James Earl Jones has died aged 93

James Earl Jones has died aged 93.

The veteran actor of stage and screen voiced roles including Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise and Mufasa in The Lion King films.

On stage, he had some major roles across the West End and Broadway.  Jones’s Broadway career began in 1957 and he played his first role at the Cort in 1958’s Sunrise at Campobello, later reappearing on that stage in the 2005 revival of On Golden Pond. Over the course of his 64-year theater career, he earned Tony Awards for The Great White Hope and Fences, in addition to a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

He has played 14 shows in Shubert-owned venues like the Cort, including The Gin Game, Driving Miss Daisy, You Can’t Take It With You, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

In the UK, he appeared in Driving Miss Daisy and Much Ado About Nothing, this time at the Old Vic, and both opposite Vanessa Redgrave. He also played the role of Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello Theatre.

He is one of 21 artists to have earned EGOT status, receiving two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy, three Tonys, and an honorary Oscar.

Actor Colman Domingo tweeted his praise for the star, saying: “Thank you dear James Earl Jones for everything. A master of our craft. We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best.”