James Earl Jones is dead

American actor James Earl Jones, a commanding presence on stage and screen who overcame a childhood stutter to develop a powerful voice recognized around the world as Darth Vader in Star Wars, died yesterday at the age of 93, his agent Barry McPherson said, saying Jones, who had long been diabetic, died at his home surrounded by family. Jones had a great physical presence on stage and television, as well as in films, but he would have been a star even if his face had never been seen because his voice had a career all its own. The resonant bass could command immediate respect, as in the case of the wise father Mufasa in The Lion King and in many Shakespearean roles, or instilling fear as the dark Vader in the Star Wars films. His long list of awards includes 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 has never won an Academy Award, he was nominated for best actor for the film version of The Great White Hope and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2011. James Earl Jones began his film career playing Lieutenant Luther Zogg in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 classic Dr. Strangelove. Jones has also been heard in dozens of television commercials, and for several years CNN used his authoritative This is CNN to introduce its news programs.