Legendary Soap Alum James Earl Jones Dies At 93

James Earl Jones, the celebrated star of stage and screen whose iconic voice brought Darth Vader to life in the Star Wars universe, has passed away at the age of 93.

A native of Arkabutla, Mississippi, Jones was born on January 17, 1931, and moved to Michigan to live with his grandparents at the age of 5. He attended the University of Michigan, where he began his pivot away from becoming a doctor as he had originally planned. He ultimately graduated with a degree in theater, and served in the Korean War.

The versatile actor made his Broadway debut in 1958 at the Cort Theatre, which has since been renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre. In 1966, he appeared on As The World Turns in the role of Dr. Jerry Turner and on Guiding Light as Jim Frazier (a role that was subsequently played by Billy Dee Williams, who also played Toussaint Dubois on General Hospital: Night Shift ). He helped break new ground in the genre, which all too rarely featured Black characters, much less ones portrayed as accomplished and well-educated professionals.

Over the course of his monumental career in film, Jones made his mark on many genres, from comedy ( Coming To America ) to family dramas ( Field of Dreams ) to action flicks ( The Hunt for Red October ), but it is arguably his run as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, which kicked off in 1977, for which he is best known. (Ironically, the actor who succeeded him in the role of GL's Jim, Billy Dee Williams, appeared in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as Lando Calrissian.) As a voice actor, he played the role of King Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King .

Among the many prestigious accolades he earned for his talent, Jones took home two Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Play (for The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987). He also earned two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1991, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Gabriel's Fire and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Heat Wave . In 2002, he received Kennedy Center Honors, and he was honored in 2009 with the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award and an Honorary Academy Award in 2009.

Soap Opera Digest joins his millions of fans in mourning the loss of such a towering talent, and send our heartfelt condolences to those who knew and loved him.