James Earl Jones, who has just died aged 93, scaled the heights for decades on stage and on screen but what he is most remembered for is his voice. It was once described as the sound that “Moses heard when addressed by God.” He was the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, summoning the full power of the mystical ‘Force’. “That great rumbling basso profundo was like a thunderstorm surmounting the horizon, an almost supernatural voice of wisdom and power.” He was also the voice of Mufasa, father of princeling cub Simba in The Lion King.
What was all the more extraordinary was he had a debilitating stutter as a child, rendering him effectively mute for several years until a teacher encouraged him to read his poetry compositions out loud in class. He discovered his stammer eased when he was speaking from memory.
He was born 17 January 1931 6.05 am Arkabutia, Mississippi, with his father abandoning the family shortly after his birth, Aged 5 he was sent unwillingly to live with his grandparents where his stammer appeared.
His Mercury in earthy Capricorn felicitously is conjunct his Ascendant, Moon and Saturn – so his image and his style of communication were inextricably interwoven. His Moon (Mercury) and Saturn were opposition Jupiter Pluto square Uranus – giving him supreme confidence, an ability to withstand hardship and a determination to mark out an unconventional path in life. His 8th house of grandparents had a deeply buried and formidable Mars trine Uranus and inconjunct his Saturn; with creative Neptune also in his 8th trine his Mercury. He came across as surprisingly mellow given his troubled Mars.
The post James Earl Jones – a voice that shook the world first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
