James Earl Jones by Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons
CV NEWS FEED // James Earl Jones, a Catholic convert, beloved actor, and the famed voice of Darth Vader, passed away on September 9 at the age of 93.
In a September 9 statement to USA TODAY, Jones representative Barry McPherson said: “He passed this morning surrounded by his loved ones. He was a great man.”
According to OSV News, Jones wrote in 1993 that in his acting career, “Perhaps my greatest honor came when I was asked to read the New Testament on tape.”
Jones played the role of Fr. McCarthy, a Catholic priest, in the 2013 pro-life film “Gimme Shelter.” He donated his entire salary from the film to the Catholic-run pregnancy shelter that inspired the movie, according to IMBD.
OSV reported that Jones was born in 1931 in Mississippi but spent much of his childhood with his grandparents on a farm in Michigan. When Jones was 14, a teacher at his school helped him cultivate his love of reading and writing poetry. The teacher also helped Jones improve his speech and overcome a stutter.
Jones attended the University of Michigan. After graduating, and before launching his acting career, he served in the U.S. Army in Colorado. There, Jones met a Jesuit priest.
The priest “helped me understand who God really was,” Jones wrote, according to OSV. While in the Army, Jones became a Catholic.
Later on, Jones became one of the few actors to earn an “EGOT,” or an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award. He is known for his roles in “Field of Dreams,” “The Lion King,” and the “Star Wars” franchise.
