James Earl Jones: 1931-2024 | StarWars.com

The actor who gave Darth Vader his iconic voice has died.

Everyone at Lucasfilm was deeply saddened to learn of the death 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 in film, stage and television,” says Kathleen Kennedy. “The menacing baritone he brought to Darth Vader will be loved by fans forever and will be regarded as one of the greatest villain portrayals in cinema. His commanding presence on screen and warm personality off it will be greatly missed.”

“James was an incredible actor, a unique voice in both art and spirit,” says George Lucas. “For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret of all of that is that he was a wonderful human being. He brought depth, sincerity and meaning to all of his roles, most notably that of the devoted husband of the late Ceci and the father of Flynn. James will be missed by many of us… friends and fans alike.”

James Earl Jones first encountered Lucasfilm in early 1977 when he was hired to provide the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope. He had been an accomplished actor on stage and screen for decades, appearing in classics such as Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), a film that influenced writer and director George Lucas.

Although Jones is considered by many to have one of the most recognizable voices of all time and helped make Darth Vader a cinematic legend, he was not Lucas' first choice for the voice role. “The rumor was that he was thinking of Orson Welles,” Jones recalls. “And then he probably thought Orson might be too well-known, and ended up going with a voice that was someone born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, and had a stutter. And that happened to be my voice.”

Today, of course, it would be difficult to imagine that anyone else could replace the voice of the first star Wars villain. With his resonant bass register, Jones was a natural fit for the role. “The recording technique of that voice was to keep it within very strict inflectional boundaries, and there was no way to illuminate the voice with consciousness,” Jones explained. “In fact, my job was to take the consciousness out of Darth Vader's voice – to take out anything human.”

Jones has always been generous with his praise for David Prowse's physical portrayal of Vader. “David Prowse worked very hard to create Darth Vader… I don't take credit for the character. I think the portrayal is a matter of the mind. Vader is a good example of the fact that if you don't get in the way of a character… good, effective dialogue will evoke all sorts of wonderful things in the viewer or listener that come out of the viewer's mind.”

In the 1980s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes BackJones uttered one of the most iconic lines in film history: “No, I am your father.” The actor recalled: “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 going to portray that lie.'”

This one simple line of dialogue helped to establish the narrative arc of the star Wars saga for the next 25 years. As Jones himself would explain, “Darth Vader doesn't believe he's evil. And then the implication that he wasn't always evil, so the story becomes, 'How do you become evil and how do you get redeemed?'”

Jones was able to close this arc in 2005 when he returned to the role of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Once again, with his characteristic modesty, he paid tribute to actor Hayden Christensen, who would don Vader's costume after playing Anakin Skywalker. “I see great potential in this young man for all of the Darth Vader decisions,” he said when the film was still in production.

Darth Vader remained an indelible part of Jones' career for another two decades, as he revived the character in everything from television series (Star Wars Rebels And Obi Wan Kenobi) to theme park attractions (Star Tours: The adventures continue) and other feature films (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story And Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker). “I'm so happy to be part of this whole legend,” he recalled. “Even as an observer, and I'm just an observer. I'm a special effect at best.”

For all of us at Lucasfilm and for countless viewers, James Earl Jones was much more than “just an observer.” He was the voice of the main character in our most beloved story and will remain in our hearts – and imaginations – forever.