James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor who voiced the masked Darth Vader in the Star Wars films, including the Holiday Special. He does not actually appear onscreen, as his voice was dubbed over while the suit was worn by David Prowse and stuntman Bob Anderson in the original trilogy, the Holiday Special, and while Hayden Christensen wore the suit in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. By 2022, he has stepped down from the role, and in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader's voice was artificially created using archival recordings.

Biography

In March of 1977, James Earl Jones spent only one day recording Darth Vader's voice-over dialogue for Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope at Goldwyn Studios. As such, Jones refused to be credited until the release of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, even going as far as telling people it wasn't he who did the voice-over.

He reprised the role in the anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

In the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader's voice was artificially created with Respeecher, which uses archival recordings and a proprietary A.I. algorithm to create new dialogue with the voices of performers. Respeecher, which also created the voice of young Luke Skywalker for The Book of Boba Fett, was used because Jones's voice has altered with age and he has stepped back from the role. After Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, Jones had mentioned he was looking into winding down Vader. Matthew Wood presented Jones with Respeecher's work, and the actor signed off on using his archival voice recordings to keep Vader alive and vital even by artificial means. Jones is credited for guiding the performance on Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Wood described his contribution as "a benevolent godfather." They informed the actor about their plans for Vader and heeded his advice on how to stay on the right course.

Other work

  • Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game
  • Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Sources

Appearances