James Earl Jones, Tony-winning actor and voice of Darth Vader, dies at age 93
CBSN
Stage and screen actor James Earl Jones, who won Tony Awards for "The Great White Hope" and "Fences," and whose majestic basso profundo voice would become internationally recognized as the villainous Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" franchise, has died, his rep confirmed to CBS News. He was 93.
An actor renowned for his theatrical presence in works by Shakespeare, Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Jean Genet, Anton Chekhov, August Wilson, Athol Fugard and Alfred Uhry, and in such acclaimed films as "Field of Dreams," Jones would become even more famous for his voice, whether it was as a commercial pitchman, an announcer for CNN, the father of Disney's animated "Lion King," or a Dark Lord of the Sith — all the more remarkable given that as a child he suffered a stutter, which continued throughout his life.
"I stuttered so badly it was embarrassing and very painful," Jones told CBS' "Sunday Morning" in 2008.
Treasures long forgotten by history have been uncovered beneath the surface in underground digs or hidden away in attics or storage spaces. In the case of a rare document nearly 237 years old, it was in a nondescript squat metal filing cabinet that had been sitting discarded and gathering dust in an eastern North Carolina home for who knows how long.