James Earl Jones dies
James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars films, died this morning at his home in Dutchess County, NY. He was 93. He was surrounded by his family, said his longtime agent Barry McPherson.
Mr. Jones was widely regarded as one of the world’s great stage and screen actors. He is one of the few entertainers to have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), though his Academy Award was honorary.
He received two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Daytime Emmy, a spoken-word Grammy Award in 1977, and three Tony Awards.
Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi in 1931, he had a stutter since childhood. Jones said that poetry and acting helped him overcome the challenges of his disability. A pre-med student in college, he served in the United States Army during the Korean War before pursuing a career in acting. Since his Broadway debut in 1957, he performed in several Shakespeare plays, including Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus, and King Lear.
Jones worked steadily in theater, winning his first Tony Award in 1968 for his role in The Great White Hope, which he reprised in the 1970 film adaptation, earning him both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.
Jones won his second Tony Award in 1987, for his role in August Wilson‘s Fences. He was again nominated for a Tony Award for his roles in On Golden Pond (2005), andThe Best Man (2012). Other Broadway performances include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008), Driving Miss Daisy (2010–2011), You Can’t Take It with You (2014), and The Gin Game (2015–2016). He received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2017.