Celebrity Biographies
James Earl-Jones
Have you ever wondered where Darth Vader’s snorts came from? Actor James Earl Jones, better known for his voiceovers than his performances, received the lifetime achievement award.
The American Guild of Film and Television Actors (SAG) decided to reward actor James Earl Jones with an award in recognition of his entire career in 2008; Jones, who can boast one of the most memorable voices on the screen, will be remembered for a lifetime as the “breath” of Star Wars . Todd Jones, better known as James Earl Jones, was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi (United States), on January 17, 1931. In 1964 he made his big screen debut in Kubrick’s film, Red Telephone We Flew to Moscow , where he played Lieutenant Lothar Zogg. Although he has participated in almost fifty films, in the cinema he is remembered, above all, as the boxer Jack Jefferson in The Great White Hope, a role that earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor and for which he received the Golden Globe for new star of the year.
Another of his great performances was in Darrel Roodt’s film, Crying for the Beloved Land , a drama about racism in which Jones plays a priest who must open his eyes to the reality of apartheid.
Among his other roles we can remember him as Thulsa Doom in the adventure film Conan, the Barbarian , by John Milius and, later, as Admiral Greed in The Hunt for Red October , alongside Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin .
As an actor, he is also known for his television roles: he has appeared in the series Frasier , Everwood , Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman , Law and Order , and Highway to Heaven , among others.
Although during his childhood, little James showed an incipient stutter, over the years his relatives convinced him of his vocal qualities, until, in the future, he became the voice of characters such as Darth Vader ( Stars Wars ), and that the original actor ( David Prowse ) was too noticeable in his British accent; Mufasa ( The Lion King ), or Voice Box ( Robots ). He has also provided the voice for him in several episodes of The Simpsons .
Jones stated that “growing up, I was mute to the outside world, but there were hundreds of conversations in my head.” When he finally voiced his thoughts, he shocked everyone with his gruff voice, which would soon push him into one job after another.