James Earl Jones Was So Much More Than Darth Vader

But awards aren’t our only measure of greatness; actually, they’re a pretty meager one. Though Jones was a contemporary of actors like Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, his career didn’t reach the same heights; in America at that time, we had room for only so many Black stars—our lack of imagination, not to mention tolerance, is part of the history we have to reckon with. But Jones brought the deepest kind of pleasure to audiences, and that gift should never be underestimated. His sonorous, shiver-inducing baritone gave life to the dramatic complexity of Darth Vader, in the original Star Wars trilogy and several offshoots. And as the voice of the regal Mufasa in both versions of The Lion King, he commanded respect mingled with love—he was a cartoon lion you could look up to.