21 Star Wars legends who are also accomplished authors
By Jason Ivey
14. Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid, better known to Star Wars fans as Emperor Palpatine made his contribution a playwright with the stage adaption of Be Near Me, which was based on the novel by Andrew O’Hagan.
The story revolves around a priest named Father David Anderton who is assigned to a new parish along the Ayrshire coast in Scottland that seems rife with narrow-mindedness. Father Anderton is ill-suited to his new assignment and ends up drifting away from his peers to being drawn to a young couple that is diametrically opposed to the very things which his faith and congregation finds acceptable. Things take a particularly dark turn for the priest after he makes the mistake of kissing the young man, Mark, and word gets out into the community who labels him as a pedophile.
15. James Earl Jones
Although David Prowse embodied the physical presence of Darth Vader onscreen, the actor most recognized as the man behind the iconic mask is James Earl Jones. The actor’s booming voice matched well with the character’s already imposing appearance and elevated him to the status of a cultural icon.
Jones has also contributed to literature like his fellow Star Wars alumni, first with his Actors on Shakespear: Othello book, a couple of introductions in Muhammad Ali: Ringside and Poetry Out Loud, along with the autobiographical/inspirational book James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences co-written with Penelope Niven. Jones has also provided narration for several audio-books including James Earl Jones Reads the Bible. This latter contribution was something that was impressive, most impressive.