American actor James Earl Jones, an imposing stage and screen presence who overcame a childhood stutter to develop a stentorian voice recognized the world over as intergalactic villain Darth Vader, has died at the age of 93.
Jones, a longtime sufferer of diabetes, died at his home surrounded by family members, his agent, Barry McPherson, said.
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No cause of death was provided.
Jones had a tremendous physical presence on stage, television and in movies, even when his face was not shown as his voice had a career of its own.
The resonant bass could instantly command respect - as with The Lion King's sage father Mufasa and in many Shakespearean roles - or instill fear as Darth Vader in the Star Wars films.
Jones laughed when a BBC interviewer asked if he resented being so closely tied to Darth Vader, a role that required only his voice for a few lines while other actors did the on-screen work in costume.
"I love being part of that whole myth, of that whole cult," he said, adding he was glad to oblige fans who asked for a command recital of his "I am your father" line to hero Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill.
"#RIP dad," Hamill wrote on X with a broken heart emoji above a story about Jones' death.
Jones' long list of awards included Tonys for The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987 on Broadway, Emmys in 1991 for Gabriel's Fire and Heat Wave on TV, and a Grammy for best spoken word album, Great American Documents, in 1977.
While he never won a competitive Academy award, he was nominated for best actor for the film version of The Great White Hope and was given an honorary Oscar in 2011.
He began his movie career as Lieutenant Luther Zogg in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 classic Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Later acclaimed film roles included novelist Terence Mann in 1989's Field of Dreams and South African Reverend Stephen Kumalo in 1995's Cry, the Beloved Country. He also starred in Conan the Barbarian, Coming to America, The Sandlot, Matewan and The Hunt for Red October, among others.
Jones' voice was also heard in dozens of TV commercials. For several years CNN used his authoritative "This is CNN" to introduce newscasts.
After overcoming a stutter developed from early childhood, James became interested in acting. He studied drama at the University of Michigan and moved to New York.
A trailblazing Black actor, Jones won big roles in racially charged movies and plays that broke ground for Black actors that came after him.
Dominic Hawkins, a spokesperson for the NAACP in Washington, said Jones' winning of big roles even as the Jim Crow racial caste system still plagued the American South was hugely important for the Black community.
"Film and TV has the power to shape hearts and minds, and that's what he did," Hawkins said.REUTERS
