Send us a text

Earlier this month, on September 9th, the legendary stage and screen actor James Earl Jones passed away at the age of 93. Jones made his film debut in 1964 with Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, and continued to grace the screen for nearly 60 more years. Beyond the screen, his brilliance shone on stage, earning him two Tony Awards, and his incredible career culminated in the rare achievement of an EGOT.

It's no secret that James Earl Jones possessed one of the greatest voices of all time, lending his voice to some truly iconic characters like Star Wars' iconic villain Darth Vader and Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King.

In this episode, co-hosts Nick and Bella celebrate three of the late actor's memorable performances, from underrated gems to unforgettable blockbusters—James Earl Jones truly did it all!

• Starting with The Great White Hope(1970), where Jones earned his first and only Academy Award nomination for his powerful portrayal of Jack Jefferson.
  
  
• Next, we take a trip to a galaxy far far away in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) to discuss Jones' legendary voice work as the ultimate cinematic villain, Darth Vader.
  
  
• And we conclude with Field of Dreams (1989), where we explore his heartfelt performance as Terrence Mann.

Plus, our producer Sonja Mereu returns with another fantastic edition of "Sonja’s Movie Minute," this time highlighting Jones’ brilliant performance as Roop in the 1970s romantic comedy Claudine.

James Earl Jones, thank you for your immense contributions to film, stage, and culture. Rest in peace.

Support the show

Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive Bonus Content.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @gimmethreepodcast

You can keep up with Bella on Instagram @portraitofacinephile or Letterboxd
You can keep up with Nick: on Instagram @nicholasybarra, on Twitter (X) @nicholaspybarra, or on Letterboxd

Shout out to contributor and producer Sonja Mereu. A special thanks to Anselm Kennedy for creating Gimme Three's theme music. And another special thanks to Zoe Baumann for creating our exceptional cover art.