Long live the King, James Earl Jones

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Hope you’re keeping well 🙂

James Earl Jones, one of the greatest actors in American history, sadly passed away on Monday at the age of 93. We’re going to be exploring the fantastic memory that he has left behind, through all of his amazing work, in today’s blog.

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Described as one of America’s most distinguished and versatile actors for his performances on stage and screen, Jones was a true natural at his art. The voice of Mufasa, Darth Vader and so many other renowned characters, you’d never have guessed that Jones had a stutter and that it had an enormous impact on his life when he was growing up.

Take a look at what he had to say about his stutter:

Similar to so many people who stutter, when he was younger, Jones really struggled to maintain any form of speech fluency. At one stage, he was close to giving up speaking entirely, however, he managed to go from that to being one of the most recognisable and famous voices in all of film – talk about resilience, determination and courage right there.

He went from giving up trying to speak entirely to being one of Hollywood’s most recognisable and famous voices – an absolute inspiration in every sense of the word. For people like me, who struggled for so long to gain any form of semblance of control over their talking, it’s people like James Earl Jones who show you just how possible speaking freely is.

Overcoming racial prejudices and issues with his speech, he will be remembered as a role model and inspiration for people across the globe. As Ed Balls commented on GMB earlier this week, Jones reminded us that “with a stammer, you really can do anything”.

He illuminated the world with his influence, showcasing the talent, respect and kindness we can all portray throughout our lives. James Earl Jones, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything 🙏

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!