James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93

Actor had great physical presence on stage, television and films

James Earl Jones, who has died at the age of 93, attending a Broadway show in New York, in 2015. AFP

James Earl Jones was the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars. AFP

Collecting two Emmy Awards, for Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actor, in 1991. Reuters

Greeting the press, along with his wife Cecilia and son Flynn, at the premiere of The Lion King in Los Angeles, in June 1994. AP

In the dressing room before appearing in The Great White Hope on Broadway, in December 1968. Getty Images

Arriving at the Oscars in 2012. AP

Chatting to Sidney Poitier after a gala event in Washington, in December 2002. AFP

Pictured with Vanessa Redgrave at the Curzon Soho in London. PA

Receiving a Lifetime Achievement prize at the 71st Tony Awards Show in New York, in 2017. Reuters

American actor James Earl Jones, who overcame a childhood stutter to develop a voice recognised the world over as that of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, died on Monday at the age of 93, his agent said.

Jones, a long-time sufferer of diabetes, died at his home surrounded by family members, agent Barry McPherson said. No cause of death was provided.

He had a great physical presence on stage, TV and movies, but he would have been a star even if his face was never seen because his voice had a career of its own.

The resonating bass could instantly command respect, as with the sage father Mufasa in The Lion King and many Shakespeare roles, or instil fear as the rasping Vader in the Star Wars films.

The actor laughed when a BBC interviewer asked if he resented being so closely tied to Darth Vader, a role that required only his voice for a few lines while another actor did the on-screen work in costume.

“I love being part of that whole myth, of that whole cult,” he said, adding that he was glad to oblige fans who asked for a recital of his “I am your father” line.

Jones said he never made much money off the Darth Vader part – only $9,000 for the first film – and that he considered it merely a special effects job. He did not even ask to be in the credits of the first two Star Wars movies.

His long list of awards included Tonys for The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987 on Broadway, and Emmys in 1991 for Gabriel's Fire and Heat Wave on television. He also won a Grammy for best spoken word album, Great American Documents in 1977.

Although he never won a competitive Academy Award, he was nominated for Best Actor for the film version of The Great White Hope and was given an honorary Oscar in 2011.

An original Darth Vader helmet used during the filming of Star Wars Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back. AFP

He was born on January 17, 1931, in the tiny community of Arkabutla, Mississippi, to a family with a mixed ethnic background of Irish, African and Cherokee.

His father, prizefighter-turned-actor Robert Earl Jones, left the family shortly afterward. Jones was raised by his maternal grandparents, who forbade him to see his father, and the two did not get together until Jones moved to New York in the 1950s. Eventually they appeared in several plays together.

Jones was about five years old when his grandparents moved the family from Mississippi to a farm in Michigan and it was about that time that he quit speaking because of his stutter.

He was mostly silent for a decade until a ploy by his high school English teacher got him to speak up. The teacher made Jones recite to the class a poem that he said he had written to prove he was familiar enough with it to be the author.

Although he said he still had to choose his words carefully, Jones learnt to control his stutter and became interested in acting.

After studying drama at the University of Michigan, he moved to New York, where his theatre performances increasingly attracted critical attention and acclaim.

His breakthrough role on Broadway was The Great White Hope, playing a character based on Black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. The play examined racism through the lens of the boxing world and critics raved about Jones's performance.