John Bach

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John Bach
Born (1946-06-05) 5 June 1946 (age 78)
Garndiffaith, Monmouthshire, Wales
Years active1975–present

John Bach (born 5 June 1946) is a British-born New Zealand actor who has acted on stage, television and film over a period of more than four decades. Though born in the United Kingdom, he has spent most of his career living and working in New Zealand.

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International audiences are most likely to have seen Bach as the Gondorian Ranger Madril in the second and third movies of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003). His leading roles in New Zealand television include playing the titular Detective Inspector John Duggan in the Duggan telemovies and television series, one of the truckdriving brothers in series Roche, and time on long-running soap opera Close to Home . In 1992 he starred as Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell in the telemovie The Sound and the Silence. In 1999 he played the Earl of Sackville in an episode of the TV miniseries A Twist in the Tale .

Bach's Australian work includes science fiction series Farscape, playing Mike Power in based on a true story mini-series The Great Bookie Robbery (1986), and as Sir Ian Hamilton in the 2015 TV miniseries Gallipoli .

In 2010, Bach appeared in the science fiction series This Is Not My Life as the sinister Harry Sheridan, as magistrate Titus Calavius in Spartacus: Blood and Sand and in an episode of Legend of the Seeker .

He has also appeared in several New Zealand films, including Utu , Carry Me Back , Goodbye Pork Pie , The Last Tattoo , Pallet on the Floor , Old Scores (in which he had a central role), and Beyond Reasonable Doubt .

In 2014, he performed as body double for Saruman in place of Christopher Lee, who was unable to fly to New Zealand for principal photography on The Hobbit film series.

He appeared as the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the first season of the 2016 Netflix drama series, Roman Empire . In 2021, he began a recurring role as Don on the comedy series Under the Vines, created by Erin White and starring Rebecca Gibney and fellow Lord of the Rings alum Charles Edwards.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1975Richard PearseJack PearseTV movie
1977 Wild Man BarmanFeature film
1978The Mad Dog Gang Meets Rotten Fred and RatsgutsWilkieTV movie
1979The GatheringLouTV movie
1980 Goodbye Pork Pie SnoutFeature film
Beyond Reasonable Doubt Feature film
The Mad Dog Gang Spooks Wilkie, Wink Wink and the WobblerWilkieTV movie
Sea Urchins HarveyTV movie
1981 Bad Blood Bert ChoppFeature film
1982 Battletruck "Bone"Feature film
Carry Me BackWinton
1983 Wild Horses JackTV movie
Utu BelcherFeature film
The Lost Tribe Edward / Max ScarryFeature film
Prisoners BodellFeature film
Nearly No ChristmasKing PenguinTV movie
1984Heart of the StagShearer
Other Halves JimFeature film
IrisMikeTV movie
Pallet on the Floor Jack VootFeature film
1985Lie of the LandGorrie
1986 Dangerous Orphans Desk SergeantFeature film
1988 Georgia KarlinFeature film
1990 Blood Oath Major RobertsFeature film
1991 The Sound and the Silence Alexander Graham Bell TV movie
Old Scores Lead roleFeature film
1993 Crimebroker Frank MacPheeTV movie
Typhon's PeopleDaniel HarringtonTV movie
1994 The Last Tattoo Austin LeechFeature film
The Feds: Obsession Rainer BassTV movie
1995 The Feds: Suspect
The Feds: Deception
The Feds: Abductions
The Feds: Seduction
The Feds: Terror
The Feds: Vengeance
1996 The Feds: Betrayal
The Feds: Deadfall
2000ClareHerbert GreenTV movie
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Gondorian Ranger Madril Feature film
2002Der Liebe entgenenMr. ChapmanTV movie
2003 The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Gondorian Ranger Madril Feature film
2004 Ike: Countdown to D-Day Sir Trafford Leigh-MalloyTV movie
2005KidnappedCluny
The Man who Couldn't DanceDancing ManShort film
2007 The Tattooist Lazlo McFadden
2008 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian British Homeguard #1Feature film
2009 Piece of My Heart MikeTV movie
2011Rest for the WickedFrank
2014 The Cure Lionel StantonFeature film
Nancy Wake, the White MouseFioccaTV movie
The Hobbit Saruman Body DoubleFeature film
2014The Light HarvesterShort film
2016Judgement TavernThe JudgeShort film
The Light Between Oceans Jock JohnsonFeature film
2019Mistress MercyJudge AndersonTV movie
2020ZealandiaManShort film
Reunion JackFeature film
2022The Ballard of Maddog QuinnGrandpa QuinnShort film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2021–2023 Under the Vines DonTV series, 11 episodes
2020 The Sounds Frank Cabbott6 episodes
2017 Janet King [1] Graham KingTV series, 5 episodes
2016 Roman Empire Marcus AurelisTV docuseries, 2 episodes
Jack Irish Michael LongmoreTV series, 5 episodes
2015 Gallipoli [2] Ian HamiltonTV miniseries, 7 episodes
2014Hope and WireVernonTV series, 1 episode
2013 Wentworth Vinnie HoltTV series, 2 episodes
2010 Spartacus Calavius5 episodes
Legend of the Seeker HeraldTV series, 1 episode
This Is Not My Life Harry Sheridan5 episodes
2006 The Lost Children FrankTV series, 12 episodes
2005HerculesCrenonTV series, 2 episodes
2004 Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars EinsteinTV miniseries, 2 episodes
2002–2003 Farscape EinsteinTV series, 5 episodes
2000–2002The Dark KnightDu BoisTV series, 6 episodes
2000 The Lost World BalarTV miniseries, 1 episode
Tales of the South Seas MillerTV series, 1 episode
1997–1999 Duggan John DugganTV series, 13 episodes
1999 Young Hercules Zeus TV series, 1 episode
A Twist in the TaleEarl of Sackville1 episode
1998 The Day of the Roses Tom WeirTV miniseries, 2 episodes
1997 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ThierryTV miniseries, 2 episodes
1995 Mysterious Island Captain Nemo TV series, 22 episodes
Snowy River: The Mcgregor Saga Jim O'RourkeTV series, 1 episode
1994 Time Trax XavierTV series, 1 episode
High Tide BoucherTV series, 1 episode
1993 White Fang Tom CooperTV series, 1 episode
1989–1992 The Ray Bradbury Theater LazloTV anthology series, 2 episodes
1992SpenderDoormanTV series, 1 episode
1991 Heroes II: The Return Donald DavidsonTV series, 2 episodes
Golden Fiddles Walter BalfourTV miniseries, 2 episodes
1990 The Paper Man Phillip CromwellTV miniseries, 6 episodes
1989 The Heroes Donald DavidsonTV miniseries
1988 Spit MacPhee Jack TreeTV miniseries, 4 episodes
1986 The Great Bookie Robbery Mike PowerTV miniseries, 3 episodes
1985RocheMickTV series, 9 episodes
1984Inside StraightBill McLeanTV series, 3 episodes
1975–1983 Close to Home Tom HearteTV series, 784 episodes
1982Loose EnzoRonTV series, 1 episode
1980 Mortimer's Patch Kevin CartwrightTV series, 1 episode
1977 The Governor John SheehanTV series, 1 episode
1975 The Games Affair TV series

Note

Bach's surname is pronounced "Baitch", and not as in the Welsh language pronunciation of the word for small, from which it is derived.[ citation needed ]

References

  1. "Don Hany, Susie Porter join Janet King. | TV Tonight". 7 November 2016.
  2. "Gallipoli | TV Tonight". 15 January 2015.