A Mississippi-born, Michigan-raised giant of cinema has left us. Before we bid him farewell, let us remember his gift and legacy as an actor.

He overcame a stutter through poetry and encouragement from a teacher, and this connection to the arts ensured that we would be graced with his talent for storytelling—and his booming, immediately recognizable voice. For nearly sixty years, his larger-than-life stature physically and vocally tied audiences to his gift on stage and screen.

From his romantic turn in Claudine (1974) opposite Diahann Carroll, to the voice of the dark side in the Star Wars franchise, James Earl Jones’ career was a testament to his versatility and depth. As a voice for good (as Mufasa) in The Lion King or as a believer in the power of baseball in Field of Dreams, it was also always clear that he understood exactly how to create the right emotion and bring true gravitas, sentimentality, humour, and grace to absolutely any performance.

His talent alone demonstrated power and demanded respect for him and his craft. Jones took his place as one of the great American actors of multiple generations, and he earned his place as one of the great Americans, full stop. He will be missed, but his art lives on.