Born in Mississippi in January 1931 and known for his voice roles later in life, Jones was unable to speak for most of his childhood because of stammer. He once explained that he developed his well-known gravelly voice while working on how to deal with his condition.
Jones voiced Darth Vader in the original Star Wars film, which came out in 1977, and its sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He reprised the role in later films, such as the first installment of the Star Wars anthology series, Rogue One, and the third installment of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Both projects came out in the late 2010s. A different actor donned the malevolent villain’s costume and provided the movements, including the late David Prowse.
Jones reportedly never made big bucks off the Darth Vader part — only $9,000 for the first film. At his own insistence, he was not given credit for his performance in the films, as he felt it was merely another special effect effort. However, when the movies broke all box office records, he was persuaded to rethink.
Jones’s known TV credits include playing the older brother of Alex Haley in Roots: The Next Generation as well as the US drama Gabriel’s Fire. His voice was also used on The Simpsons.
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