Remembering James Earl Jones: The voice that defined generations
A voice that transcends time
The phrase “voice of a generation” is often overused, but if it were defined by sheer recognizability, few could rival the legendary James Earl Jones, who passed away on Tuesday. The real question is: which generation?
Depending on whether you were born before or after 1990, the sound of Jones’ thunderous baritone likely brings to mind one of two iconic characters: Mufasa from The Lion King or Darth Vader from Star Wars. When Jones speaks, you either think of a wise, cosmic patriarch who returns to guide his self-doubting successor with a poignant “remember who you are,” or the most malevolent father in the universe, a planet-destroyer bent on luring his son to the Dark Side.
The unseen legend
These two projects were such cultural behemoths—Disney’s Hamlet-inspired savannah tale grossed nearly $1 billion, while George Lucas’ sci-fi epic garnered an almost religious following—that it’s easy to forget Jones made his mark without physically appearing in either franchise. Yet, there’s so much more to the iconic voice that many might not know.
The early years: From stage to screen
Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, Jones was a familiar face on New York stages. He graced Broadway and performed in Shakespeare in the Park, where he caught the eye of Stanley Kubrick during a production of The Merchant of Venice. Kubrick had come to see George C. Scott but was equally impressed with Jones, leading to his first feature role in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Jones can be briefly seen (and heard) as a member of the Air Force crew tasked with dropping the H-bomb. Even if you don’t initially recognize his youthful face, his voice is unmistakable. No one else sounds like Jones, whose deep, commanding tones evoke a blend of Paul Robeson and Orson Welles.
Revolutionizing movie trailers
Long before Star Wars was even a glimmer in Lucas’ eye, one of the first people in Hollywood to recognize Jones’ vocal potential was a young marketing prodigy who revolutionized movie trailers. For decades, movie previews had been shrill, huckster sales pitches with screaming narrators and overblown claims. This marketing genius thought trailers might work better if they followed Madison Avenue’s lead, so he tapped a young Black stage actor to perform a different kind of voiceover in a stylized preview for The Night of the Iguana. Jones recorded the tagline—“One Man… Three Women… One Night…”—and the rest was history.
This choice not only showcased the potential of Jones’ pipes but also changed the tone of film advertising going forward. Jones was one of the first to provide the enigmatic, voice-of-God narration that makes you sit up and listen—a style still prevalent in movie trailers today.
The making of Darth Vader
That’s essentially what Lucas sought for Star Wars. He cast British actor David Prowse for the role, though Prowse’s face was always covered. Lucas felt Prowse’s voice wasn’t right for the role, so he offered Jones $7,000 for a few hours of work re-recording all of Vader’s lines—a relatively easy job, considering there were no lips to match.
For years, Jones maintained that the arrangement was fair: the man in the suit was Prowse, so the performance was his. The signature breathing sounds weren’t even Jones’ idea but a defining touch added by sound designer Ben Burtt, who recorded himself inhaling and exhaling through a scuba mask.
Jones didn’t receive screen credit for the first two Star Wars movies, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. That recognition came later, as he returned to voice Vader in other projects. Is there a more famous line in the series—or in the last half-century of Hollywood—than Vader revealing to Luke, “I am your father”?
The pride of Pride Rock
In contrast, there was never any question of Mufasa’s relationship to Simba, thanks to Jones’ work on The Lion King. His deep-throated delivery puts the pride in Pride Rock, conveying more than any of the film’s visuals how daunting it would be for Simba to follow in his father’s footsteps. Irreplaceable, Jones was the only cast member to reprise his role in Jon Favreau’s 2019 remake.
A versatile career
Sure, Jones’ face went unseen in those films, but that can hardly be said of the more than 100 appearances he made in films and television shows over his career. Roles that combined his stentorian voice with his imposing 6-foot-plus physique and unmistakable, gap-toothed smile. Standouts include a prejudice-smashing boxer in The Great White Hope (for which he earned his lone Oscar nomination), Alex Haley in the original Roots miniseries, and African king Jaffe Joffer, father of Eddie Murphy, in Coming to America.
The common thread through nearly all these roles was a dignified sense of authority. Even small parts sounded big when Jones embodied them. And when the role itself was the top of the food chain, like Mufasa or the galaxy’s worst henchman, the tone of his voice said it all.
Links to explore
- The Lion King
- Star Wars
- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
- The Great White Hope
- Roots
- Coming to America
James Earl Jones’ legacy is not just in the characters he voiced but in the profound impact he had on the art of storytelling. His voice will continue to resonate through the ages, a testament to his unparalleled talent and enduring influence.