James Earl Jones Was Paid $7,500 For Original Star Wars Trilogy ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia )

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In a galaxy far, far away (a.k.a., Hollywood, 1977), James Earl Jones, who gave voice to one of cinema’s most fearsome villains, Darth Vader, was paid a surprisingly small fee: $7,000. Yes, for just a single day of voice work on Star Wars, the actor received what seemed decent at the time—though only a fraction of what his co-stars earned.

The backstory? George Lucas had a vision. He needed a voice as iconic as the character—Vader, towering, masked, and carrying a voice that could shiver anyone to their core. British actor David Prowse brought the physicality, but Lucas wanted that deep, authoritative tone. Lucas even considered Orson Welles for the part, but he was just too recognizable. Then, Jones’s agent got a call. The rest is history.

The Mississippi-born actor, who moved to Michigan after his father left and struggled with a stutter as a child, turned what some would call “handicaps” into a celebrated career. Reflecting on the early Star Wars days, Jones said, “George wanted, pardon the expression, a dark voice.” And so it was. After one quick session, Jones brought Darth Vader to life—no flashy credits or royal paycheck. He went uncredited until Return of the Jedi in 1983, only beginning to receive recognition for his contribution to Star Wars years later.

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