Becoming Darth Vader

Look to the left. Do you recognize the man in the black helmet? That’s Darth Vader. He’s one of the main villains in the Star Wars movies, shows, and video games. He has a deep, scary voice. It has boomed on screens, big and small, for more than 40 years. 

That famous voice belongs to an actor named James Earl Jones. But his voice wasn’t always famous. In fact, James Earl had almost no voice for many years. When he was 6 years old, he mostly stopped speaking.

Icy snowflakes whipped and whirled through the air. The wind howled. And 10-year-old James Earl Jones was racing through mountains of snow. 

It was 1941, and a fierce blizzard was raging across Western Michigan. Back at
home, James Earl’s uncle Randy had fallen
to the ground, dangerously sick. James Earl had been sent out into the storm to get help. 

Finally, he reached the local store and burst through the door.

“Call a doctor!” he wanted to shout to the store owner. But it felt like the words were stuck in his throat. 

James Earl had a speech disorder known as stuttering, which made it difficult for him to say words out loud. Worried that others would make fun of him, he rarely spoke at all.

Now, he had to break his silence. Uncle Randy’s life depended on it.

Fear and Worry

James Earl was born in 1931 in Mississippi. Life on his family’s farm was busy and happy. In 1936, his family moved to Michigan. For young James Earl, the move was full of fear and worry. Soon after he got to his new home, he began to stutter.

Stuttering is a speech disorder. It makes it hard to say words out loud. People who stutter often repeat or stretch out words—or become silent in the middle of a sentence. 

Sometimes stutters can be brought on by a very sad or scary experience. James Earl says this is what happened to him.

“I began to find it painfully difficult to talk,” he remembers. 

In his new town, other kids laughed at him. And so more and more, James Earl stayed silent.

Fear and Worry

James Earl was born in 1931 in Mississippi. He grew up on his family’s farm. Life there was busy and happy. In 1936, his family moved to Michigan. The move was hard for James Earl. He felt a lot of fear and worry. Soon after he got to his new home, he began to stutter.

Stuttering is a speech disorder. It makes it hard to say words out loud. People who stutter often repeat or stretch out words. Or they become silent in the middle of a sentence. 

Sometimes stutters can be brought on by a very sad or scary experience. James Earl says this is what happened to him. “I began to find it painfully difficult to talk,” he remembers. 

In his new town, other kids laughed at him. And so more and more, James Earl stayed silent.

Life on the Farm

Today, James Earl Jones is a world-famous actor. He is best known for his deep, booming voice. You might know him as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies, Mufasa in The Lion King, and many famous TV commercials. But when he was 6, James Earl stopped speaking almost completely. 

He was born in 1931 in a small Mississippi town, more than 600 miles south of Michigan. His dad had left the family before
he was born, and when James Earl was little, his mom moved away to find a job. So he was raised by his grandparents, John Henry and Maggie. 

Life on the family’s farm was busy and joyful. When he wasn’t helping his grandfather with chores, James Earl ran around playing with his young aunts and uncles, including Randy. They were so close to James Earl’s age that he saw them more as brothers and sisters. 

But John Henry and Maggie worried about their futures. In Mississippi and other Southern states back then, Black people couldn’t vote or work in many jobs. Black kids had to go to different schools from White kids. These schools were often run-down.

John Henry and Maggie wanted James Earl, Randy, and their other children to have a good education and a life of greater freedom.

The Words Flowed Out

James Earl spent the next eight years barely speaking. In high school, he loved to read and to write poetry. One of his poems was very good. His teacher thought he had copied it from someone else. The teacher wanted James Earl to prove that he had written it. So James Earl had to say it out loud.

James Earl stood up. He was shaking with fear. “And to my astonishment, the words flowed out smoothly,” he remembers. His classmates and teacher were amazed.

James Earl realized something that day. His stutter mostly went away when he said written words out loud. This helped him start to talk again. It also led him to become an actor. 

Fear and Uncertainity

In 1936, the family took a train up North to move to a new farm in Michigan. For young James Earl, the trip was full of fear and uncertainty. 

Where was Michigan? he wondered. Would he ever see his mom again? Soon after the family arrived at their new home, he began to stutter.

Scientists don’t fully understand the causes of stuttering. Most think that it has to do with small differences in the brain. The disorder tends to run in families. In rare cases, it can be brought on by a very sad or frightening experience. James Earl believes this is what happened to him.

