James Earl Jones, renowned actor and voice actor for 'Star Wars' and 'The Lion King', dies at 93

1 of 5 | James Earl Jones died Monday at age 93. File photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI | Photo licensed

September 9 (UPI) — Stage and screen actor James Earl Jones died Monday at his home in Dutchess County, New York, at the age of 93. Representatives for the actor confirmed his death to Deadline and Variety.

Known on screen for nearly 200 roles including Coming to America And Field of DreamsJones was best known for his deep voice. He voiced Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga and Mufasa in the 1994 and 2019 versions of The Lion King.

Jones was also the voice announcing “This is CNN” and commercials for Bell Atlantic, Verizon and DirecTV.

In 2017, the Tony Awards honored Jones with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his career in theater. He had won Tony Awards for his performances in The Great White Hope And Fences.

Jones also reprised his role as boxer Jack Jefferson in the film version of The Great White Hope, inspired by Jack Johnson. Jones has portrayed other real-life figures such as Malcolm X in The biggest and Alex Haley in Roots.

Other popular roles include Conan the Barbarian the villain Thulsa Doom, Jack Ryan Greer’s mentor in the Tom Clancy films and neighbor Mr. Mertle in The wasteland.

His last on-screen appearance was reprising his role as King Joffer in the 2021 sequel. Coming to Americaand his last vocal appearance was as Darth Vader in the 2022 Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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NHL star Johnny Gaudreau attempts to pass the puck during a game in St. Louis on December 16, 2018. Gaudreau, who first played for the Calgary Flames before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets, died at age 31 along with his brother Matthew after they were struck by a vehicle while riding their bicycles on August 29. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | Photo License