John Rhys-Davies

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John Rhys-Davies
(John Rhys-Davies) 2018-02-11 15-35-40 ILCE-6500 DSC07150 (31235662177) (cropped).jpg
Rhys-Davies in February 2018
Born (1944-05-05) 5 May 1944 (age 79)
Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK
Alma mater University of East Anglia
OccupationActor
Years active1964–present
Spouse
Suzanne Wilkinson
(m. 1966;sep. 1985)
PartnerLisa Manning (2004–present)
Children3
Signature
JohnRhysDavies.png

John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor known for portraying Sallah in the Indiana Jones franchise and Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He has received three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, with one win, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Contents

John Rhys-Davies at Galaxy Con Richmond in 2023 John Rhys Davies Q&A, Galaxy Con Richmond 2023 - 53046013375.jpg
John Rhys-Davies at Galaxy Con Richmond in 2023

Rhys-Davies is also known for his performances in the films Victor/Victoria (1982), The Living Daylights (1987), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), and Aquaman (2018). He is also known for his extensive voice work including Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), Gargoyles (1995–1996), and SpongeBob SquarePants (2000–2002).

He also gained acclaim for his television roles as Macro in I, Claudius (1976), Vasco Rodrigues in Shōgun (1980), and Michael Malone in The Untouchables (1993). From 1995 to 1997 he portrayed Professor Maximillian Arturo in Sliders .

Early life

John Rhys-Davies was born in Salisbury on 5 May 1944, [1] the son of Welsh parents. His mother, Phyllis Jones, was a nurse, while his father, Rhys Davies, was a mechanical engineer and colonial officer. [2]

Due to his father's work as a colonial police officer, he was raised in Tanganyika (today part of Tanzania) before his family moved to the Welsh town of Ammanford. [1] While in Tanganyika, his family lived in places such as Dar es Salaam, Kongwa, Moshi, and Mwanza. He was educated at independent Truro School in Cornwall and then at the University of East Anglia, where he was one of the first 105 students admitted and became a co-founder of its drama club. After a stint teaching at a secondary school in Watton, Norfolk, he won a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Career

Rhys-Davies (right) signing autographs in May 2005 John Rhys-Davies under autografsession.jpg
Rhys-Davies (right) signing autographs in May 2005

Rhys-Davies appeared sporadically on UK television in the early 1970s, including his role as the gangster "Laughing Spam Fritter" opposite Adam Faith in Budgie . Later he played Praetorian officer Naevius Sutorius Macro in I, Claudius . He then began to appear more frequently, and not just in the UK, with roles as a Portuguese navigator Rodrigues in the 1980 television miniseries Shogun , based on the novel by James Clavell, and as Sallah in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark . [3] He reprised the role of Sallah in two subsequent Indiana Jones films. [4]

In 1989, he played Marvel Comics character Kingpin in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk . [5] Rhys-Davies also starred in another Clavell adaption, Noble House , set in Hong Kong, in which he plays Ian Dunross' corporate enemy, Quillan Gornt. [6] He has since appeared in numerous television shows and miniseries, including Agent Michael Malone in the 1993 remake of the 1950s television series The Untouchables [7] as well as a leading role in the television series Sliders as Professor Maximillian Arturo from 1995 to 1997. [8]

John Rhys Davies at Galaxy Con Richmond in 2023 John Rhys Davies Q&A, Galaxy Con Richmond 2023 - 53046118088.jpg
John Rhys Davies at Galaxy Con Richmond in 2023

He also appeared in Reilly, Ace of Spies in 1983, made several appearances in Star Trek: Voyager as a holodeck version of Leonardo da Vinci, [9] starred as an ally of James Bond in The Living Daylights , and appeared in the film One Night with the King . Davies has played the character Porthos in two separate projects; a two-part episode of The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne , and the Hallmark Channel film La Femme Musketeer . He appears in the full motion video cut scenes of computer games including Ripper (as Vigo Haman) (1996), Dune 2000 (as Noree Moneo) (1998), and the Wing Commander series (as James Taggart, doubling as the voice of Thrakhath nar Kiranka in the third game of the series).

