James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, has died
Agency
10/09/2024 07:30 MYTH
James Earl Jones, whose voice was used for the galactic villain Darth Vader, died at his home, here, on Monday. - Reuters file photo
LOS ANGELES: Veteran Hollywood actor James Earl Jones, who gave his voice to the character of galactic villain Darth Vader, died at his residence here on Monday.
The late Jones breathed his last at the age of 93 surrounded by his immediate family, said his agent, Barry McPherson.
However, the cause of the artist's death was not shared by McPherson, however, previously, he was reported to be suffering from diabetes.
As long as he is active in the art arena, Jones has his own charm so that every appearance whether on stage, television or film always gets a lot of attention.
Even if he is not active as an actor, Jones's vocal vibrancy itself becomes an asset that can make him famous.
Jone's bass voice was admired by many, especially when he contributed the voice of the wise father Mufasa in the movie The Lion King and various Shakespeare characters.
Meanwhile, the voice of the late Jones, who was used for the character of Darth Vader in the Star Wars movie, sparked fear among the audience.
Jones laughed when interviewed by the BBC who asked if he felt attached to the character of Darth Vader, who only needed his voice for a few lines of dialogue compared to other actors who had to physically perform in front of the camera complete with the character's costume.
"I love being a part of that whole myth, that whole cult," he said, adding that he was more than happy to fulfill the requests of fans who love to hear the iconic line: " I am your father ."
Jones also revealed that he was not given a huge reward when he accepted the offer to lend his voice to the character of Darth Vader - only US$9,000 (RM39,000) for the first film.
In fact, Jones also did not ask to be involved in the production of the first two Star Wars films. The late Jones has also won several prestigious awards throughout his involvement as an artist.
Among them are Tony Awards for The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987 on Broadway and Emmy Awards in 1991 for Gabriel's Fire and Heat Wave on television.
He also won a Grammy Award for his album Great American Documents, in 1977. Although he never won a trophy at the competitive Academy Awards, Jones was nominated in the Best Actor category for the film version of The Great White Hope.
He was also awarded an honorary Oscar in 2011.
Jones made his film debut as Lieutenant Luther Zogg in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 classic Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in 1964.
His other films include Field of Dreams, Conan the Barbarian, Coming to America, The Sandlot, Matewan, The Hunt for Red October and Field of Dreams and many others.
Jones was also heard in dozens of television commercials and for several years the international news channel, CNN used his voice in the " This is CNN " quote to introduce its newscasts.
The late Jones was born on January 17, 1931, in the small community of Arkabutla, Mississippi in a family of mixed Irish, African and Cherokee ethnic background. - Agency
