Meet the 2019 Disney Legends to Be Honored at D23 Expo
JAMES EARL JONES started his acting career with television and film roles, including appearances in
As the World Turns (1966) and
Dr. Strangelove (1964). But the Oscar®, Emmy®, and Tony® Award-winning actor is well known for his iconic voice acting, beginning with the role of Darth Vader in
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). This villainous vocal performance was reprised in subsequent
Star Wars films, including most recently in
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and TV shows like
Star Wars Rebels (2014–1
. His voice can also be heard in Disney Parks around the globe, including recurring vocal performances as Darth Vader for
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Other Disney credits include ABC’s
Recess in 1998 as the voice of Santa Claus, narrator for the Disneynature film
Earth (2009), segment host for
Fantasia/2000 (2000), and as the celebrity narrator for the Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland. Audiences also recognize the actor’s
basso profundo as that of Mufasa in
The Lion King (1994), a role James Earl would return to in
The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (199
,
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2015), and this summer’s reimagining of
The Lion King.
MING-NA WEN can currently be found saving the day as Agent Melinda May, aka “The Cavalry,” on the ABC series
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ming-Na is also known for her seven years playing Jing-Mei Chen on
ER. She found success on the big screen when she appeared in the acclaimed Hollywood Pictures adaptation of Amy Tan’s
The Joy Luck Club. Five years later, she would find animation immortality as the title star of the Disney classic
Mulan, a role for which she would receive an Annie Award. Ming-Na returned to the role of heroic Fa Mulan in a slew of projects, including an animated sequel, video games
Kingdom Hearts II and
Disney Infinity, on television’s
House of Mouse and
Sofia the First, and in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film
Ralph Breaks the Internet (201
. Ming-Na has been well known to audiences for her television projects, including her voice work in Disney Channel’s
Phineas and Ferb, Disney XD’s
Guardians of the Galaxy and
Milo Murphy’s Law, the six-part digital short
Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, and a recurring role in ABC’s
Fresh Off the Boat.