Remembering Late James Earl Jones and How Acting Became His Passion: ‘It Was Language’

He was a powerful actor of stage and screen, but James Earl Jones — who died on September 9 at age 93 — will be perhaps best remembered for his remarkable baritone voice. From Star Wars’ menacing Darth Vader to The Lion King’s gentle Mufasa, James gave voice to some of film’s most iconic characters.

“When I’m asked, did I always have that kind of voice, the answer is no,” admitted the star, who stuttered so badly as a child he stopped talking from first grade through his freshman year of high school. With the help of an English teacher, James overcame his speech impediment and discovered his life’s passion. “It wasn’t acting. It was language. It was speech,” said the two-time Tony winner. “It was the thing that I’d denied myself all those years [as a boy]. I now had a great — an abnormal — appreciation for it. And it was the idea that you can do a play — like a Shakespeare play or any well-written play — and say things you could never imagine saying, never imagine thinking in your own life. That’s what it’s still about.”