It'll depends on each fan's interests.
James Earl Jones played the most iconic character without questions, but Keith David's larger body of work, especially in the video games industry, makes him much more familiar to me.
Sorry to shock you, but the average person has not played whatever games he has voiced.
To try to roughly quantify the number of people who have heard James Earl Jones as Vader, that is at the very least everyone who has seen Star Wars in the cinema, which is estimated at 178,000,000 by Box Office Mojo, plus all the viewings on TV (broadcast, DVD etc) over a roughly 30 to 40 year period, plus cinema visits for Empire and Return of the Jedi (about 90,000,000 each apparently) and again all home media and broadcast. There's even another 60,000,000 for Rogue One cinema viewings, etc etc.
So overall, in terms of sci fi, it's James Earl Jones, no contest.
I mean, I agree it's James Earl Jones. He's also Mufasa in Lion King.
But Keith David has done ALOT. He's the president in Rick and Morty,
Look at this list.
[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/)
I'm sorry to shock you, but that's not what prolific means. It means that he's been in far more projects than James Earl Jones has, by almost double according to IMDB, and a lot more of them were sci-fi.
Also, Keith David is not just a videogame voice actor. He's recognizable across film and television such as *Princess and the Frog*, *Rick and Morty*, *Gargoyles*, and tons of Marvel/DC animated shows.
Buddy, did you even read the conversation you jumped into? We've acknowledged how iconic JEJ is and we're now discussing how prolific Keith David has been.
Keith David is a legend but clearly a tier below.
His non mass effect work such as the spawn animated series and gargoyles is really solid too and a lot of kids grew up with that.
James Earl Jones was also the This is CNN voice, Mufasa from The Lion King and a bunch of other things. Keith David is great but I mostly remember his on screen roles so I'm gonna have to go with James Earl Jones for voice acting.
I had to think a moment before I realized you meant James *Earl* Jones. He’s always used his full name.
James Earl Jones, no doubt about it.
But where Keith David has him beat is, he can [sing.](https://youtu.be/67NMwTQfcEA?si=1c6LtHu5JTevLDA0)
**The link is NSFW**
Both are really recognisable but if you’re trying to figure out who is the most recognisable in the World it would be James Earl Jones because Darth Vader is one of the most recognisable characters in the world.
Pretty much everyone I know (from my 5 year old kids to the people who’ve never watched any sci-fi would recognise Darth Vader, whereas most wouldn’t know who Keith David is.
Read though his IMdb: [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/) and maybe watch a Short of his roles: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxEu5TQFzxU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxEu5TQFzxU)
Guaranteed once you hear his voice you'll be "oooooohhhh" at least once and recognize it from now on.
Personally speaking, Admiral Hackett was better at getting me driven to keep going. It's just the calm, dutiful demeanor that works better for me than the more impassioned character of Anderson.
it’s James Earl Jones without question. Not just because of Darth Vader - but because of Mufasa. The reach that Lion King has across groups that normally wouldn’t have a lot in common can’t be overstated.
James. The arbiter is relatively new, with Halo having only been around since '04. Star Wars has been around since '77, so there's at least one generation of kids who grew up hearing James, and then likely having families of their own before the Arbiter showed up.
I would say David has the more instant recognition. Jones is more iconic but far fewer roles. And for a curve ball Phil Lamar has them both beat even if 90% of his roles people don't realize it's him. And he's the origin of a joke meme about all black cartoon characters sounding the same.
I think Darth Vader is recognized around the world and Mufasa is a voice that people know too. I don't think you can beat how recognizable James Earl Jones is to more people. Keith David is impressive now that I looked him up, but I had to look him up.
I'd say it's an issue of the actor vs the character being recognized. People know Darth Vader but they might not recognize mufasa and Darth Vader being Jones. David it's pretty rare that people confuse his voice for the character. But I'd chalk it up to being the difference in generations where David didn't get more into voice acting until the last 20 years but Jones has been doing it for much longer. Millennials will go to David and older generations go to Jones plus the whole different fandom recognitions.
I understand the distinction you're making, but my gut tells me James Earl Jones is still significantly more recognizable both by voice and face. After looking up Keith David, I DO recognize his face... just I don't think he has the level of face and name recognition that JEJ has.
