Actor James Earl Jones, best known for being the voice of the Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has died aged 93.
Jones starred in dozens of films including Field of Dreams, Coming to America, Conan the Barbarian and The Lion King. He was best known for giving the Star Wars supervillain Darth Vader his distinctive, gravelly voice.
Mark Hamill, who played Vader’s son Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, posted “RIP Dad” with a broken heart emoji as he shared a news report of the death.
Jones also voiced the character of Mufasa in The Lion King.
During his career, Jones won three Tony awards, two Emmys and a Grammy, as well as an honorary Oscar in 2011 for lifetime achievement.
Kevin Costner, who co-starred with Jones in Field of Dreams, said: “That booming voice. That quiet strength. The kindness that he radiated. So much can be said about his legacy, so I’ll just say how thankful I am that part of it includes Field of Dreams.”
Jones was also the voice of CNN’s “This is CNN” tagline.
“He was the voice of CNN and our brand for many decades, uniquely conveying through speech instant authority, grace, and decorum,” the broadcaster told the Hollywood Reporter.
“I love being part of that whole [Star Wars] myth, of that whole cult,” Jones said in an interview with BBC HardTalk.
He never made much money off the Darth Vader part – only $9,000 (£6,884) for the first film. His voice was also used in The Simpsons, and he appeared in early episodes of Sesame Street.
Jones also tackled many iconic Shakespeare characters on the stage, including Othello and King Lear.
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