James Earl Jones’ booming basso profundo may be the entertainment industry’s all-time most iconic voice. And yet, when I think of him, it is always his high-pitched squawking of “JIMMY CHOO!” that rings loudly in my ear.
Jones died Monday at age 93. His career bursts with towering performances and line deliveries that have become part of our cultural DNA.
He’s performed Shakespeare and August Wilson on stage. Take your pick as to whether his performance of Field of Dreams’ “If you build it, he will come,” Darth Vader’s “I am your father,” or Mufasa’s “Everything the light touches is our kingdom” in The Lion King is the more indelible quote. And if you’re a millennial of a certain age, that the guy who played Mr. Mertle in The Sandlot is this monumental legend was a foundational realization in your young life.