In 2004, he narrated The Privileged Planet, a documentary that makes the case for intelligent design. [10] He also provided narration in the MTV series Wildboyz around this time. In 2013, he appeared in the family history programme Coming Home , in which he discovered information about his grandfather's life in the Carmarthenshire coal mines. [11]

In 2014, he joined the cast of the television show Metal Hurlant Chronicles to play Holgarth, an immortal alchemist. [12]

In 2015, he had a role in the single-player campaign of the PC game Star Citizen alongside Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman. [13] The work consisted of full body motion capture, including facial expressions and his voice; it was recorded primarily at the Imaginarium studios in the UK. [14]

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Rhys-Davies appeared as the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The cinematography of the films was aided in that Rhys-Davies is tall – 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), compared to the actors playing hobbits at around 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m). [15] Therefore, although his character was supposed to be short, he was properly in proportion compared to the hobbit actors. Had he been of more similar height, shots of the entire fellowship would have required three camera passes rather than two. [16]

Rhys-Davies is the only one of the nine Fellowship of the Ring actors who did not receive a tattoo of the word "nine" written in the Tengwar script; his stunt double, Brett Beattie, was offered the tattoo instead as Rhys-Davies was disinclined to get one himself and Beattie had spent so much time as his double that he almost received co-credit. [17]

Rhys-Davies suffered severe reactions to the prosthetics used during filming, and his eyes sometimes swelled shut. When asked whether he would consider returning to the role for the film version of The Hobbit, he said, "I have already completely ruled it out. There's a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more." He added that this time around "[t]hey've got a different set of problems ... because you've got 13 dwarves, a whole band of them ... You're trying to represent a whole race ... You're trying to do for dwarves what The Lord of the Rings did for hobbits." [18] He offered help as a dwarf advisor in 2011, but ruled out returning as Gimli in The Hobbit because of the punishing makeup required. [19]

Voice work

Rhys-Davies in September 2012 John Rhys-Davies (7979439918).jpg
Rhys-Davies in September 2012

In addition to voicing the Ent Treebeard in Lord of the Rings, Rhys-Davies has lent his distinctive voice to many video games and animated television series, including the role of Hades in Justice League , the original voice of Man Ray in SpongeBob SquarePants (until both roles were recast with Bob Joles), and numerous times in Gargoyles (1994–1996), as the character Macbeth. He also lent his vocal talents to the games Freelancer (as Richard Winston Tobias) and Lords of Everquest (both in 2003) and the game Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness , which was released with his narration on a CD-ROM version in 1995. He also had a voice role on Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance as the character Jherek, and narrated a documentary called The Glory of Macedonia. Next Generation magazine gave its Dune 2000 review 'an automatic one-star deduction for featuring John "Multimedia Whore" Rhys-Davies in the FMV.' [20]

John Rhys-Davies' voice can be heard on the 2009 documentary Reclaiming The Blade . [21] In the narration, Rhys-Davies explores swords, historical European swordsmanship and fight choreography on film, a topic very familiar to him from his experiences in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, where his character wielded an axe in many scenes.

In 2004, he was the unknowing subject of an internet prank that spread false rumours in several mainstream media sources that he was scheduled to play the role of General Grievous in Star Wars Episode III . [22]

Rhys-Davies is the narrator of The Truth & Life Dramatized audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatised audiobook version of the New Testament which uses the Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition translation. In 2011, he presented KJB: The Book That Changed The World, which features him reading diverse snippets from the King James Version.

John Rhys-Davies’ voice work also includes voice-over work with Breathe Bible. [23]

In 2016, he provided spoken words for Voices of Fire , the sixth album by a cappella power metal band van Canto. [24]

A resident of the Isle of Man since 1988, John Rhys-Davies provides the introductory voice-over to the Island's Castle Rushen, one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in the British Isles. In 2018, he lent his voice to the Isle of Man's tourism commercial.

