On Sept. 9, iconic actor James Earl Jones passed away at 93. Jones is is best known for being the voice behind some of cinema’s most iconic characters. He passed away surrounded by his loving family in Pawling, New York; his adopted hometown where he had resided for the last 50 years.

Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi on Jan. 17, 1931, Jones moved to Dublin, Michigan at the age of five. As a child, Jones developed a stutter, which led him to become mute for eight years due to how insecure it made him. 

“Stuttering is painful. In Sunday school, I’d try to read my lessons, and the children behind me were falling on the floor with laughter,” he told Daily Mail News. Eventually, he overcame his speech impediment with the help of his High School English teacher,  Donald Crouch, who encouraged him to read poetry to his classmates. After High School, Jones went on to become a Second Lieutenant in the military as well as graduate from the University of Michigan as a Drama Major in 1953. 

Following his graduation, Jones landed a job as a stage carpenter and later transitioned into stage acting. This was just the beginning of one of the greatest, most dedicated, and diverse acting careers in film history. Jones made his film debut in 1964, starring in Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” as b-52 bomb crew member Lt. Lothar Zogg. Thirteen years later, Jones would become the very man behind the voice of one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema: Darth Vader. Jones took the role in 1977, when “Stars Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope” was released, and would continue to voice for the next 47 years. Jones’ filmography would only grow from there, notably as the voice of Mufasa in Disney’s 1994 film “Lion King“ and a live-action lead role as Terence Mann in “Field of Dreams.”

Jones’s success followed him off the screen and onto the stage. Jones performed in 13 Broadway shows spanning 1957-2016, most notably his lead role as ‘Troy Maxson’ in the critically acclaimed Broadway hit “Fences.” In 2017, he was awarded a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement following his year-long run in “The Gin Game,” but that was just one of the many awards he received. The icon held one of the most decorated legacies in the history of Hollywood. Capturing multiple awards and achievements in his 70+ year career, including three Tonys, two Emmys, one Grammy, one Golden Globe and an honorary Academy Award. 

In September of 2022, Jones received one of the highest honors one in theater could imagine: having a Broadway theater named after you. The James Earl Jones Theater, originally the Cort Theater, was built in 1912 by architect Thomas W. Lamb. The theater sits at 138 W. 48th St. in New York City and is the only Broadway theater built by Thomas Lamb that is still actively running shows today.

Jones left this world as one of the most memorable and iconic actors ever to be put on screen. From voicing some of the most treasured characters to winning multiple awards for his stage acting, James Earl Jones’ legacy will live on as will his characters.

Image by Stuart Crawford via Wikimedia