James Earl Jones, a pioneer of Black actors in the entertainment industry, died on Sept. 9 after a long and impactful life.
After hearing the news of this loss, Richard Sylvester ’01, English Department Chair, stated, “I was immediately saddened and when I read that he had reached 93 years old, I suddenly felt really old. The heroes of my childhood are getting older.”
In Jones’ over seven decades long career, he is the man behind many memorable characters and will continue to live in his fans’ hearts forever. An actor both onstage and off, Jones embodies love for the art throughout his life even back when there were few opportunities for African Americans in Hollywood
Born with a stutter, Jones used acting and poetry to overcome the challenges of this disability. After being a premed major in college, he enlisted into the military as an officer during the Korean War. After Jones’ debut on Broadway in the play Sunrise at Campobello (1957), he quickly gained prominence for acting in many other productions. Eventually, he won the Tony Award for best actor for his role as a boxer in The Great White Hope (1968). He earned the Tony award again and continued to get nominated for it in his future roles.
Jones’ film debut was when he acted as albeit pivotal in the movie Dr. Strangelove (1964). After acting in a few more film roles, Jones landed the voice role of Darth Vader in the Star Wars Franchise that made him internationally famous and became one of his most well-known roles.
Star Wars fan Ellie Paris ’25 responded to this loss with great sorrow. “As a long time Star Wars fan, and as Darth Vader having been my favorite character, he will always leave an impact on me and many other fans. As a person and a significant figure, he was said to be a beautiful human being and he will always have.”
Other than the voice role in as Darth Vader, Jones is also remembered for his leading impact as a Black actor and his other roles that led him being inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985, honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2011.
After learning about Jones’ story, Tina Deng ’26 said, “I believe that other than the beautiful portrayal of Darth Vader in Star Wars, Jones’ life has left a deep mark in Hollywood’s history that would never be forgotten.”
