There was some slight evidence that James Earl Jones' Darth Vader characterization was at least part of the inspiration for the voice of the character Death.
Terry Pratchett wrote a story a number of years ago, wherein Death's granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, asked her grandfather to present a speech to the children at her school, on the subject of safety, as Dave Prowse used to do at schools around England when he played the Green Cross Man. (My super-fan sister, Nancy, pointed this out to me. Where she first heard of the Green Cross Man appearances I have no idea.) Since Mr. Prowse also played the physical actions of Darth Vader while James Earl Jones dubbed the character's lines, a connection sprang up for me. So now, as much as I have loved Christopher Lee for most of my life, in my mind as I'm reading his speeches, Death now sounds to me like Darth Vader... at least some of the time.
Oddly, although I never met Mr. Lee, hearing about his death almost feels like losing my father again. **sigh**
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Terry Pratchett wrote a story a number of years ago, wherein Death's granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, asked her grandfather to present a speech to the children at her school, on the subject of safety, as Dave Prowse used to do at schools around England when he played the Green Cross Man. (My super-fan sister, Nancy, pointed this out to me. Where she first heard of the Green Cross Man appearances I have no idea.) Since Mr. Prowse also played the physical actions of Darth Vader while James Earl Jones dubbed the character's lines, a connection sprang up for me. So now, as much as I have loved Christopher Lee for most of my life, in my mind as I'm reading his speeches, Death now sounds to me like Darth Vader... at least some of the time.
Oddly, although I never met Mr. Lee, hearing about his death almost feels like losing my father again. **sigh**
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