That Voice

One of the hardest parts of getting older, as I’ve written many times before, is seeing so many of one’s childhood heroes and icons pass away.  Today was another such day, as the world lost James Earl Jones; an amazing actor who could go from playing a boxer to a king on a dime.  For his many roles, James Earl Jones would win the coveted EGOT; two Emmys, a Grammy, an honorary Oscar and two Tony Awards…hence EGOT.

Jones was known primarily for his commanding vocals.  A rich, seemingly bottomless voice, with enough bass to shake your shoes—like a human Dolby Atmos sound system.  Breaking ground as a African-American actor at a time when roles of significance were harder to come by (for actors not named Sidney Poitier), Jones enjoyed a diverse career on Broadway and in such films as Stanley Kubrick’s cold war satire “Doctor Strangelove” (1964), and as boxer Jack Jefferson in both the 1967 play and 1970 film of “The Great White Hope.” The character of Jefferson was loosely based on real-life 19th century boxer Jack Johnson, who faced backlash for marrying a white woman.

On television, Jones would play Balthazar in “Jesus of Nazareth” (1977) and real-life author Alex Haley in “Roots: The Next Generation” (1979), as well as countless other roles, big and small.  No role seemed too insignificant for Jones not to give his best.  In fact, it was on TV that I would see Jones in what is perhaps my favorite performance of his; a little-known, 1975 TV-movie called “The UFO Incident.”  In this obscure NBC production, Jones played alleged real-life UFO abductee Barney Hill, who along with his wife Betty (Estelle Parsons), are able to recall their unearthly experiences under separate hypnosis sessions.  

Whether the abduction truly took place, or whether it was some other kind of masked trauma, the performance given by Jones is so potent and raw that it’s downright unsettling to watch. Whatever one’s feelings regarding the validity of alien abductions, James Earl Jones gives the performance of a lifetime as Barney Hill. Jones usually gave his best in whatever he was doing, even as the authoritative voice of Cable News Network, aka CNN.

Of course, to many of my generation, James Earl Jones will forever be remembered as the voice of Darth Vader; the iconic “Star Wars” villain who was a composite character consisting of actor Dave Prowse performing in the the costume, with Bob Anderson doing the lightsaber stunt work, and James Earl Jones providing the initially uncredited voice of the character.  Humbly refusing screen credit for fear of usurping the efforts of Prowse and Bob Anderson, it was Jones’ voice that came to define the character. 

It wasn’t until 1983’s second Star Wars sequel “Return of the Jedi” that Jones would finally receive onscreen credit, though his voice acting of Darth Vader was already common knowledge among Star Wars fans long before then. Jones even voiced the character for a quick scene in the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special” (1978), which also managed to rope in Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.

The actor would voice Darth Vader many years later in the Star Wars prequels (1999-2005), the 2014 cartoon series “Rebels,” and for 2016’s “Rogue One.” Disney strategically acquired the actor’s approval to digitally recreate his voice for future Star Wars projects not long after the actor announced his recent retirement. The actor last voiced Darth Vader for Disney+’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi” miniseries (2022). 

Even with his “Star Wars” fame, the actor would star in other franchises as well, playing the imposing Admiral Greer in the first three “Jack Ryan” movies (“Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger”), as well as the regal “Mufasa” in 1994’s modern animated classic, “The Lion King,” and its made-for-video sequel, “Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” (1998). 

More recently, Jones parodied his onscreen persona for a 2014 episode of the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” In it, he and Jim Parsons (“Sheldon”) played a late night doorbell prank on Jones’ Star Wars castmate Carrie Fisher (1956-2016). 

Gratitude

I was about 13 or so in the late 1970s when I read James Earl Jones’ childhood story in the pages of “People” magazine (or “Us,” or whatever it was), and I was gobsmacked to learn the Mississippi-born actor was a childhood stutterer like myself.  Up until my teens, I was terribly embarrassed of speaking aloud, especially in front of strangers or classmates.  The stutter manifested itself as a short circuit between my brain and mouth; making it downright painful to get my words out, at times. Naturally, others would giggle and snicker as I’d struggle with my embarrassing verbal disconnect.  

But thanks to Jones’ going public with his own childhood stutter, I suddenly had a role model; someone who suffered the exact same condition as myself, and who overcame it, as I eventually would in my early teens. I was so inspired by the former stutterer-turned-Sith Lord that I eventually signed up for debate class in high school. In my senior year, I took the next step and got into drama.  Even out of school, I would do occasional community theater plays.  While being a professional actor was never a serious goal of mine, it did wonders for my self-confidence. A part of me thinks James Earl Jones’ admission had something to do with that.

Despite all of my sci-fi/fantasy conventioneering over the past few decades with my wife, I neverhad the opportunity to meet James Earl Jones, but when I learned of his passing today, I felt as if I owed him thanks and a bit of tribute for helping a very shy kid through a downright painful speech impediment. Jones’ voice—that powerful, earth-shaking voice—now belongs to the stars.  

As my wife, a fellow “Star Wars” fan, so eloquently put it, “The Force is reclaiming its son.” 

James Earl Jones, 1931-2024