The acclaimed stage and screen actor enjoyed an extraordinary career, continuing to work well into his 80s.
And in 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor.
Over the next decade, Jones cemented his reputation as one of the eras foremost Shakespearean actors.
Photo: Stuart Crawford viaWikimedia Commons(CC BY 2.0)
Joness film debut came in 1964 with a minor role in Stanley KubricksDr.
Strangelove, where he played a bombardier on a nuclear-armed aircraft.
However, it wasnt until 1977 that Jones really got his big break.
So, George Lucas asked Jones to come in and lend his legendary voice to the character.
It was a tough choice, but in the end, it was a really easy choice.
It was really a choice between Orson Welles and James Earl Jones.
James Earl Jones won hands down.
He created, with very little dialogue, one of the greatest villains that ever lived.
The kindness that he radiated.
Only he could bring that kind of magic to a movie about baseball and a corn field in Iowa.
Im grateful to have been a witness to him making that magic happen.
Rest in peace, friend.