“I began to find it painfully difficult to talk,” he remembers. Like many other people who stutter, James Earl would stretch out or repeat sounds. In his new town in Michigan, other kids laughed at him. And so little by little, James Earl stopped talking. 

But on that night in 1941, when he ran through the blizzard to save Randy, he knew he had to try. James Earl breathed deeply, forcing his hammering heart to slow down. At last, he was able to get the words out. The doctor was called, and Randy soon got better. 

Still, it would be years before James Earl broke out of his silence for good.

Powerful Voice

James Earl worked to make his voice stronger. He studied acting. He later performed in plays in New York City. Before long, James Earl began to act in movies and TV shows. In the 1970s, he recorded the voice for Darth Vader in Star Wars. James Earl’s voice made him famous across America.

Since then, James Earl’s voice has brought other beloved characters to life. Today, James Earl is 91 years old. He still has a stutter. But his acting coaches have helped him manage it.

James Earl has had to work harder than most actors. But he believes that’s what has helped make his voice so powerful. So the next time you hear Darth Vader’s voice, you’ll know his secret. That big voice came from years of hard work.

Finding the Key

In Michigan, James Earl and his aunts and uncles got what John Henry and Maggie had wanted for them: a good education. In high school, James Earl was introduced to poetry and important books he loved. He was inspired to write poetry himself.

It turned out that he was a good writer—a little too good. Reading one of his poems, his English teacher accused him of copying it.

 “To prove you wrote it, get up in front of the class and say it by heart, out loud,” the teacher said.

Shaking with fear, James Earl stood up. “I strained to get the words out, pushing from the bottom of my soul,” he remembers. “And to my astonishment, the words flowed out smoothly, every one of them.” His classmates and teacher stared at him in amazement.

After eight years of silence, James Earl had made an incredible discovery: His stutter mostly disappeared when he said written words aloud. This turned out to be the key that unlocked his ability to talk. It also led him to become an actor.  

A Source of Strength

For the rest of high school, James Earl strengthened his voice. He joined speech competitions at his school and became a champion. He won a scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he studied drama. Soon, he was acting in plays in
New York City.

James Earl’s work onstage led to roles in movies and TV shows. Then, in the 1970s, he got a part in the movie that changed his life: Star Wars. As the voice behind the masked villain Darth Vader, he didn’t even appear onscreen. But his deep, rich voice made him a star across America. For more than 40 years since then, he has voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars movies, shows, and video games. And his beloved voice has brought many other famous characters to life.  

Now 91 years old, James Earl Jones still has a stutter. But years of training with acting coaches has helped him manage it. Because of his challenges with speaking, he has had to work harder than most actors. But he believes that’s what has helped make his voice so powerful.  

So the next time you hear Darth Vader’s voice, you’ll know his secret: Behind that mighty growl is a brave boy fighting to
be heard.

Olivia Simmons stood in the middle of a stage. The 11-year-old took a deep breath. Then she began to speak. 

Every few words, she repeated the sound of a letter or paused for a few seconds. But she kept going. When Olivia finished speaking, the audience started cheering. She couldn’t believe her ears.

Olivia has a stutter. Just a few months before, she would have been too nervous to talk to a stranger. She would never have performed in front of 60 of them! But now, it seemed like everything would be different.

Olivia Simmons stood in the middle of a stage. The 11-year-old took a deep breath. Then she began to speak. 

Sometimes she repeated the sound of a letter or paused for a few seconds. But she kept going. Olivia finished speaking. The audience started cheering. She couldn’t believe her ears.

Olivia has a stutter. Just a few months before, she would have been too nervous to talk to a stranger. She would never have performed in front of 60 people! But now she could. Everything seemed like it would be different.

Olivia Simmons stood in the middle of a stage, a bright spotlight shining on her. The whole theater was silent, except for the thump thump thump of Olivia’s heart.

The 11-year-old took a deep breath and began reciting a story she wrote. Every few words, she repeated the sound of a letter or paused for a few seconds. Yet Olivia kept going.

When the story was over, the audience of 60 people started cheering. Olivia couldn’t believe her ears.

It was June 2019. Just a few months before, Olivia would have been too nervous to talk to a stranger, let alone perform in front of 60 of them. That’s because she has a stutter. The speech disorder has been a big challenge for her. 

But now, it seemed like everything would be different.