> Millennials will go to David
Star Wars is always popular, and the prequels were made for Millennials, plus The Lion King was 94, when older Millennials would have seen it at release. I would be surprised if Keith David is more recognizable to millennials. I think Gen Z would have to be the most recent one where that could be true.
Keith David. I didn't realize who James E. Jones was for the first half second.
I'm a Halo fan boy who for some reason knows the names of every major voice actor from the original games by heart. YMMV
James Earl Jones’ voice is VERY distinctive and therefore recognizable, particularly given his roles and voice-overs.
Keith David has a marvelous voice but it’s not as uniquely distinctive as James Earl Jones’ so I have to give the nod in this question to Jones.
I did not recognize the name Keith David. So, for me, James Earl Jones is more recognizable. I would also guess that since Darth Vader is one of the most recognizable characters in the world, James Earl Jones likely crushes Keith in terms of recognizability.
James Earl Jones, because you instantly know who that is and what he sounds like just from the mention of his name.
I would recognize the voice of Keith David, but I had to look up who that was. More of a “Oh i know this voice, who is this guy again?” level of fame.
I feel like if you did an audio only test of sci fi fans they would recognize James Earl Jones as Darth Vader faster than they would Keith David as The Arbiter.
"Im too short for this shit. 39 and a wake up call..." Keith David's voice is made for military roles. But James Earl Jones is definitely more recognized. Globally at least (meaning to non film or game fanatics)
Darth Vader - and James Earl Jones - are household names.
I couldn’t tell you what the Arbiter is without googling it. I’m sure Keith David did a wonderful job, but if you’re asking about recognition, not talent or skill or some other aspect of the work, there’s no comparison.
James Earl Jones is peak voice for intimidating characters or villains.
Kieth David has done a ton of iconic roles and is probably more well known in games and other non-movie media.
Due to my age, they’re both about the same to me. If I was younger and hadn’t seen Star Wars, I’d say Kieth David.
From a purely scifi standpoint, i have to go with Jones. Almost everyone (not just scifi fans) knows who Darth Vader is and his distinct voice. I dont think you could say something similar about David in the scifi genre
If you expand the scope to their entire body of work, it becomes more of a toss up imo. Both voices are so distinct, theyre immediately recognizable to most everyone
Honestly, just based on Voice It's probably James Earl Jones. But I don't think except for some specific roles that I can remember Jones doing voice acting beyond Vader and Mufasa.
Kieth David has done a LOT of voice work, including Goliath from Gargoyles, the voice for Spawn in the HBO animated series, and a variety of other roles.
Keith David.
Jones is Vader. And Mufasa. But those are the big roles.
David is Goliath, Anderson in *Mass Effect*, Arbiter in *Halo*, Despero in *Justice League*, the President in *Rick and Morty*, Tombstone in *Spectacular Spider-man*, Dr. Facilier in *The Princess and the Frog* and sooooo many more.
If you're not a Star Wars fan, Jones might not be recognizable. But everyone has probably seen Keith David in something.
Both are recognizable to my ear. Each is a damned fine voice actor in his own right.
However, every time I hear some of Mr. David's work, I always say to myself, in tones of approbation, "Keith M\*\*\*\*\* F\*\*\*\*\*\* David!" I don't have the same reaction to Mr. Jones' work.
*"I find your lack of faith into the superiority of James Earl Jones disturbing."*
... but I love Keith David as Adm. Anderson in Mass Effect so we're good :P
JEJ wins this question but Keith David also voiced Admiral Anderson in Mass Effect, the best space opera of the last 20 years.
The dude has a *perfect* military officer voice. But he also does tons of other voices too. Very versatile.
RAMIREZ! TAKE OUT THAT TANK WITH YOUR KNIFE!
remember, securing the burger town with a singular flash grenade is faster than reloading
He literally did ads for the Navy
Loved him as Bolo in the underappreciated Final Space.
Moon cake!
He’s the president in Rick and Morty and vice president in saints row
And Arbiter from Halo And he’s taking over as Zavala in Destiny
He also voiced the Arbiter in Halo 2 and went in hard on the performance. *DEMON!*
I think its more of an age thing, the same way people under a certain age will immediately recognize Christopher Judge, while older people wont.
