Star Wars' Darth Vader, 'The Lion King' voice actor Mufasa dies

James Earl Jones, the award-winning American voice actor, has died at the age of 93. Known for his deep, commanding voice, he voiced Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy and Mufasa in the original animated Lion King.

His film career began in the classic 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, where the famous cowboy-ridden bomb was dropped by a crew played by him and a host of other actors. He played the crew's communicator in the film.

His most famous role is Darth Vader. Although the role was played by David Prowse, it was later voiced by Earl Jones. The classic phrase "I am your father" was also voiced by him. After hearing the news of his death, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill expressed his condolences on social media: "RIP Dad."

He subsequently played many important roles in film and television, winning numerous awards and honors, including roles in "Conan the Barbarian", "The Hunt for Red October", and voice acting for "The Simpsons", "Sesame Street" and "The Lion King". For American TV viewers, many may still remember his phrase "This is CNN".

Of course, he has also voiced games, starting with several Lion King games and the protagonist of Murphy's: The Killing Moon. He is probably best remembered for his role as General Solomon in Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun. However, he didn't voice Darth Vader much in the game.