Written by Dr. Mike Robinson ~ Guest Writer
Sad news broke this week. James Earl Jones died at the age of 93. Jones was an accomplished actor with a gigantic number of roles to his credit from a decades-long career on stage and screen. I do not want to downplay Jones’ vast acting talents, but that incredible voice endeared him to science fiction and fantasy fans.
James Earl Jones’ voice was so deep that you could fall into it. Capable of the most terrifying darkness and the gentle kindness, Jones became not so much the voice of good or evil as the voice of epic. Star Wars, for example, would not have happened without James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. Oh sure, we could play the pretend casting games that seem to captivate fans today. We can watch the screen tests and wonder about a Kurt Russell Han Solo or a William Katt Luke Skywalker. Those might have worked, but just imagine Darth Vader sounding like anyone else. In fact, it’s kind of unsettling to find out that Orson Welles was once considered for the role.
Photo of James Earl Jones from
Nerd Factor readers know that I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I first saw it in 1977. Darth Vader was an imposing villain from the moment he stepped onto the rebel blockade runner. Not quite six minutes into the film, we first hear that voice as Vader interrogates a rebel soldier (and by “interrogation,” I mean Vader is singlehandedly holding the guy up by his throat). Then we hear that voice, that terrifying voice, as it demands answers. That’s the moment. That’s when the persona of one of the most powerful villains in popular culture becomes truly iconic.
Star Wars fans like to disagree… a lot. That’s part of the fun of sci-fi fandom. In my entire life, though, I’ve never heard anyone complain about James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. Instead, I’ve listened to countless quotes and impersonations. Some were better than others (and mine is just okay), but all of this evidence is love for that voice saying those lines.
Photo of Darth Vader from Star Wars
In 1994, we got the other side of James Earl Jones when he voiced Mufasa in The Lion King. In that animated film, he becomes the ultimate father figure. He is loving and kind, wise and wonderful, balancing the challenge that all fathers (and mothers, too) face—parenting too much versus too little. In Mufasa, Jones voices the protective father who is always there to tell his son Simba the things the young prince should know but may not be ready yet to hear.
I loved this movie when I first saw it. It truly is one of Disney’s greatest animated films. Over the years, I thought a lot about the relationship between my father and me. It was not until I became a father and watched the movie with my daughter and son that I truly got it. Consider, for example, the scenes where Mufasa takes Simba out to watch the sun rise over their kingdom (this is sometimes called “the everything the light touches” speech). Jones’ rich tones invoke a sense of purpose that goes out beyond monarchy and demonstrates the hope of one generation as it speaks to the next.
Twenty-five years later, Disney remade The Lion King (2019) as a CGI film. Naturally, the studio’s decision to do so was met with fan controversy. Recreating a classic was seen as a cash grab. I will not weigh in on that decision here. Instead, I will note one interesting fact. Every voice role in that movie was recast, save for one. James Earl Jones remained Mufasa. Replacing him would have been undeniable heresy.
In 2022, Jones signed over the rights to the voice of Darth Vader to Disney. At the time, that seemed a bit creepy, evidence of media conglomerates’ increasing power to control the actors’ fate in perpetuity. Maybe that will go back to bother me in the future if Darth Vader does a commercial for a vacuum cleaner or something, but at this moment of remembrance, I find that I am very glad that the voice of James Earl Jones will somehow live on.