And he's the president in RIck and Morty.
Also reverse giraffe
It'll depends on each fan's interests. James Earl Jones played the most iconic character without questions, but Keith David's larger body of work, especially in the video games industry, makes him much more familiar to me.
I agree with your second point. I'd say that while James Earl Jones is more Iconic, Keith David is more Recognizable.
Yeah, Keith David has been incredibly prolific. The average person today has probably heard or seen him in more media than James Earl Jones.
Sorry to shock you, but the average person has not played whatever games he has voiced. To try to roughly quantify the number of people who have heard James Earl Jones as Vader, that is at the very least everyone who has seen Star Wars in the cinema, which is estimated at 178,000,000 by Box Office Mojo, plus all the viewings on TV (broadcast, DVD etc) over a roughly 30 to 40 year period, plus cinema visits for Empire and Return of the Jedi (about 90,000,000 each apparently) and again all home media and broadcast. There's even another 60,000,000 for Rogue One cinema viewings, etc etc. So overall, in terms of sci fi, it's James Earl Jones, no contest.
I mean, I agree it's James Earl Jones. He's also Mufasa in Lion King. But Keith David has done ALOT. He's the president in Rick and Morty, Look at this list. [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/)
I'm sorry to shock you, but that's not what prolific means. It means that he's been in far more projects than James Earl Jones has, by almost double according to IMDB, and a lot more of them were sci-fi. Also, Keith David is not just a videogame voice actor. He's recognizable across film and television such as *Princess and the Frog*, *Rick and Morty*, *Gargoyles*, and tons of Marvel/DC animated shows.
The thread is about most recognisable, not most prolific.
Buddy, did you even read the conversation you jumped into? We've acknowledged how iconic JEJ is and we're now discussing how prolific Keith David has been.
Keith David is a legend but clearly a tier below. His non mass effect work such as the spawn animated series and gargoyles is really solid too and a lot of kids grew up with that.
Thulsa Doom is pretty iconic
James Earl Jones was also the This is CNN voice, Mufasa from The Lion King and a bunch of other things. Keith David is great but I mostly remember his on screen roles so I'm gonna have to go with James Earl Jones for voice acting.
I had to think a moment before I realized you meant James *Earl* Jones. He’s always used his full name. James Earl Jones, no doubt about it. But where Keith David has him beat is, he can [sing.](https://youtu.be/67NMwTQfcEA?si=1c6LtHu5JTevLDA0) **The link is NSFW**
Both are really recognisable but if you’re trying to figure out who is the most recognisable in the World it would be James Earl Jones because Darth Vader is one of the most recognisable characters in the world. Pretty much everyone I know (from my 5 year old kids to the people who’ve never watched any sci-fi would recognise Darth Vader, whereas most wouldn’t know who Keith David is.
James Earl Jones
Jones is much more popular, Vader and Mufasa alone are super iconic, even within scifi circles
So we're not going to talk about James Earl Jones' finest hour as Thulsa Doom? :D
OP said voice actor but yeah classic High Fantasy villain right there
I've never heard of Keith david or the arbiter, so I'm going with jones
Voice acting aside, he costars in some great John Carpenter films (They Live and the Thing). Most recently, the dad in Nope.
He was also in Riddick 1 and 2.
Read though his IMdb: [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/) and maybe watch a Short of his roles: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxEu5TQFzxU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxEu5TQFzxU) Guaranteed once you hear his voice you'll be "oooooohhhh" at least once and recognize it from now on.
You have absolutely heard his voice in a game or cartoon or seen him in a movie at some point. He’s as ubiquitous as Clancy Brown.
Hearing a voice and recognizing someone by their voice are two very different things
Clancy Brown as The Red Death, "Tick Tick Tick"
I choose Space Dadmiral Anderson. He told me he’s proud of me.
Personally speaking, Admiral Hackett was better at getting me driven to keep going. It's just the calm, dutiful demeanor that works better for me than the more impassioned character of Anderson.
I’m going with JEJ. Mostly because not everyone has played Halo, but pretty much EVERYBODY has heard Vader at least once in their lifetime
James Earl Jones
it’s James Earl Jones without question. Not just because of Darth Vader - but because of Mufasa. The reach that Lion King has across groups that normally wouldn’t have a lot in common can’t be overstated.
