James Earl Jones: the screen legend’s best roles

Ash Walker • 16 Sep 2024 Features

A tribute to the great actor’s best work.

James Earl Jones, legendary actor of stage and screen, passed away on the 9th September 2024 at the grand old age of 93. It’s always tragic to lose such a great talent, and in tribute we’re looking back at Jones’s extensive career and celebrating his greatest ever roles.

Darth Vader (the Star Wars series, 1977-present)

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

There’s raw footage from the original Star Wars out there in which David Prowse - the 6’6’’ actor strapped into the Darth Vader costume - delivers the evil space wizard’s lines. He does his best, but Prowse’s West Country drawl just doesn’t have the same impact.

It was a stroke of genius to have James Earl Jones dub him; his distinctive baritone and Shakespearean delivery - along with that iconic wheeze - are what tip Vader over the edge, from cool design to one of the best on-screen villains of all time.

It’s a role that made Jones a household name - despite the fact that he wasn’t even credited, at his own request, for the first two films - and one that it’s hard to imagine without him. It’s impossible to say if Star Wars would have been as successful without him, but it certainly would have been poorer.

All of the Star Wars films (and TV shows) are available to stream on Disney+.

Mufasa (The Lion King, 1994)

“And so, we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.”

Another legendary voice role, this time as the noble, doomed king of Pride Rock in Disney’s blockbuster animated classic. It’s a bit of casting so perfect it seems obvious - if a lion could speak, of course it would sound like James Earl Jones. Who else?

As he often did, Jones brought a real sense of class, kindness and deep-rooted wisdom to the character, which makes it all the more traumatising when Mufasa meets his ultimate fate at the hands of his duplicitous brother Scar (and a herd of stampeding wildebeest, of course). Guaranteed to make children everywhere - and adults, too - burst into tears.

The Lion King is available to stream on Disney+.

Thulsa Doom (Conan the Barbarian, 1982)

“Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they will learn why they fear the night.”

It’s maybe not quite as iconic as Jones’s other big villain role, but his turn as the evil sorcerer Thulsa Doom in John Milius’s fantasy classic is still super memorable - and not only because of that horribly questionable wig.

Bangs aside, Doom is an imposing villain, a power-hungry wizard with a cult-like hold over his followers and a penchant for turning into a giant snake. And with his knack for a good monologue - all delivered with Jones’s trademark gravitas - he makes an excellent foil for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mumbling, musclebound hero.

Conan the Barbarian is available to stream on Disney+.

King Jaffe Joffer (Coming To America, 1988)

“Believe me, I tied my own shoes once. It is an overrated experience.”

Another African ruler - this time in human form - King Jaffe Joffer is the leader of the fictional nation of Zamunda and father of Eddie Murphy’s spoiled, rebellious Prince Akeem. But where Mufasa was wise and noble, Jaffe is just as pigheaded and out-of-touch as his son.

While Jones is definitely playing the straight man to Murphy and Arsenio Hall’s array of weird and wacky characters, this is still the rare role that allows him to flex his comedic muscles - and he’s actually really good at it, delivering some of the movie’s best lines and making a huge impression with limited screen time.

Coming To America is available to watch on Sky Cinema.

Troy Maxson (Fences, 1985)

“I don’t want him to be like me! I want him to move as far away from my life as he can get.”

Jones had so many incredible roles on screen that it’s often easy to forget he was an accomplished stage actor before all of that. A Shakespearean actor by training, Jones portrayed all the greats - Othello, King Lear, Claudius - but he also tried his hand at more modern fare, most notably August Wilson’s critically acclaimed play Fences.

Jones originated the role of Troy Maxson, a middle aged, working class man struggling to make ends meet and embittered by his past experiences as a baseball player - experiences that were limited by the colour barrier in the Major Leagues. It’s a meaty role, and by all accounts Jones gave it the same gravitas and pathos that he leant to all of his great performances.

A few clips are available online, but it might be difficult to find a recording of the whole play these days. Instead, it’s well worth watching Denzel Washington’s excellent 2016 film adaptation, in which he takes on the role of Troy.

Fences (2016) is available to watch on Sky Cinema.

Narrator (The Simpsons, 1990)

“Quoth the Raven: ‘Eat my shorts.’”

Jones pops up in a few roles throughout the segments of this first Treehouse of Horror anthology episode, but it’s in the last one that he truly shines. The setup is simple: Bart wants a scary story and Lisa, always the cultured one, reads Edgar Allan Poe’s masterpiece of gothic poetry, The Raven.

Only it’s not Lisa’s voice we hear, narrating the spooky proceedings - it’s the distinctive Shakespearean oration of James Earl Jones. And he really brings it, despite this all being essentially a silly joke, delivering a grandiose, actually quite terrifying rendition.

Iconic stuff from an iconic actor.

All seasons of The Simpsons are available to stream on Disney+.