James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones was an American actor and voice actor, best known as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars film series by Lucasfilm. Since the franchise was acquired by Disney, he had reprised his voice role of Vader in Star Wars Rebels, Rogue One, The Rise of Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Among his other contributions for Disney, he was also well-known for voicing Mufasa in The Lion King (1994). He went on to reprise the role in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, and the 2019 CGI remake directed by Jon Favreau. He was also one of the international hosts in Fantasia 2000. He appeared in True Identity and hosted both American Legends and The Story Behind the Story: The Lion King on the 2002 2-disc DVD of Beauty and the Beast. He also voiced Santa Claus in the Recess episode "Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave". He reprised his role as Darth Vader in the Star Tours: The Adventures Continue attraction at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios, and voiced Mara in Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye at Disneyland. Additionally, he played Duggan in Three Fugitives, the narrator in Judge Dredd, the narrator in Freddie as F.R.O.7., Madison Hemings in Jefferson in Paris, Reverend Stephen Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country, and the narrator in Scary Movie 4.
Jones was named a Disney Legend. In 2019, he finished his speech with "and may the force be with you."https://d23.com/every-magical-moment-from-the-2019-disney-legends-awards-ceremony/
Outside of Disney, he was best known as the voice of the tagline: "This is CNN."
James Earl Jones passed away on September 9, 2024, at the age of 93.James Earl Jones Dies: Revered ‘Field Of Dreams’ Star & Darth Vader Voice Was 93 He was a sufferer of type 2 diabetes later in his life. He died surrounded by his family. Mufasa: The Lion King is dedicated to him in memory.
==Filmography==
===Film===
Year	Film 	Character 	Studio 	Notes
1977	Star Wars: A New Hope 	Darth Vader 	Lucasfilm Ltd. 	Voice
1980	Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back	Darth Vader 	Lucasfilm Ltd. 	Voice
1983	Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 	Darth Vader 	Lucasfilm Ltd. 	Voice
1994	The Lion King 	Mufasa 	Walt Disney Animation Studios 	Voice
1998	The Lion King II: Simba's Pride 	Mufasa 	Disneytoon Studios 	Voice
2000	Fantasia 2000 	Himself 	Walt Disney Animation Studios 	Lead actor
2005	Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 	Darth Vader 	Lucasfilm Ltd. 	Voice
2015	The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar	Mufasa 	Disney Television Animation 	Voice
2019	The Lion King 	Mufasa 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures	Voice
2024	Mufasa: The Lion King 	Mufasa (archive recording; dedication)	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures	Voice
===Television===
Year(s) 	Show 	Character 	Studio 	Network 	Notes
1997–2001	Recess 	Santa Claus	Disney Television Animation 	ABCToon DisneyDisney ChannelDisney XD	Voice
2014-2018	Star Wars Rebels	Darth Vader	LucasfilmLucasfilm Animation	Disney XDDisney ChannelABC 	Voice
2022 	Obi-Wan Kenobi 	Darth Vader	Lucasfilm 	Disney+ 	Voice
==Roles==
Darth Vader's head.jpg|Darth Vader(Star Wars franchise)
Mufasa Lion King .jpg|Mufasa(The Lion King franchise)
Recess james earl jones as santa claus.jpg|Santa Claus(Recess)
The Lion King (2019 film) Mufasa Circle of Life.png|Mufasa(The Lion King;2019 CGI adaptation)
==Gallery==
James Earl Jones behind the scenes of TLK.jpg|James Earl Jones behind the scenes of The Lion King (1994)
james-earl-jones-madge-sinclair.jpg|James Earl Jones with Madge Sinclair
F2000 68.png|James Earl Jones introducing "The Carnival of the Animals" in Fantasia 2000
Jamesearljonesamericanlegends.jpeg|James Earl Jones hosting American Legends
James Earl Jones behing the scenes of The Lion King 2019.png|James Earl Jones behind the scenes of The Lion King (2019)
==Trivia==
*He was considered for the voice of Santa Claus in The Nightmare Before Christmas, but he turned it down.https://www.thedailybeast.com/henry-selick-on-directing-the-nightmare-before-christmas
*Around his retirement in 2022 and before his death, James Earl Jones signed a deal with Disney to use his voice through AI software in future incarnations of Darth Vader. This software was first used in the 2022 Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
*Mufasa: The Lion King is dedicated to James Earl Jones, following his death in September 2024.
==References==
==External links==
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es:James Earl Jones 
pl:James Earl Jones 
pt-br:James Earl Jones
ru:Джеймс Эрл Джонс
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