There is no denying her impact on the Hollywood industry.
The actress has hardly been spotted in public recently. But everyone is expressing the same sentiment in response to her most recent public appearance…
Julie Andrews’ parents were vaudeville artists, thus she was raised in a world full with entertainment. Early on, she demonstrated an interest in performing, and eventually went on to achieve great achievements and leave a lasting impression on the acting industry. For her portrayal of Mary Poppins, she received an Academy Award.
The actress said of the role and film, “It was a brand new thing in my life that I’d never done before. It was for Walt Disney, of course, and the songs in Mary Poppins had a kind of Vaudeville quality to them.”
“I think it’s what attracted me to the role, because all that kind of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Jolly Holiday music was very much like the kind of things that you hear in English vaudeville,” the actress added.
Andrews assisted Disney in setting records with Mary Poppins. The movie received 13 Academy Award nominations and ended up becoming the highest-grossing movie of 1964.
Andrews said how the inspiration for the Mary Poppins attire came from her ex-husband Tony Walton. His suggestions led to the decision to use colorful patterns on the inside while portraying a more “uniform” appearance on the outside. She disclosed what Tony had said to her at that time., “Because I think that’s what gives her pleasure. Very formal on the outside and a little bit wicked on the inside.”
“It completely gave me a clue as to her character. Big, big help for me,” she later recalled, giving him his due credit. The actress went on to play her iconic role as Maria von Trapp in The Sound Of Music. Recently, she narrated Netflix’s Bridgerton series as Lady Whistledown.
However, the actress did not appear on camera; she merely provided the voice for the narration. She also eliminated any chance that it would occur.
“No, no, no,” she said when asked about the possibility of a role in front of the camera. “You know who Lady Whistledown really is, so I’m afraid it stays with me in the background. But I’m very happy to do that.
Because the actress just made a rare public appearance, fans who were eager to see her can now relax. At the Sag Harbor farmers’ market in The Hamptons on Long Island, New York, the 87-year-old veteran actress was spotted.
She was attractive as she waved to passersby and used her cane to stroll. Fans are not accustomed to seeing the actress walking with a cane. Before heading to her car, she was observed purchasing two boxes of Lu Petit Ecolier European dark chocolate biscuits and some flowers.
Julie Andrews, who is renowned for her traditional manner, did not let us down in this instance either. The actress wore fitting gray pants and a light gray long-sleeve top. She completed her outfit with a white scarf around her neck, a beige tote purse, white sneakers, and gold stud earrings.
A man placed an umbrella over her as she attempted to get into the SUV because it had started to rain. In the images posted online, she appeared to be rather gorgeous.
Everyone thought the actress looked stunning. A user of X (formerly known as Twitter) commented that the actress looked “lovely as ever.” Another person said she was “so beautiful.”
Julie Andrews is unquestionably still as endearing as ever. Her well-known smile, which has for decades warmed the hearts of millions, still has the same impact.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy Barbra Eden, who earlier this year made a rare public appearance at the age of 92.
What do you think about Julie Andrew’s public appearance?
Let us know in the comments. Share this with other fans of the actress so they can see how lovely she looks as well.
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