CelebVet: James Earl Jones, in Memoriam

James Earl Jones, a pioneer for Black actors, and a friend of WeSalute, passed away on September 9th 2024. James’ hard work and determination to prove his worth as an actor, earned him coveted awards reflecting the passion he had for his career. In 2011, he achieved “EGOT” status for winning an Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar, and Tony award. Amongst many of his peers, Jones served in the military following the Korean War.

He was also an early supporter of WeSalute, when it was originally founded as Veterans Advantage, soon after its creation in 1999. With an introduction from Verizon, Jones became the voice of Veterans Advantage and a strong advocate for creating benefits for those who had served. He occupied a prominent place on the homepage of the website for several years.

Initially wanting to be a doctor while attending the University of Michigan, he was also a member of the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps. Jones was commissioned in the midst of 1953, and reported to Fort Benning, where he attended the Infantry Officers Basic Course. Following his course, Jones was assigned to the 38th Regimental Combat Team. This team was responsible for establishing a cold weather training command at Camp Hale. Jones was promoted to Lieutenant prior to completing his military service.

“I took to the physical challenge, so much so that I wanted to stay there, testing myself in that awesome environment, mastering the skills of survival,” he told the Army in an interview. “I loved the austere beauty of the mountains and the exhilaration of the weather and the altitude. I didn’t mind the rigors of the work or the pioneer-like existence. I thought it was a good life.” 

Although Jones was most notable for his role of portraying Darth Vader's voice in the “Star Wars” franchise, he made esteemed accomplishments in his career prior. He started his career in radio broadcasting where he appeared on ABC’s Theatre-five. Shortly thereafter making his debut on Broadway where he earned the role of Lloyd Richards understudy in the performance of The Egghead. 

President George H. W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush present the Medal of Arts to James Earl Jones in 1992

Jones received a multitude of awards and honors throughout his career, including Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. There President George H.W. Bush acknowledged Jones by stating, "People say that the voice of the president is the most easily recognized voice in America. Well, I'm not going to make that claim in the presence of James Earl Jones."

Some of Jones’ final roles were with Disney. In 2019, he came back to Disney to reprise his voice acting role for Mufasa in Disney’s CGI remake of “The Lion King.” Jones is noted to be the only original actor to return for this remake. And in September of 2022, Jones announced that he would be retiring from one of his most iconic roles of Darth Vader, but would still live on as the character through means of Respeech software.

James Earl Jones also received his honorary Oscar at the 84th Annual Academy Awards show at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 26, 2012. (photo, top)

Other memorable movies and plays including Jones are:

• "Conan the Barbarian" (1982)
• "Matewan" (1987)
• Coming to America" (1988)
• "Field of Dreams" (1989)
• "The Hunt for Red October" (1990)
• The Sandlot" (1993)
• "The Lion King" (1994)
• "The Best Man" (2012)
• You Can't Take it With You" (2014)
• "The Gin Game" (2015) 

Jones passed away at his home in Pawling, New York at the age of 93 years old. His incredible work has touched many and his legacy will live on through generations to come. We thank Mr. Jones for all of his hard work and dedication to the Military community as well as his generosity and commitment to Veterans Advantage (now known as WeSalute).