James Earl Jones, born January 17, 1931, was an American actor celebrated for his impactful performances on stage, film, and television. Jones, who died September 9, 2024, used his deep, resonant voice to great effect in many roles.
Jones was frequently cast in voice-over roles for television advertisements and films, as a narrator, and as animated characters. He is best known for voicing Darth Vader in the Star Wars series and Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King. In 1977, he won a Grammy Award for best spoken word recording for Great American Documents.