How James Earl Jones Became The Voice Of Darth Vader

When actor James Earl Jones died on September 9 he left behind a singular legacy of stage acting, film acting, and yes, voice acting. In case it can't be gleaned from Jones' instantly recognizable, immense, booming voice, he got his start in theater. Some of his Broadway roles included award-winning performances in plays that later got converted into acclaimed movies like "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Fences." Over the course of his distinguished career, the classically trained actor earned two Tonys, two Emmys, a Grammy, an honorary Academy Award, a National Medal of Arts, a John F. Kennedy Center Honor, and numerous more awards. But more than those achievements, practically everyone on Earth knows him as the voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa. 

The road to becoming Darth Vader in 1977's original "Star Wars," however, wasn't a given for Jones. Stamma recounts that Jones grew up with a stammer, and was a very quiet, introverted kid. It took until high school for him to practice reading poetry out loud and gain the confidence to speak openly. And speak he did, getting his first Broadway role in 1958.

Come the mid-70s and James Earl Jones wasn't cast in "Star Wars." That's not him in the Darth Vader suit — That's David Prowse, an English bodybuilder who got cast as Vader because he was so massive. Prowse's voice, though, was less than stellar. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas originally considered legendary actor Orson Welles for Vader's voice but settled on Jones. The rest is history.

For those curious to hear Darth Vader's original voice, we've got original audio and footage from "Star Wars" before the film got the James Earl Jones treatment. Bodybuilder David Prowse (pictured) might have had the build for the role but was otherwise dubbed "Darth Farmer" by those on set. He had a high-pitched, nasal voice, and spoke in a Devonshire accent (per The Conversation), a distinctive strain of West English that doesn't exactly fit Vader's imposing appearance.

As Prowse explained to The Telegraph in 2011, he got his role as Vader because he worked as a fitness trainer to celebrities. He was a heavyweight lifting champion in the 1960s, opened up his own set of gyms, and in short time started popping up in commercials. This segued to acting. 

Sadly for Prowse, he didn't earn a lot of money for his role as Vader, on top of his voice not appearing in the film. His contract came with a net profit clause, meaning that he'd get paid based on how much profit the "Star Wars" movies generated. But as The Atlantic breaks down, "The Return of the Jedi," at least, made nothing. "I don't want to look like I'm b******* about it," Prowse said, "but ... if there's a pot of gold somewhere that I ought to be having a share of, I would like to see it" (via techdirt). During his life, Prowse made money from attending conventions and selling autographs through his website. Sadly, that website is now closed because Prowse died in 2020.

Every time someone watches Darth Vader stalk across the screen in one of the three original "Star Wars" movies, they're watching David Prowse but they're hearing James Earl Jones. Vader's voice is such an integral part of the character — perhaps the most integral — and it's practically impossible to imagine any other voice driving Vader's power and menace. According to Fortune, as previously mentioned, George Lucas was originally considering another famed voice, that of Orson Welles, for Vader. But, he was rightfully concerned that everyone would recognize Welles' voice. Hence, Jones.

Folks might be surprised to learn that Jones considered his role in the original "Star Wars" trilogy as a mere "special effects job," as the BBC says. For that reason, Jones didn't even want his name to appear in the trilogy's credits in the first two movies until the final film, "The Return of the Jedi," after seeing the Sci-fi classic's success." He earned $9,000 for the first "Star Wars" (almost $47,000 nowadays), which isn't pocket change but also not a whole lot considering Jones' impact. 

Throughout his life, James Earl Jones remained generous towards "Star Wars" fans and appreciative of his role in the franchise, very happily delivering his famous "I am your father" line on request. As the BBC quotes him, "I love being part of that whole myth, of that whole cult." As for those concerned that Jones' voice is gone forever except in memory and old films, Forbes reports that in 2022 he signed over the rights for AI to reproduce his voice in future ventures.