James Earl Jones is to be honoured with a Broadway theatre light-dimming.
Best known as the booming voice behind ‘Star Wars’ villain Darth Vader, the actor – who also starred in ‘Field of Dreams’ and voiced Mufasa in ‘The Lion King’ – passed away at his home in Dutchess County, New York, on 9 September aged 93.
Broadway theatres are now set to dim their lights in tribute to the actor as, along with his movie roles, he racked up a list of stellar stage performances throughout his 70-year career.
House lights will be turned down on Thursday (26.09.24) at 6.45pm as part of Broadway’s tradition of honouring late theatre icons.
Jason Laks, interim president of the Broadway League, said about the tribute: “James Earl Jones was a true pillar of the Broadway industry, providing unforgettable experiences to multiple generations of theatregoers – all while accumulating many well-deserved honours, awards, and achievements for his iconic performances in other entertainment fields.
“While we acknowledge and celebrate Mr Jones’ significant legacy across multiple mediums, we are particularly proud of his legacy on Broadway, and are grateful for the many memorable performances with which he graced our stages.”
James was previously recognised by the theatre community with a special 2017 Tony Award for lifetime achievement.
The Cort Theatre, where he made his stage debut in 1958, was also renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in 2022.
Jones kicked off his Broadway career in 1957 as an understudy in ‘The Egghead’, and 10 years later he landed a Tony gong for his role in ‘The Great White Hope’.
His other notable stage performances included roles in August Wilson’s ‘Fences’, as well as ‘The Iceman Cometh’, ‘Of Mice and Men’, ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ and ‘Driving Miss Daisy’.
His more recent appearances included roles in 2017’s ‘The Gin Game’ on Broadway.
In 1968, James married actress and singer Julienne Marie, who he met while performing as Othello in 1964.
They had no children and divorced in 1972 and 10 years later he married actress Cecilia Hart, with whom he had a son, Flynn.
She died from ovarian cancer on 16 October, 2016.
