Broadway Theaters to Dim Lights in Memory of James Earl Jones

Broadway theaters will dim their lights in honor of James Earl Jones, the four-time nominated and two-time Tony Award winning actor who died on Sept. 9 at the age of 93.

Broadway houses will dim their lights on Sept. 26 at 6:45 p.m. It’s become a tradition to memorialize notable members of the theater community, such as Stephen Sondheim and Chita Rivera, though theater owners have to approve the brief outage.

Though he may have been best known as the voice of “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” Jones had a prolific career on Broadway that spanned almost seven decades. He’s been recognized by the theater community in the form of a 2017 special Tony Award for lifetime achievement. And the Cort Theatre, where he made his debut in 1958, was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in 2022.

“James Earl Jones was a true pillar of the Broadway industry, providing unforgettable experiences to multiple generations of theatregoers – all while accumulating many well-deserved honors, awards, and achievements for his iconic performances in other entertainment fields,” said Jason Laks, interim president of the Broadway League. “While we acknowledge and celebrate Mr. Jones’ significant legacy across multiple mediums, we are particularly proud of his legacy on Broadway, and are grateful for the many memorable performances with which he graced our stages.”

Jones began his Broadway career in 1957 as an understudy in “The Egghead.” A decade later, he won a Tony for “The Great White Hope.” Jones went on to star in classics like August Wilson’s “Fences,” “The Iceman Cometh,” “Of Mice and Men,” “Othello,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “Driving Miss Daisy.” He performed on Broadway most recently in 2016’s “The Gin Game” with Cicely Tyson, who died in 2021 at age 96. Jones only one a handful of actors to receive an EGOT, winning an Oscar for “The Great White Hope,” Emmys for “Heat Wave” and “Gabriel’s Fire” and a spoken word Grammy for “Great American Documents.”