Death of James Earl Jones

I was saddened to hear of the death yesterday (9 September 2024) of James Earl Jones, probably best known across the world as the voice of Darth Vader, the looming, ominous antagonist of the original trilogy of Star Wars movies from the 1970s and 1980s. Apart from the resonance and authority evident from his distinctive bass voice, one thing that immediately struck me when I first heard his portrayal of Darth Vader was a distinct lack of any noticeable accent. All around were characters played by actors and actresses with clearly American or British accents, but not Darth Vader. His was a neutral, calculated, inhuman voice, and it stood in stark contrast to the emotional (and in-character) portrayals of those around him.

With time and experience, I can now pick out some small elements of an accent in Mr. Jones’s portrayal of Darth Vader, but I still find it remarkable how neutral the delivery of the lines was. (All of this, in my opinion, of course; I am no expert on drama or oratory.)

If you look into Mr. Jones’s life story, you will see that he overcame adversity on a few different levels, not least of which a severe stutter throughout much of his schooling. From a human perspective at least, the world is a poorer place for his loss.