Actor and voice actor James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa, has died: he was 93

Actor and voice actor James Earl Jones dies at 93

Actor and voice actor James Earl Jones, the unmistakable voice of Darth Vader in The Force Awakens, has died at the age of 93. Star Wars and of Musafa The Lion KingThe news of his death, the cause of which has not been disclosed, was confirmed by his agent Barry McPherson.

The son of actor Robert Earl Jones, who abandoned his family before he was born, James Earl Jones moved to Dublin, Michigan at the age of .

Having developed a severe form of stuttering, he refused to speak out loud in public until the age of eight. The actor has always said that he managed the problem thanks to a teacher.

After enrolling in medical school, after initially pursuing a military career, he decided to re-enroll in college, at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where he earned his degree.

He is best known for playing the role of Alex Haley in Roots – The New Generationsfollowed by Rootsand Admiral Greer in The Hunt for Red October, Power games And Under the sign of danger.

Among other famous roles he has covered during his career, that of Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarianand the one covered in it The Prince Seeks a Wife where he played the king of Zamunda, father of the protagonist played by Eddie Murphy.

Thanks to his voice, characterized by a low, deep and authoritative tone, he was chosen to dub the iconic villain of Star WarsDarth Vader. He also voiced Mufasa in the feature films of the series The Lion King.

Over the course of his career he has been nominated for 10 Emmy Awards, winning 3, 5 Golden Globe Awards, winning one, and an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the film To go lower. In 2012 he received the Oscar for lifetime achievement.

As for his private life, James Earl Jones married actress and singer Julienne Marie in 1968, from whom he divorced in 1972. In 1982 he remarried actress Cecilia Hart, who died in 2016, with whom he had a son, Flynn.