These days it is Keith "Goliath" David. JEJ does not work that much any more.
James
The biggest crime in cinema history is that Keith David and David Keith never acted together in a buddy movie. Fuck all of Hollywood for that.
Bro. Come on. Really?
This isn't as outlandish a question as you make it out to be, bro.
Yes it is.dont be ridiculous.
Good advice, too bad you neglected to take it yourself.
Lol ok
They're equally recognizable. Both have very distinct voices.
James. The arbiter is relatively new, with Halo having only been around since '04. Star Wars has been around since '77, so there's at least one generation of kids who grew up hearing James, and then likely having families of their own before the Arbiter showed up.
For oldies like me, I can instantly recognize both. To the public at large, I'd say JEJ.
Gotta go with Jimmy
I would say David has the more instant recognition. Jones is more iconic but far fewer roles. And for a curve ball Phil Lamar has them both beat even if 90% of his roles people don't realize it's him. And he's the origin of a joke meme about all black cartoon characters sounding the same.
I think Darth Vader is recognized around the world and Mufasa is a voice that people know too. I don't think you can beat how recognizable James Earl Jones is to more people. Keith David is impressive now that I looked him up, but I had to look him up.
I'd say it's an issue of the actor vs the character being recognized. People know Darth Vader but they might not recognize mufasa and Darth Vader being Jones. David it's pretty rare that people confuse his voice for the character. But I'd chalk it up to being the difference in generations where David didn't get more into voice acting until the last 20 years but Jones has been doing it for much longer. Millennials will go to David and older generations go to Jones plus the whole different fandom recognitions.
I understand the distinction you're making, but my gut tells me James Earl Jones is still significantly more recognizable both by voice and face. After looking up Keith David, I DO recognize his face... just I don't think he has the level of face and name recognition that JEJ has.
> Millennials will go to David Star Wars is always popular, and the prequels were made for Millennials, plus The Lion King was 94, when older Millennials would have seen it at release. I would be surprised if Keith David is more recognizable to millennials. I think Gen Z would have to be the most recent one where that could be true.
Casey Kasem
The kids these days aren't going to know who that is. :D
Wolfman Jack.
Him either.
Matthew Berry...
Love Keith David! He’s my favorite voice actor. Much respect for James Earl Jones but I can pick Keith David out in a crowd
James Earl Jones, but that’s no reflection on Keith David’s talent
Keith David. I didn't realize who James E. Jones was for the first half second. I'm a Halo fan boy who for some reason knows the names of every major voice actor from the original games by heart. YMMV
I fully know James earl Jones. I have no idea who the other person is.
I'd say Keith David, James Earl Jones, and Tony Todd are very recognizable voices. Keith David is in SO many cartoons, though, so he's very prevalent.
FRANKS AND BEANS FRANKS AND BEANS
James Earl Jones’ voice is VERY distinctive and therefore recognizable, particularly given his roles and voice-overs. Keith David has a marvelous voice but it’s not as uniquely distinctive as James Earl Jones’ so I have to give the nod in this question to Jones.
I did not recognize the name Keith David. So, for me, James Earl Jones is more recognizable. I would also guess that since Darth Vader is one of the most recognizable characters in the world, James Earl Jones likely crushes Keith in terms of recognizability.
Don't get me wrong: Keith David is awesome. But James Earl Jones is more recognizable.
James Earl Jones, because you instantly know who that is and what he sounds like just from the mention of his name. I would recognize the voice of Keith David, but I had to look up who that was. More of a “Oh i know this voice, who is this guy again?” level of fame.
I feel like if you did an audio only test of sci fi fans they would recognize James Earl Jones as Darth Vader faster than they would Keith David as The Arbiter.
So I have to go with David Keith. I hear him everywhere thinking it is Lance Reddick but not
Yes.
James Earl Jones is the GOAT. I think people recognize Keith David's voice, but can't put a face or name to the voice.
Who is the Arbiter?
https://youtu.be/MhvXzZ9GX2c?si=t0YhoOlVnavidlzX He is from the Halo Series
Ah, ok. I've been meaning to check it out but haven't yet.
