Legendary actor James Earl Jones, the voice behind Darth Vader and Mufasa, refused to speak as a child because of a severe stutter. He overcame this by performing poetry readings on the advice of his high school teacher, which ultimately set him on the course of acting.

James Earl Jones on stammering

The legendary actor James Earl Jones, the voice behind Darth Vader, refused to speak as a child because of his stammer. This Star Wars Day (May 4th — think about it), here are some quotes from the multi-award winner himself explaining how, with the help of a good teacher, his voice became one of the most recognisable in cinema.

‘As a small child, I would communicate to my family, or at least those who didn’t mind being embarrassed by my stutter or my being embarrassed,’ Jones told the Daily Mail in 2010. ‘I did communicate with the animals quite freely. They don’t care how you sound, they just want to hear your voice. But by the time I got to school, my stuttering was so bad that I gave up trying to speak properly.’

‘People would co… Continue Reading (3 minute read)