James Earl Jones, Star Wars and The Lion King Voice Actor, Dead at 93

James Earl Jones—the actor behind the voice of Star Wars’ Darth Vader and The Lion King’s Mufasa—died on Sept. 9. He was 93.

Hollywood has lost an acting legend.

James Earl Jones—the actor whose deep and resonant voice can be heard in Star Wars and The Lion King—died on Sept. 9 at home in Dutchess County, N.Y., his rep confirmed to multiple outlets. He was 93.

Born on Jan. 17, 1932, in Arkabutla, Miss., Jones spent much of his childhood in Michigan with his grandparents. During that time, Jones struggled with a severe stutter—an experience that eventually taught him the power of his own voice.

“As a small child, I would communicate to my family, or at least those who didn’t mind being embarrassed by my stutter,” he recalled in a 2010 interview with the Daily Mail. “By the time I got to school, my stuttering was so bad that I gave up trying to speak properly.”

However, Jones overcame his issues with speech through the help of an English teacher who got him “involved with words.”

“He got me engaged in the debating class, the dramatic reading class and so on,” he shared. “He got me talking and reading poetry—Edgar Allan Poe was my favorite.”

His newfound love of language led a degree in drama at the University of Michigan. From there, Jones served in the United States Army, in which he was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

Upon being discharged in 1955, he moved to New York City and began pursuing a career in theater. Following his Broadway debut in 1958’s Sunrise at Campobello, Jones starred in productions of The Egg, Infidel Caesar and The Great White Hope, which won him the title of Best Actor in a Play at the 1969 Tony Awards.