The actor who gave Darth Vader his iconic voice has passed away.
Everyone at Lucasfilm was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of James Earl Jones at the age of 93. For over four decades, the stage and screen actor lent his voice to the role of Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga.
“James Earl Jones is one of the most versatile and talented actors of our time, with an iconic body of work across film, stage and television,” says Kathleen Kennedy. “The menacing baritone he brought to Darth Vader will forever be beloved by fans and regarded as one of the great villainous performances in cinema. His commanding presence on screen, and warm personality off screen, will be greatly missed.”
“James was an incredible actor, a most unique voice both in art and spirit,” says George Lucas. “For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being. He gave depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn. James will be missed by so many of us...friends and fans alike.”
James Earl Jones first crossed paths with Lucasfilm in early 1977 when he was cast to perform the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope. He’d already been an accomplished actor on stage and screen for decades, with appearances in such classics as Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), a film that influenced writer/director George Lucas.
While Jones has what many would agree is one of the most recognizable voices of all time and has helped to make Darth Vader a cinema legend, he was actually not Lucas’ first choice for the voice role. “The rumor is that he thought of Orson Welles,” recalled Jones. “And then probably thought that Orson might be too recognizable, so what he ends up picking is a voice that was born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, and was a stutterer. And, that happened to be my voice.”
Today, of course, it would be hard to imagine anyone else being cast as the voice of the first Star Wars villain. With his resonant bass register, Jones was uniquely suited for the role. “The technique about recording that voice was to keep it within very strict boundaries of inflection, and there was no way to enlighten the voice with awareness,” Jones would explain. “In fact, my job was to keep awareness out of Darth Vader’s voice – take all the humanity out of it.”
Jones was always very generous with his praise of David Prowse for his physical performance of Vader. “David Prowse worked very hard to create Darth Vader…I take no credit for the character. I think that performance is in your head. Vader is good proof that if you stay out of the way of a character…good, effective dialogue will evoke in the viewer or listener all kinds of wonderful things that come from the viewer’s mind.”
In 1980’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Jones spoke one of the most iconic lines in motion picture history: “No, I am your father.” The actor recalled that “when I first saw the dialogue that said, ‘Luke, I am your father,’ I said to myself, ‘He’s lying, I wonder how they’re gonna play that lie out.”
That one simple line of dialogue helped define the narrative arc of the Star Wars saga for the next 25 years. As Jones himself would explain, “Darth Vader doesn't think he's evil. And then the suggestion that he has not always been evil, so the story becomes, “How does one become evil and how is one redeemed from it?"
Jones was able to bring that arc full circle in 2005 when he returned to the role of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Once again with characteristic humility, he paid tribute to actor Hayden Christensen, who after portraying Anakin Skywalker would also don Vader’s costume. “I see great potential toward all the Darth Vader choices in that young man,” he said while the film was still in production.
Darth Vader remained an indelible component of Jones’ career for another two decades as he reprised the character in everything from television series (Star Wars Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi) to theme park attractions (Star Tours: The Adventures Continue) and more feature films (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker). “I am so pleased to be a part of that whole legend,” he would reflect. “Even as an observer, and I am just an observer. I’m a special effect, you know, at best.”
For all us at Lucasfilm, and for countless members of the audience, James Earl Jones was far more than “just an observer.” He was the voice of the character at the center of our most beloved story, and he will remain in our hearts – and imaginations – forever.
