“If you only knew the power of the dark side…” James Earl Jones, the iconic voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and so much more, has passed away aged 93.
“James was an incredible actor, a most unique voice both in art and spirit,” says George Lucas, creator of Star Wars. “For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being. He gave depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn. James will be missed by so many of us...friends and fans alike.”
It's impossible to imagine anyone else as the voice of Darth Vader - the biggest bad of them all. However, Jones was always humble about the role that immortalised him in popular culture.
“The rumor is that he thought of Orson Welles,” recalled Jones. “And then probably thought that Orson might be too recognizable, so what he ends up picking is a voice that was born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, and was a stutterer. And, that happened to be my voice.”
Upon Star Wars' original release in 1977, David Prowse was credited as Darth Vader and Jones' involvement was uncredited to preserve the mystique surrounding the evil Lord of the Sith. This was changed in time for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The combination of Prowse's physicality and Jones' baritone was Force lightning in a bottle.
Personally, listening to Jones' velvet tones helped with speech therapy during rehabilitation following a life-changing head injury in primary school in 1977. Along with the late Richard Burton (Where Eagles Dare), he would be instrumental in inspiring a lifelong love of oration. Culminating in an English GSCE Oral Grade 1 in school.
Like many Star Wars fans, I will be forever thankful for Jones' contribution to my life.
What are your memories of James Earl Jones? Let me know in the comments below.
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