Remembering James Earl Jones with 8 of His Most Iconic Moments From Film, TV, & Theater!

By now, many of you have probably heard the news, but in case you haven’t, this past Monday, it was reported that the legendary James Earl Jones passed away at age 93. To many, the actor was nothing short of an icon — onscreen, on stage, or through his voice. Chances are, most people reading this article would have heard his voice before they could even walk, whether it be through the chilling tones of Darth Vader, or the comforting power of Mufasa. Throughout his career, James Earl Jones accomplished so much and never did so without an ounce of gratitude. We thought there’s no better way to honor his legacy than to remember him by going through some favorite scenes of his work. Of course, if we covered everything, then this article would never end...

Without further ado:

1. Star Wars: “You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor, take her away!”

You knew we had to start with a clip of the role that made so many people know James Earl Jones’s voice heard throughout the galaxy. In one of his first scenes as Darth Vader, you already feel the weight of his voice, barely noticing he was never there on set. Although James Earl Jones was cast as the voice of Darth Vader, he always made sure to give credit to David Prowse, the onset actor in the suit. Jones even refused to take credit for the first two Star Wars films as a nod to Prowse, proving that he has the kindest heart, even while being the voice behind the merciless Sith Lord.

2. Coming to America: King Jaffe Joffer arrives in New York

My first memory of seeing James Earl Jones onscreen goes back to the Eddie Murphy classic, Coming to America. John Landis was wise in casting this regal actor as the King of the fictional nation of Zamunda, acting as the perfect straight man to Eddie’s usual brand of antics. Here in this scene, you get to see the King interact with several characters, never letting his guard down for a second as he interrogates them about the location of his son, scaring them witless and making us laugh senseless. It seems fitting that a role so esteemed with class and authority would be his live-action role in the sequel to this film, Coming 2 America.

3. The Lion King: Mufasa teaches Simba about his legacy

Let’s keep it on the royal train with yet another iconic voiceover role from James Earl Jones: Mufasa in Disney’s 1994 classic The Lion King. As mentioned before, if you didn’t hear him first as Darth Vader, you more than likely heard Jones first in one of Disney’s most revered animated films from their renaissance era. Sure, most big animated movies will cast big names, but whoever thought to cast Jones as the King of Pride Rock better have gotten a raise. With this scene, you can see such a beautiful mix of the power and tenderness in James Earl Jones’s voice as he coaches a young Simba on bravery and the ever-lasting legacy of the kings before him. Oh, and fun fact, his onscreen Queen in Coming to America was also the voice of his Lion Queen in the form of Madge Sinclair. Both actors may be gone now, yet this scene assures us they’ll never be forgotten.

4. Fences: “You ain’t ever liked me”

Another fatherly role, albeit just a tad bit different… okay, VERY different. This one is a reminder of James Earl Jones’s stage acting in the 1987 production of Fences. The historic play from August Wilson is one that many actors have taken a stab at over the years, despite (or because of) the incredible difficulty that comes from playing such an intense role. Should it be a shock that Jones knew how to pull it off? No, but he sure he makes you feel shocked from the sheer power he evokes in this scene. At this point, words can only say so much -- we’ll leave with you the scene and your thoughts.

5. Field of Dreams: “People will come.”
Next up at bat is one of two iconic baseball movies that people associate with the late great actor: Field of Dreams! (To any Sandlot fans, feel free to shout out one of your favorite scenes as well!) For this film that John Mulaney would have loved to win Best Picture, we go back to one of the most prominent scenes in the climax when Kevin Costner’s character is stuck between two choices: sell the house or keep it with the field as his source of hopeful income. To sell him on the latter decision, James Earl Jones basically pulls a “hold my beer” moment by giving him a wonderful monologue that, well, it speaks for itself.

6. The Great White Hope: Interview gone awry

The one and only Oscar nomination that James Earl Jones earned during his career was for the 1970 drama The Great White Hope. Reprising his leading role from the stage play of the same name, Jones plays a boxer who goes for the heavyweight title in an era where it was unprecedented for any black man to do so. This scene showcases that dichotomy and James Earl Jones’s natural charisma perfectly, which shifts into commanding defense when a certain someone from his life enters the scene. You can see why this performance garnered him a nomination and thankfully, the Academy was wise enough to award the actor with an Honorary Oscar in 2012 — an achievement decades in the making.

7. "The Big Bang Theory": “I like Star Wars too!”

Yup, in the mega-hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory", James Earl Jones made a cameo as himself and ate it all up, crumbs and all! Here, good ol’ Sheldon (Jim Parsons) approaches James Earl Jones eating dinner and, with his grin, he knew exactly what Sheldon and every other nerd would have thought in the same situation. Using his presence to temporarily mislead us into thinking James Earl Jones wouldn’t be happy to be bothered (oh, and by someone who only knows him for Star Wars), he proves his comedic timing is as incredible with the declaration, “I like Star Wars too!” What follows in the episode are more funny moments with Sheldon and James Earl Jones (including a prank on Carrie Fisher), but we knew we had to include this scene in particular. Like "The Big Bang Theory" or not, this moment warms the heart!

8. The Empire Strikes Back: “No. I am your Father.”

Since we like Star Wars too, we figured it would only make sense to make our last scene in this walk down Memory Lane another foray into a Galaxy Far Far Away. With a climactic battle that is already one of cinema’s greatest, it ends with what has now become the worst kept secret in the universe. Back in 1980, though, audiences were absolutely shocked! When they saw Luke Skywalker down on his luck, arm cut off, they would have never in a million years expected the reveal from Vader himself that he was Luke’s daddy. GASP! One of the biggest kept secrets in filmmaking history as, famously, only George Lucas and a handful of other people knew the big twist, so imagine how James Earl Jones must have felt reading this in the voiceover booth. Well, either way, it’s all too safe to say that he killed the delivery. 

And with that, we bid our farewell to the legacy of James Earl Jones. As always, feel free to tell us what some of your favorite scenes and lines are. James Earl Jones is survived by his wife Cecilia Hart and his son, Flynn Earl Jones. Here’s to you James, here’s to you.