James Earl Jones, renowned for voicing the iconic Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has passed away at the age of 93.
His agent confirmed his death yesterday morning (9 September) at his home in New York, and numerous tributes have been flooding in, including a heartfelt one from Mark Hamill.
Jones’s last role was voicing Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, although he had arranged for his voice to continue to be used for Vader if needed.
He officially retired from the role in September 2022 after the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi. According to Vanity Fair, the voice of Vader in that series was created by the Ukrainian company Respeecher.
While James Earl Jones served as a ‘benevolent godfather’ overseeing the recreation of his distinctive voice, his final appearance in the Star Wars saga used technology to recreate his voice.
Should Star Wars decide to revive Darth Vader in future projects, they’ll have the option to use his voice once more, thanks to arrangements made by James Earl Jones.
Jones approved the use of AI technology to recreate his voice for future Darth Vader portrayals, allowing fans to experience his iconic voice for years to come.
This isn’t the first time Star Wars has utilized technology to preserve the performances of deceased actors.
For instance, in the 2016 film Rogue One, actor Guy Henry played the part of Tarkin but was digitally altered to resemble the late Peter Cushing. Similarly, Carrie Fisher’s younger appearance was digitally recreated on actor Ingvild Deila for the role of Princess Leia in the same movie.
During the original Star Wars trilogy, David Prowse was the man inside the Darth Vader suit, a figure also known to older Brits as the Green Cross Man.
However, his voice didn’t quite fit the menacing Sith Lord, so James Earl Jones was brought in to provide the iconic voice, often working from a different script than Prowse.
In an effort to keep the monumental reveal that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father a secret during the filming of The Empire Strikes Back, only a few people knew the true line. A different line was spoken on set, with the famous “I am your father” dubbed in post-production.
Prowse was unaware of the actual dialogue until he watched the completed film.
When Vader’s mask is removed so he can look at his son with his own eyes, it was actor Sebastian Shaw who portrayed him in that scene.
Over the years, various actors have donned the Vader suit and provided the voice in different mediums, such as video games. However, in the films, the voice of Vader has consistently been James Earl Jones.