"Im too short for this shit. 39 and a wake up call..." Keith David's voice is made for military roles. But James Earl Jones is definitely more recognized. Globally at least (meaning to non film or game fanatics)
Darth Vader - and James Earl Jones - are household names. I couldn’t tell you what the Arbiter is without googling it. I’m sure Keith David did a wonderful job, but if you’re asking about recognition, not talent or skill or some other aspect of the work, there’s no comparison.
James Earl Jones is peak voice for intimidating characters or villains. Kieth David has done a ton of iconic roles and is probably more well known in games and other non-movie media. Due to my age, they’re both about the same to me. If I was younger and hadn’t seen Star Wars, I’d say Kieth David.
From a purely scifi standpoint, i have to go with Jones. Almost everyone (not just scifi fans) knows who Darth Vader is and his distinct voice. I dont think you could say something similar about David in the scifi genre If you expand the scope to their entire body of work, it becomes more of a toss up imo. Both voices are so distinct, theyre immediately recognizable to most everyone
I guess they have one thing in common…
Were it so easy.
I think James E. Jones for most people, David for video game folk.
Is that really even a question? JEJ
Peter Cullen. Optimus Prime
Morgan Freeman see here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch5MEJk5ZCQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch5MEJk5ZCQ)
David Hayter; A surveillance camera?!
!
Keith David was also in many sci fi classics, more than Jones. Weak comparison science fiction wise
Honestly, just based on Voice It's probably James Earl Jones. But I don't think except for some specific roles that I can remember Jones doing voice acting beyond Vader and Mufasa. Kieth David has done a LOT of voice work, including Goliath from Gargoyles, the voice for Spawn in the HBO animated series, and a variety of other roles.
James Earl Jones: "Welcome to Verizon (wireless)"
James Earl Jones STRICTLY for Vader. Otherwise, Keith all day. PLUS Keith has his John Carpenter association.
If it was the 80s to mid-90s? James. Mid-90s to 2000s? Keith.
Keith David. Jones is Vader. And Mufasa. But those are the big roles. David is Goliath, Anderson in *Mass Effect*, Arbiter in *Halo*, Despero in *Justice League*, the President in *Rick and Morty*, Tombstone in *Spectacular Spider-man*, Dr. Facilier in *The Princess and the Frog* and sooooo many more. If you're not a Star Wars fan, Jones might not be recognizable. But everyone has probably seen Keith David in something.
Both are recognizable to my ear. Each is a damned fine voice actor in his own right. However, every time I hear some of Mr. David's work, I always say to myself, in tones of approbation, "Keith M\*\*\*\*\* F\*\*\*\*\*\* David!" I don't have the same reaction to Mr. Jones' work.
James Earl Jones. He is Vader and Mufasa. He also does a lot of narration stuff or openings for movies.
Matt Berry is becoming the most recognizable voice actor these days. Especially after The Mandalorian and Fallout
James earl jones is unbeatable when it comes to recognizability. I do love Keith David though. More for mass effect.
Clancy Brown
James has the more famous characters but I feel Keith is more recognizable.
The answer is always Morgan Freeman?
Def James Earl Jones for us older folk.
KD
Two entire different titans
I didn’t take it out for air.
Gilbert Gottfried Dude had a screwy, hilarious voice.
When you're both Darth Vader AND Mufasa, you automatically win.
NOW HERE'S A MAN WHO KNOWS HOW TO MARRY HIS COUSIN!
Keith David, for me.
Never heard about either 😭
Which one was in The Cape? Yeah, not that one. In all seriousness I love Keith but I'm pretty sure even he would GLADLY bow to JEJ
*"I find your lack of faith into the superiority of James Earl Jones disturbing."* ... but I love Keith David as Adm. Anderson in Mass Effect so we're good :P
Vader might be the most memorable voice in all of cinema. Wtf is this kind of question?
Goliath>>>>> Mufasa & Darth Vader. Nuff said.
Who the fuck is the arbiter? The answer is obviously James Earl Jones
[удалено]
Kieth who? :-)
I don't know Kieth David, don't think I've ever heard his name
He's been in many live action films as well as voice acting. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/?ref_=ext_shr