James Earl Jones, the immortal voice of Darth Vader, died

2024-09-09 22:46:23

BarcelonaHis voice has the boom of a biblical prophet, an unfathomable depth that evokes Shakespearean dignity. James Earl Jones, the original voice of Darth Vader, but that of Mustafà is not good.the lion king (1994), has died at the age of 93, according to his agent. It’s a voice that says “I’m your father, Luke,” but it’s also scary in front of the leader of the gang’s cult. Conan the stranger (1982) or the magnanimous king of comedy Chief of Zamunda (1988), with Eddie Murphy. An award-winning playwright, he took home a Tony for his Pulitzer-winning plays The walls – later exposed to movies with Denzel Washington – and Great white hopein which he played a boxer who faced racism in early 20th century America, a Broadway hit that matched the film Jones was nominated for an Oscar, although he lost it. In 2011, he won the prestigious Oscar that introduced him as EGOT, an informal title given to people who won an Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy in their career. Jones also has a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the National Medal of Arts.

Born in 1931 in Arkabutla (Mississippi, United States), he is the son of a teacher and a boxer and driver who left the family soon after the child was born. Jones suffered from a stutter at a young age that he eventually overcame thanks to a teacher who introduced him to Shakespeare’s poetry and encouraged him to write his own verse. After graduating in dramatic art at the university he went to New York to become an actor. The city’s vibrant theater scene is a testament to its traditional years. His debut film will be with a small role in the Doctor Strangelove by Stanley Kubrick. And thanks to the success of Great white hope and his film version, in 1972 he played the first black president of the United States The man, and in 1977 to Malcom X a The biggestbased on the memoirs of Muhammad Ali. However, Jones was disappointed in Hollywood and did not identify with many of the roles he was given, such as Detective Shaft, which he refused.

A voice from a galaxy far, far away

But the decision that will end up defining your career will be to say something bad Battle of the stars (1976). Apart from the inspiration of the grandfather, Darth Vader would not be one of the most famous characters in the history of cinema without the physical presence of David Prowse or the physical skills of Bob Anderson – who played in the battle scenes – or the face of Sebastian Shaw which we have seen at the end ofReturn of the Jedi (1983), but the defining factor is the special, pure and terrifying voice of James Earl Jones, who in the Catalan and Spanish subtitles was largely replaced by Constantí Romero. Jones, who recorded all of Darth Vader’s dialogues in the first installment of the saga in one day for 7,000 euros, resumed the character in The government hit back (1979) i Return of the Jedibut only appear in debt in the third installment.

During his career James Earl Jones played other important roles in fantasy and sports the place of dreams (1989), as thriller based on the Tom Clancy novel Hunt for red October (1990), Patriot game (1992) imminent danger (1994) and the Disney animated classic the lion king (1992). During the following decades his works in cinema became more permanent and the actor focused on his abilities in the theater, with numerous but specific television appearances in various series. Jones occasionally voiced Darth Vader again: in the animated series Star Wars Rebels (2015), a Rogue One (2016) and, briefly, a Awakening of the Force (2019). But it may not be the last time we hear him playing the character: in 2022 he signed a contract with Lucasfilm that allows the company to use his audio files to create the voice of Darth Vader, a source of It has already been adapted in the Disney + series Their Parents (2022).