James Earl Jones, though his face was never shown in the Star Wars films, is known to millions as the deep, menacing voice of Darth Vader. His acting career has won him acclaim on both stage and screen, and he is among the most well-respected professionals in the entertainment industry.

Jones was born January 17, 1931, in Mississippi. He suffered from a stuttering problem as a child and took up acting to combat it. He earned his bachelor's degree in drama from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and was soon performing on Broadway; by 1959, he had won a Tony award for his role as a prizefighter in The Great White Hope. He reprised the part for director Martin Ritt's film adaptation of the play and was nominated for his first Academy Award in 1971. Though he lost to George C. Scott (Patton), the nomination itself helped to establish his cinematic credibility.

He appeared in numerous film and television projects throughout the 1970s, but the turning point would come with Star Wars; for many moviegoers, his voice would be forever linked to Darth Vader's black helmet. He later starred in the award-winning baseball classic Field of Dreams (1989) with Kevin Costner. His more recent roles include voiceovers for CNN and the part of King Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King, which remains the most successful animated film of all time.