Star Wars creator George Lucas has led tributes to "beautiful human being" James Earl Jones following the actor's death aged 93.
On Monday, his long-time agent Barry McPherson confirmed the veteran actor, best known for being the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars, had died.
The actor’s booming voice can also be heard in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of Disney's The Lion King, in which he played King Mufasa.
Widely considered a great of theatre and cinema, Jones was one of the few entertainers to have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards).
In a statement released following Jones's death, Lucas called Jones "an incredible actor" and "a most unique voice both in art and spirit".
"For nearly half a century he was Darth Vader, but the secret to it all is he was a beautiful human being," he said.
"He gave depth, sincerity and meaning to all his roles, amongst the most important being a devoted husband to the late Ceci and dad to Flynn.
"James will be missed by so many of us...friends and fans alike."
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said: "James Earl Jones is one of the most versatile and talented actors of our time, with an iconic body of work across film, stage and television.
"The menacing baritone he brought to Darth Vader will forever be beloved by fans and regarded as one of the great villainous performances in cinema. His commanding presence on screen, and warm personality off-screen, will be greatly missed."
#RIP dad 💔 https://t.co/YXpFoBb2Ua
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) September 9, 2024
Disney chief executive Bob Iger credited the "indelible mark" the actor left on "generations of audiences".
He said: "From the gentle wisdom of Mufasa to the menacing threat of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones gave voice to some of the greatest characters in cinema history.
"A celebrated stage actor with nearly 200 film and television credits to his name, the stories he brought to life with a uniquely commanding presence and a true richness of spirit have left an indelible mark on generations of audiences.
"On behalf of all of us at Disney, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones."
Jones's fellow Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who portrayed Luke Skywalker, wrote on social media "#RIP dad" with a broken heart emoji.
The Wire star Wendell Pierce hailed him as the "living embodiment of artistry, integrity, creativity, and dignity" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
He added: "James Earl Jones is the sole reason I became an actor. He stirred a vocation in me that gave voice to my unsung heart songs.
"By example, he led me on the exploration of my own personal humanity and the study of human behaviour in others and the intangible, ever-present soul.
"He was a once-in-a-generation talent that has left an enormous legacy in American culture."
In his tribute on X, Star Trek star George Takei said: "A great spirit and boundless, unique voice has left us.
"James Earl Jones has passed, and he is returned to the great beyond.
"We are all the lesser for his loss, and we collectively mourn his passing and honour his great body of work."
Levar Burton, who also featured in Star Trek, wrote on X: "James Earl Jones... there will never be another of his particular combination of graces."
Happy Days actor Henry Winkler said Jones "set an example for how to live and work with power and grace", adding: "Rest well. We loved and love you."
Irish actor Chris O'Dowd posted an image of himself with Jones alongside the caption: "A voice that stopped you in your tracks. Rest easy legend."
James Earl Jones, the American actor known for being the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars, has died at the age of 93, his agent said.
Responding to the news that the Hollywood actor had died Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, posted “#RIP Dad” with a broken heart emoji.
Jones’ agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed he had died on Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.
The actor won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honours.
He was also given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theatre was renamed in his honour.
"If you were an actor or aspired to be an actor, if you pounded the payment in these streets looks for jobs, one of the standards we always had was to be a James Earl Jones," Samuel L. Jackson once said.
In 2005, the veteran star reprised Vader for Revenge Of The Sith and he returned to the role nine years later in the first episode of Star Wars Rebels, and in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.But Jones was already an award-winning star of stage and screen when the original Star Wars movie was being developed by George Lucas in the 1970s.
Some of his other films include "Dr. Strangelove," "The Greatest" (with Muhammad Ali), "Conan the Barbarian," "Three Fugitives" and playing an admiral in three blockbuster Tom Clancy adaptations — "The Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger.”
Jones made his Broadway debut in 1958's "Sunrise At Campobello" and would win his two Tony Awards for "The Great White Hope" (1969) and "Fences" (1987).
He was also nominated for "On Golden Pond" (2005) and "Gore Vidal's The Best Man" (2012).
More recent Broadway appearances include "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Driving Miss Daisy," "The Iceman Cometh," and "You Can't Take It With You."
As a rising stage and television actor, he performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival Theater in "Othello," "Macbeth" and "King Lear" and in off-Broadway plays.
Jones was born by the light of an oil lamp in a shack in Arkabutla, Mississippi, on January 17, 1931. His father, Robert Earl Jones, had deserted his wife before he was born to pursue life as a boxer and, later, an actor.
When Jones was six, his mother took him to her parents' farm near Manistee, Michigan. His grandparents quickly adopted and raised him.
Too embarrassed to speak, Jones remained virtually mute for years, communicating with teachers and students with handwritten notes.
A sympathetic high school teacher, Donald Crouch, learnt that Jones wrote poetry, and demanded that he read one of his poems aloud in class. He did so faultlessly.
Later in life, he moved in with his father in New York and enrolled with the American Theater Wing programme for young actors. Father and son waxed floors to support themselves while looking for acting jobs.
True stardom came suddenly in 1970 with "The Great White Hope." Howard Sackler's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play depicted the struggles of Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, amid the racism of early 20th-century America.
In 1972, Jones repeated his role in the movie version and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor.
Jones' two wives were also actors. He married Julienne Marie Hendricks in 1967. After their divorce, he married Cecilia Hart, best known for her role as Stacey Erickson in the CBS police drama "Paris," in 1982. She died in 2016. The couple had a son, Flynn Earl, born in 1983.
