The voice actor behind Darth Vader, James Earl Jones, passed away yesterday. The impact he’s had on fans of Star Wars is immeasurable. I was really young when I watched Star Wars but I do remember how scary he was. At the time, it was unknown to me that he only did the voice and wasn’t actually in the suit. No disrespect to David Prowse, but it’s hard to imagine anyone else’s voice behind the mask.
My next memory of hearing him in a role was Mufasa in The Lion King and he was the exact opposite. Not scary, fatherly, my own dad was scary enough. That deepness in his voice though was unmistakable. I’m not one who followed his career very closely, I’m sure he’s done other things but those are the two roles I remember him most in. A legend has been lost to the circle of life, and for that we should all grieve.
