He is perhaps best known for his unforgettable voice performance as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy—a role he reprised in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), and most recently in the 2022 television series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Reflecting on his casting, George Lucas said in 2015 during an American Theatre Wing gala honoring Jones, “I knew the voice had to be very, very special. It was a tough choice, but in the end, it was a really easy choice. It was really a choice between Orson Welles and James Earl Jones. James Earl Jones won hands down. He created, with very little dialogue, one of the greatest villains that ever lived,” as cited by Rolling Stone.
Jones himself spoke about the experience in The Making of Star Wars, saying, “I understand that George did contact Orson Welles to read for the voice of Darth Vader before he contacted me. I was out of work, and he said, ‘Do you want a day’s work?’” Jones earned just $7,000 for the role in the first film and was initially left uncredited, though he was later added to the credits in subsequent releases.
