James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, has died at the age of 93

Legendary histrion James Earl Jones, champion known for his innumerable movie roles and the booming dependable of the quality of Darth Vader successful the "Star Wars" franchise, has died, his typical confirmed to ABC News.

He was 93 years old.

Jones died connected Monday greeting astatine his location successful Dutchess County, New York, surrounded by his family, according to longtime cause Barry McPherson.

The thespian, whose powerful, heavy dependable brought to beingness the iconic villain of Darth Vader, acted for much than six decades and won 3 Tony Awards, including a beingness grant successful 2017, 2 Emmys and a Grammy. He was recognized for beingness accomplishment by the Academy Awards successful 2011.

Jones was calved successful 1931 successful Mississippi and famously battled a terrible stutter arsenic a child.

"People would travel to the location and there'd beryllium introductions made and I couldn't present myself," helium told PBS successful 2014 of conscionable however atrocious the affliction was backmost then. Jones said helium learned to stayed soundless for agelong stretches astatine a time.

"I recovered it was, oh, truthful bully sometimes due to the fact that soundlessness isn't bad. It's bully to listen. And I learned to listen," Jones told PBS.

It was the stutter that led Jones into acting aft a precocious schoolhouse teacher utilized poesy to assistance him talk much clearly. After assemblage and past the Army, serving successful the Korean War, Jones eyed Broadway for his commencement successful theatre and the arts.

In the 1950s and '60s, Jones was a Broadway staple. From "On Golden Pond" to "The Best Man," his enactment earned 4 Tony nominations, winning for "The Great White Hope" successful 1969 and "Fences" successful 1987.

Almost simultaneously, helium was garnering acclaim connected TV arsenic well. The eventual two-time Emmy Award victor earned his archetypal motion successful the 1960s for his enactment connected "East Side/West Side."

He picked up some his Primetime Emmy wins successful 1991, for champion supporting histrion successful the miniseries "Heat Wave" and champion histrion for the bid "Gabriel's Fire." He besides won a Daytime Emmy for the children's peculiar "Summer's End" successful 2000.

Jones aboriginal earned his archetypal Oscar nod, adapting "The Great White Hope" to the metallic surface successful 1970, playing boxer Jack Jefferson. Jones was conscionable the 2nd Black histrion aft Sidney Poitier -- who was nominated successful 1958 and 1963 -- to beryllium recognized by the academy with a nomination.

For the amended portion of the 1970s, Jones continued to juggle his enactment connected stage, TV and film. Then, successful 1977, helium was formed arsenic the dependable of a caller villain, Darth Vader, successful the abstraction saga, "Star Wars: A New Hope."

While bodybuilder David Prowse would beryllium the fig down the achromatic disguise of the Sith lord, Jones was the dependable that uttered truthful galore iconic lines successful the movie and its sequels -- including, "I find your deficiency of religion disturbing," and then, of course, to Luke Skywalker successful 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back," his large reveal, "No, I americium your father."

Jones was ever humble astir being the dependable of specified an iconic foe.

"I'm simply peculiar effects," helium told the American Film Institute successful 2009 astir voicing a quality who was physically played by idiosyncratic else. "George [Lucas] wanted, pardon the expression, a darker voice, truthful helium hires a feline calved successful Mississippi, raised successful Michigan, who stutters. That's the voice, that's me. I lucked out. From each these alleged handicaps, I lucked retired to get a occupation that paid maine $7,000, and I thought that was bully money."

In a 2004 documentary titled "Star Wars: Empire of Dreams," Jones spoke astir erstwhile helium archetypal recovered retired that Vader, the movie trilogy's main villain, would uncover that helium was the long-lost begetter of Skywalker, the superior hero.

"I said to myself, 'He's lying,'" Jones admitted. "I wonderment however they are gonna play that prevarication out."

But it wasn't a lie. From 1977 to 1983, the 3 archetypal "Star Wars" films would go immoderate of the astir revered and archetypal movies of their time, not conscionable for peculiar effects, but besides for the shocking crippled and themes.

After "Star Wars," Jones made memorable appearances successful Eddie Murphy's 1988 movie "Coming to America," past starred other Kevin Costner successful "Field of Dreams" successful 1989. A fewer years later, helium erstwhile again lent his dependable to a celebrated character, starring successful the Disney animated diagnostic "The Lion King" arsenic Mufasa.

Jones had astir 200 credits to his name, according to IMDB, arsenic helium stayed progressive for much than 60 years, including successful movies similar "The Sandlot," shows similar "House" and "The Simpsons," and successful his instrumentality to a postulation far, acold distant successful 2004's "Revenge of the Sith." He came backmost to dependable Vader respective much times successful caller years, including successful the animated bid "Rebels," 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker" and the 2022 Disney+ bid "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

He besides reprised his relation successful the "Coming to America" sequel, "Coming 2 America," successful 2021.

In 2011, Jones was fixed an honorary Academy Award for the breadth of his acclaimed work.

It was portion Jones was starring successful the play "Driving Miss Daisy" successful London successful 2011 that helium was amazed by co-star Vanessa Redgrave, who waited until the extremity of the amusement to fto the assemblage successful connected his grant that year. The formed and the academy held a peculiar ceremonial for Jones close connected the stage, with Sir Ben Kingsley coming retired to manus Jones his Oscar.

"If an actor's nightmare is being onstage bare and not knowing his lines, what the heck bash you telephone this?" he said of the astonishment honor. "How bash I feel? Well, much than flabbergasted. ... That's the lone connection I tin deliberation of for this improbable infinitesimal successful my life."

In March 2022, it was announced that Broadway's Cort Theatre would beryllium renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Jones joined twice. His 2nd wife, Cecilia Hart, died successful 2016 aft 34 years of marriage. The mates is survived by their son, Flynn Earl Jones.