Voice actor James Earl Jones, who died at 93, was paid just $7,000 for his Darth Vader role

Following James Earl Jones's passing on September 9, the renowned voice actor, celebrated for his deep baritone and roles in *The Lion King*, *Field of Dreams*, and *Star Wars*, was reported to have a net worth of $40 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Despite his impressive accolades, including two Emmys, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and two Tony Awards, Jones's rise to fame was gradual. He was paid just $7,000 to voice the iconic Sith Lord Darth Vader, a character who grappled with inner conflict while brandishing a red lightsaber and using Force choke abilities in the original *Star Wars* film from 1977.

Director George Lucas was in search of a resonant, authoritative voice for the role, which was physically portrayed by David Prowse. While Lucas had considered Orson Welles for the voice role, he ultimately opted for Jones, fearing Welles's voice would be too recognizable. Jones's agent was contacted instead.

"George wanted, pardon the expression, a dark voice," Jones explained in a 2009 interview with the American Film Institute. "So he hires a guy born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. And that's the voice. That's me."

Jones recorded his lines for Vader in just one day for the first *Star Wars* film. He wasn't credited in the first two films, with his name only appearing in 1983’s *Return of the Jedi*. Despite this, Jones felt fortunate.

"I lucked out from all these so-called handicaps for a job that paid $7,000!” Jones remarked. “And I thought that was good money. And I got to be a voice on a movie."

In contrast, Mark Hamill, who played Vader’s son Luke Skywalker, reportedly earned $650,000 for the original film. Harrison Ford's salary for Han Solo started at $10,000 but rose to $500,000 by the third film.

Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi in 1931, Jones's early life was marked by hardship. His father abandoned the family, and Jones moved to Manistee, Michigan at age 6, where he was adopted by his grandparents. This upheaval led to Jones developing a stutter, and he remained mostly silent during his school years, communicating through written notes. It wasn’t until a high school teacher encouraged him to read his poems aloud that Jones discovered his passion for performance.

Jones began his acting career on stage, making his Broadway debut in 1958 with *Sunrise at Campobello*. He expanded into television and film, becoming one of the first African American actors in a recurring daytime drama role with *As the World Turns* in 1965. Although he was acclaimed for his roles in August Wilson's *Fences* and the films *Gabriel’s Fire* and *Heat Wave*, Jones is most celebrated for his portrayal of Darth Vader, a role he continued in subsequent *Star Wars* sequels and spin-offs.

Jones’s legendary voice will remain a part of popular culture, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. In September 2022, Jones transferred his voice archive to Ukrainian AI startup Respeecher, granting LucasFilm permission to use AI-generated versions of his voice. His AI-rendered Vader voice is featured in Disney's 2022 *Obi-Wan Kenobi* series.

AI voice recreations have sparked debate among fans concerned about posthumous consent and the limitations of AI in capturing the depth and nuance of a deceased actor's voice. Actress Scarlett Johansson expressed shock and frustration when an AI generated a voice similar to hers for a ChatGPT bot. Respeecher CEO Alex Serdiuk emphasizes that the company prioritizes ethical practices.

“Consent is obtained from those who own the rights; in the case of deceased actors, it could be the estate or family,” Serdiuk told Techcrunch.

LucasFilm now has a wealth of Jones’s baritone voice for future projects. However, the process wasn’t without urgency. During the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2024, Skywalker Sound, LucasFilm’s recording division, scrambled to complete the voice database, coordinating extensively with Respeecher and *Star Wars* show-runners to perfect Vader’s AI dialogue.

“For a character such as Darth Vader, who might have 50 lines on a show,” said Matthew Wood, Skywalker Sound’s supervising sound editor, “I might have a back-and-forth of almost over 10,000 files.”