JAMES EARL JONES:
THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK
MICHELE J MARTIN
Born in 1931, James Earl Jones has been an actor for nearly 70 years. His face is known around the world, his voice, even more so.
AN ICON THAT ALMOST WASN’T
In order to become the man we all know today, James Earl Jones had to overcome something that plagued his childhood and left him nearly mute for his first 8 years. He stuttered. You can read about his struggle on the Stuttering Foundation website.
“Stuttering is painful,” Jones said of his childhood struggle. “In Sunday school, I’d try to read my lessons and the children behind me were falling on the floor with laughter… by the time I got to school, my stuttering was so bad that I gave up trying to speak properly.”
ON STAGE, SCREEN, & THE RECORDING STUDIO
The winner of over 26 awards, including three Tonys, one Grammy, and two Emmys— there is no doubt to James Earl Jones’ wide reaching talent. In addition to his screen roles in Driving Miss Daisy, Cry, the Beloved Country, Coming to America, (and many more) he has voiced some of the most well loved, and feared, characters of all time — from Mufasa in Lion King, Santa Claus, and yes, Darth Vader.
THE POWER OF VOICE — “I AM YOUR FATHER”
James Earl Jones wasn’t originally meant to voice Darth, but could we imagine anyone else doing it? Check out the story behind Darth’s voice below:
Darth Vader’s story is one profound example of how a voice helped define and create a character and shape the audience’s emotional reactions to said character. What do you think? Would Darth Vader be the same powerful figure without James Earl Jones’ great baritone?
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT HIS VOICE
His unique characteristic vocal style – booming and intense, yet soft. It makes you stand up and listen, but also has the ability to comfort you. Imagine the possibilities, if the world of digital voice matched the world of human voice. It can — learn more about AI-Voice.
VOCALiD VOICE TYPE
Cocoa voices are defined as Soft, Deep, Breathy, and Oral. Learn more about the unique characteristics that make up our voices and voice types here: VOCALiD Voice Types.
Make sure to come back every day this month as we highlight iconic Black voices in celebration of Black History Month.
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