Darth Vader only came to life when James Earl Jones gave him a voice

With his instantly recognizable black mask and red lightsaber, Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains in film history. But it was his voice – a deep, menacing tone, punctuated by labored breathing – that brought the legendary Star Wars character to life.

The man responsible for Darth Vader’s terrifying timbre was an American actor James Earl Joneswho died on September 9 at the age of 93.

“James was an incredible actor, a very unique voice both in art and spirit,” says George Lucas, the filmmaker who created the film Star Wars franchise, in a statement. “For almost half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret of it all is that he was a beautiful human being. He brought depth, sincerity and meaning to all of his roles, the most important of which were the late Ceci’s devoted husband and Flynn’s father. James will be missed by so many of us, friends and fans alike.”

Today, Darth Vader is one of Jones’ best-known roles. But this was not always the case: at his request, Jones was not credited with the role in the first two films.A new hope (1977) and The empire strikes back (1980) – until re-released as a special edition in 1997.

When Jones agreed to lend his voice to Darth Vader, he was already decades into his career as a stage and film actor. However, out of respect for the role, he did not want to attach his name David Prowsethe British actor who played the villain on screen.

James Earl Jones on portraying Darth Vader in the Star Wars films

Prowse spoke all of Darth Vader’s lines during filming, but he had a thick Bristol accent and his voice sounded muffled under the mask. It wasn’t quite what Lucas had in mind for Darth Vader. The filmmaker decided to hire Jones to re-record Darth Vader’s voice in post-production.

Jones recorded all of Darth Vader’s dialogue A new hope in less than three hours and was paid $7,000 for his work. Sound designer Ben Burtt used a scuba tank controller to add Darth Vader’s signature mechanical breathing sounds to Jones’ voice, according to Far away magazine‘s Aimee Ferrier.

“I’m just special effects,” Jones said in a 2009 interview with the American Film Institute. “George [Lucas] recently admitted that when he hired David Prowse, he thought this was his Darth Vader… [Prowse had] a slight Scottish accent – not a bass, but more of a tenor. It’s a very effective voice, but George thought he wanted a – pardon the expression – ‘darker’ voice. So he hires a man, born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. And that’s the voice. That’s me. I was lucky.”

David Prowse, aka Darth Vader, says why his voice got cut off at Awesome Con

Prowse was surprised by the decision. He knew the mask made his voice difficult to hear, but he thought he would get a chance to re-record Darth Vader’s lines himself. Still, he considered Jones a “beautiful character.” [and] a great guy.”

“He did a great job but I still think I could have done just as well if I had been given the right opportunity,” Prowse told the website. Movie craze in 2016.

Lucas, in turn, viewed the role of Darth Vader as “a collaboration between a team of artists” Washingtonpostwrote Louie Estrada after Prowse’s death in 2020. For example, British fencer Bob Anderson stepped in and voiced the role during some of the lightsaber fighting scenes, while actor Sebastian Shaw’s face was used to portray a dying Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi (1983).

The real voice of Darth Vader…hilarious!

For Jones, the role was just one of many during his prolific career that spanned more than six decades. After overcoming a childhood stutteringhe performed on Broadway and won two Tony Awards for it The great white hope And Fences in 1969 and 1987 respectively.

In addition to his stage work, Jones also had that almost 200 film and television credits to his name. Some of his best known films include Field of dreams (1989), The Sandlot (1993) and The Lion King (1994).

He has received numerous awards and nominations, including Emmys, Golden Globes And Grammys. He received an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2011, followed by a special lifetime achievement Tony Award in 2017, making him a rare EGOT winner. Jones also earned the National Medal of Arts from President George Bush in 1992 and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002.

Even after so many accolades, Darth Vader would become Jones’ signature role. He didn’t expect his voice to become so popular, but he managed to have fun with his mean fame over the years. Once, while traveling around the country, he reprized the role for his own amusement.

“I used ‘Darth’ as ​​my handle on CB radio,” he said New York Times magazine‘s Dave Itzkoff in 2014. “The truck drivers would really panic; for them it was Darth Vader. I had to stop that.”

In 2022, Jones officially retired from the role of Darth Vader. So did he at the time Lucasfilm gave permission to use artificial intelligence to recreate his signature voice for future projects.