THE actor and voice actor James Earl Jones passed away this Monday (9) at the age of 93. Known for voicing Darth Vader in “Star Wars”, Mufasa in the animation “The Lion King” and being the official voice of CNN International.
His career began in theater, and for his work on stage—including many Shakespeare plays—he received two Tony Awards, in 1969 for “The Great White Hope” and in 1987 for “Fences.” In cinema, his first role was in 1964, in Stanley Kubrick’s film “Doctor Strangelove,” and from that moment on he began a trajectory of dozens of awards and recognitions from the film industry.
The son of a teacher and a boxer, Jones attended the University of Michigan, where he majored in pre-med and entered the military — where he discovered he didn’t want to pursue a career in medicine.
At the same educational institution, in 1955, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a specialization in drama.
He was married to actress and singer Julienne Marie, 87, from 1968 to 1972, and to actress Cecilia Hart from 1982 to 2016, when she passed away. From this last relationship, he had a son, actor Flynn Earl Jones, 42.
In 1970, he was invited to play his first major role on the big screen — boxer Jack Jefferson in “The Great White Hope.” The performance earned him an Oscar nomination for “Best Actor.”
In addition to this, he had important roles in cinema such as Thulsa Doom in “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), King Jaffe Joffer in “Coming to America” (1988), Admiral Greer in “The Hunt for Red October” (1990), in “WarGames” (1992) and “Clear and Present Danger” (1994).
For his career on television, in 1991 he broke a record and was the first actor to win two Emmys in the same year — for his participation in the series “Gabriel’s Fire” and in the feature film “Heat Wave”.
As a voice actor, in 1977 he was chosen by George Lucas — creator of the Star Wars saga — to voice the character Darth Vader, and he voiced the lion Mufasa in the 1994 animation “The Lion King”. In addition, he voiced several characters in the series “The Simpsons”.
He is also responsible for the slogan of CNN North American, “This is CNN “, as well as “This is CNN International” and the opening of the morning program CNN New Day.
Among his awards received during his career are two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award. He has also received a Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. Additionally, in 1992, he was awarded the “National Medal of Arts” by United States President George W. Bush, and in 2019, he was honored as a Disney Legend.
“The Lord of the Rings”: Ian McKellen wants to return as Gandalf in films
This content was originally published in Who was James Earl Jones, award-winning actor and voice actor who died at 93 on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
