James Earl Jones in 1978. Photo: Hilaria McCarthy/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Before he was cast for enduring roles such as Darth Vader's voice and in countless plays and movies, James Earl Jones was raised in Michigan and graduated from U of M.
State of play: Jones was born in Mississippi and moved to a farm in the northern Lower Peninsula, near Dublin, when he was a boy.
In high school near Manistee, Jones started to overcome a stuttering problem by reciting poetry in class. He received a U of M drama degree in 1955, per the Times.
Overcoming his speech impediment opened his eyes to the joy of communicating and led to his acting career, the Times reported.
The big picture: Jones' career included dozens of plays, TV shows and movies across decades.
He was among the first Black actors on daytime soap operas such as "The Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns."
Darth Vader and his voicing of Mufasa in Disney's "The Lion King" are among his notable film roles.
Zoom in: Jones is particularly beloved by the Michigan football program, for which he voiced a pregame hype video that plays at Michigan Stadium.
The video debuted in 2015 and was former coach Jim Harbaugh's idea, the Free Press reports.
The bottom line: "Your inspirational career and your inspiring words — heard at every home game — move us as a university community. We will miss you," U of M President Santa Ono posted on X on Monday.
