James Earl Jones, the beloved stage and screen actor who lent his iconic, deep voice to Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King, has died at 93.
Regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, Jones’ career spanned Shakespeare to Hollywood hits. He is one of the few actors to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony Award.
The actor’s death was reported by Deadline, via his representatives at Independent Artist Group.
James Earl Jones was born January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi and raised by his grandparents in Dublin, Michigan. While he would later become one of the most famous voices in the world, he says he suffered from a stutter in his youth.
“I was a stutterer. I couldn’t talk,” Jones recalled in a 1996 interview. “So my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school.” A teacher encouraged him to overcome his stutter by reading poetry aloud.
Jones served in the US Army during the Korean War, and after decided to pursue a career in acting. He studied at the American Theatre Wing, working as a janitor to support himself. By the 1960s, Jones was establishing himself as one of his generation’s great Shakespearean actors, playing roles like Othello and King Lear. He also made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1964 comedy Dr. Strangelove, as bombadier Lt. Lothar Zogg.
In 1967, he played a boxer in The Great White Hope, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He reprised the role in the 1970 film version, receiving his first Academy Award nomination.
Amidst all his acclaimed acting work, Jones soon landed his most well-known and iconic role — one where he didn’t even have to appear on set: voicing the villainous Darth Vader in Star Wars. While Vader was played in costume by David Prowse, Jones dubbed over the lines with his own deep bass voice, helping to create one of the most famous characters in movie history.
While Jones originally opted to go uncredited for the role, it has become perhaps his most famous performance. He continued to voice Vader for decades, in the two sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the prequel Revenge of the Sith and the spin-off Rogue One. In 2022, Jones retired from the role, but signed an agreement for his voice to be used in future projects using artificial intelligence and archive recordings.
Jones also provided the voice of another beloved movie character, Mufasa in the 1994 Disney film The Lion King. Jones later reprised the role in the 2019 remake.
Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Jones appeared in many Hollywood films, including Conan the Barbarian, Coming to America, Field of Dreams, and The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and The Sandlot. He also won his second Tony Award, starring in the original production of August Wilson’s Fences.
He received eight Emmy Award nominations for his television work, winning twice in 1991: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Heat Wave and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Gabriel’s Fire.
Jones also continued to perform on Broadway: over the past 20 years he starred in revivals of On Golden Pond, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Driving Miss Daisy, The Best Man and You Can’t Take it With You.
Jones was the recipient of many awards and honors throughout his acclaimed career. He received an Honorary Academy Award in 2011, making him one of the only people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award, known as “EGOT.” Broadway’s Cort Theatre was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in his honor in 2022.
Rest in peace to the iconic James Earl Jones, one of the greatest actors of our time — please share this
Their Hearts Were Broken When They Heard The Loud Cries Coming From The Trash
The scale of human cruelty cannot surprise us anymore. Every day, we witness sad stories caused by the heartless actions of some people.
Most of them are written according to a real-life scenario in which these helpless creatures are ready to give all their love, but those same people reciprocate in the worst possible way.
The beginning of today’s story is the best testimony to that. Several Good Samaritans, although used to various heartbreaking situations, could not even imagine what they would experience when they were passing by a container.
At one point, these good people heard loud cries coming from the trash, and when they realized what it was, their hearts were completely broken.
Life From The Bottom
When these people opened the bag from which loud cries were coming, they saw a tiny, one-week-old puppy inside. He was so young that he had not even opened his eyes yet and was trembling out of cold and fear.
Despite the initial shock from this heartbreaking sight, they managed to pull themselves together quickly. They put the puppy in a warm blanket and immediately brought him home.
When they finally came to their house, these people prepared a temporary resting place for the puppy and bought him high-quality milk. Because he was very hungry due to the lack of real mother’s milk, the puppy drank an entire bottle within 10 minutes.
As soon as he satisfied his hunger, they let him rest, and he fell asleep almost immediately. They enjoyed watching him resting as he looked like an angel in that warm, cozy bed.
After a week of sleeping and feeding on milk, the puppy finally opened his eyes and began to explore the world around him. His look was full of hope, and this motivated them to do everything to help him have the happiest puppyhood.
These good people provided him with the best milk they could find so that he could have all the needed nutrition in this crucial period of his life. They also gave him a lot of space in the house so that he was able to explore the surroundings and satisfy his curiosity.
While exploring, he met family cats and quickly fell in love with them. They were a bit suspicious at first, but they soon accepted his company, and from then on, a beautiful friendship was born.
Every day, this puppy looked better and was happier, and when he finally started walking after a month, nothing could stand in his way anymore.
Although they knew he still had a long way to go, his rescuers were now sure he had a bright future ahead of him.
Growing Up Quickly
Day by day, the sweet little furball was growing bigger and more beautiful. After a month, he was ready to transition from the milk to soft food. He wasn’t a picky eater, so they had no problem choosing the right ingredients.
Aside from preparing him the best-quality food full of nutrition, they also recognized his playful personality, so they started buying him toys to play with. He was over the moon when they brought him his very first toy, and that filled their soul.
After 51 days of the happiest puppyhood, he grew up and completely changed. His body weight increased quite a bit, and his fur was finally long and smooth. He became a real little beauty.
Although the puppy was now very comfortable and happy, they continued to take the best care of him and provide him with everything he needed.
As he was more grown up now, he also required larger clothes. They didn’t spare money and bought him the most comfortable clothes they could find. Out of all the family members, the puppy was the best dressed, and even the cats didn’t have better clothing than him.
From the best toys to the most comfortable T-shirts, the puppy enjoyed all possible benefits in a warm home. However, his biggest blessing was the fact that he was the most loved member of the family.
Yes, you heard that right – this puppy became a full-fledged member of the family as his saviors could no longer imagine life without him. At that moment, he was the most blessed dog in the world.
From The Cries To The Smiles
Soon after his new parents decided to adopt him, they brought him to the vet so that he could get the necessary vaccines, and they told the doctor to make a detailed examination. To their delight, the doctor confirmed that the puppy’s health condition was perfect.
After this happy news, his new life could finally begin. His appearance completely changed, as he wasn’t a puppy anymore but a big, handsome dog who never stopped radiating positive energy.
Most of all, he liked to go for long walks with his parents and enjoy the sun, but he also favored big parks where he met and played with other canines. He carried a broad smile on his face that never stopped delighting all those people who would see him.
Source: Rescue Mission HT
This puppy became a walking smiley face that everyone loved to see and greet. However, they didn’t know that just a few months earlier, he cried in a place where no one wanted to look at him.
That’s what makes this story even more special and tells us that there is always a new opportunity to laugh, even when it seems like our whole world has collapsed.
This puppy is a living testimony to that.
Leave a Reply