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Jones was always humble about being the voice of such an iconic foe.

\"I'm simply special effects,\" he told the American Film Institute in 2009 about voicing a character who was physically played by someone else. \"George [Lucas] wanted, pardon the expression, a darker voice, so he hires a guy born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. That's the voice, that's me. I lucked out. From all these so-called handicaps, I lucked out to get a job that paid me $7,000, and I thought that was good money.\"

In a 2004 documentary titled \"Star Wars: Empire of Dreams,\" Jones spoke about when he first found out that Vader, the film trilogy's main villain, would reveal that he was the long-lost father of Skywalker, the primary hero.

\"I said to myself, 'He's lying,'\" Jones admitted. \"I wonder how they are gonna play that lie out.\"

\"PHOTO:
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
PHOTO: James Earl Jones celebrates his 80th birthday by blowing the candles out on his cake at The Golden Theatre, Jan. 17, 2011, in New York.
>

But it wasn't a lie. From 1977 to 1983, the three original \"Star Wars\" films would become some of the most revered and original movies of their time, not just for special effects, but also for the shocking plot and themes.

After \"Star Wars,\" Jones made memorable appearances in Eddie Murphy's 1988 film \"Coming to America,\" then starred opposite Kevin Costner in \"Field of Dreams\" in 1989. A few years later, he once again lent his voice to a famous character, starring in the Disney animated feature \"The Lion King\" as Mufasa.

Jones had almost 200 credits to his name, according to IMDB, as he stayed active for more than 60 years, including in movies like \"The Sandlot,\" shows like \"House\" and \"The Simpsons,\" and in his return to a galaxy far, far away in 2004's \"Revenge of the Sith.\" He came back to voice Vader several more times in recent years, including in the animated series \"Rebels,\" 2016's \"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,\" 2019's \"The Rise of Skywalker\" and the 2022 Disney+ series \"Obi-Wan Kenobi.\"

He also reprised his role in the \"Coming to America\" sequel, \"Coming 2 America,\" in 2021.

In 2011, Jones was given an honorary Academy Award for the breadth of his acclaimed work.

It was while Jones was starring in the play \"Driving Miss Daisy\" in London in 2011 that he was surprised by co-star Vanessa Redgrave, who waited until the end of the show to let the crowd in on his honor that year. The cast and the academy held a special ceremony for Jones right on the stage, with Sir Ben Kingsley coming out to hand Jones his Oscar.

\"If an actor's nightmare is being onstage naked and not knowing his lines, what the heck do you call this?\" he said of the surprise honor. \"How do I feel? Well, more than flabbergasted. ... That's the only word I can think of for this improbable moment in my life.\"

In March 2022, it was announced that Broadway's Cort Theatre would be renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Jones married twice. His second wife, Cecilia Hart, died in 2016 after 34 years of marriage. The couple is survived by their son, Flynn Earl Jones.

Photos: In Memoriam: Notable people who died in 2024

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