Rhys-Davies voice was recorded for some of the callouts in the 1993 Williams SuperPin Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure. [25]

In the 2023 video game The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria , he reprises the role of Gimli and narrates the opening scene.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

Relationships

Rhys-Davies in April 2013 John Rhys-Davies byVetulani.JPG
Rhys-Davies in April 2013

Rhys-Davies married Suzanne Wilkinson in December 1966, and they had two sons together. Although they legally separated in 1985, they remained married until her death from Alzheimer's disease in 2010. They remained friends, and he took care of her in her final years. [26]

In 2004, Rhys-Davies began dating Lisa Manning. They have a daughter together, and split their time between homes in the New Zealand region of Waikato [27] and on the Isle of Man. [28]

Religious views

Rhys-Davies is a self-described "rationalist" and "sceptic" when it comes to religion. However, he holds Christianity in high regard and has stated that "Christian civilisation has made the world a better place than it ever was."

In February 2020, Rhys-Davies stated, "All the things that we value, the right of free speech, the right of the individual conscience, these evolved in first and second century Roman Christendom, where the individual Christian said, 'I have a right to believe, what I believe and not what the Emperor tells me.' From that our whole idea of democracy and the equality that we have has developed. We owe Christianity the greatest debt of thanks that a generation can ever have, and to slight it and to dismiss it as being irrelevant is the detritus of rather ill-read minds, I think." [29] [30]

Political views

Rhys-Davies is not a member of any political party. He was a radical leftist as a university student in the 1960s, but changed his views when he went to heckle Margaret Thatcher, who he said "shot down the first two hecklers in such brilliant fashion that [he] decided [he] ought for once to shut up and listen". [31]

In 2004, Rhys-Davies said in an interview with World magazine: "There is a demographic catastrophe happening in Europe that nobody wants to talk about, that we daren't bring up because we are so cagey about not offending people racially. And rightly we should be. But there is a cultural thing as well. By 2020, 50% of the children in Holland under the age of 18 will be of Muslim descent." [32] In an interview with the conservative journal National Review , he said that he is opposed to Islamic extremism because he believes that it violates the "Western values" of equality, democracy, tolerance, and the abolition of slavery. [31]

Rhys-Davies was vocal in his support for Brexit. [33] On 25 April 2019, he appeared as a panelist on the BBC's Question Time , where he debated Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with Green Party politician Caroline Lucas. After Lucas suggested Trump should not be afforded a state visit to the UK, due to having lost the popular vote, Rhys-Davies banged his hands on the table and shouted: "Oh woman! Have you never read Kenneth Arrow and the Arrows theorem?" His conduct was subsequently described as "thuggish and sexist" by some viewers. [34] [35] Rhys-Davies has since commented on his response: "I was annoyed. It's impossible to gather your thoughts when you've got someone making faces and twittering. It's like having a fly butting around your face." [36]

Filmography

Film

YearFilmRoleNotes
1973 Penny Gold Rugby Player
1974 The Black Windmill Fake Military PolicemanUncredited
1975 The Naked Civil Servant Barndoor
1979 A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Solicitor
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark Sallah
1982 Best Revenge Mustapha
Victor/Victoria Andre Cassell
The Island of Adventure Smith
1983 Sahara Rasoul
Sadat Gamal Abdel Nasser
1984 Sword of the Valiant Baron Fortinbras
Kim Babu
1985 King Solomon's Mines Dogati
1986 Firewalker "Corky" Taylor
1987 The Living Daylights General Leonid Pushkin
1988 Waxwork Werewolf
1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Sallah
Rising Storm Donwaldo
1992 The Double 0 Kid Rudi Von Keseenbaum
The Lost World Professor Challenger
Return to the Lost World Professor Challenger
1993 Sunset Grill Stockton
Cyborg Cop Kessel
The Seventh Coin Captain Galil
The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter Professor Warren
1994 The High Crusade Bruder Parvus
Robot in the Family Eli Taki / Rashmud / Sashri
Blood of the Innocent Captain Shmuda
1996 The Great White Hype Johnny Windsor
Glory Daze Luther
Aladdin and the King of Thieves Cassim Voice, direct-to-video [37]
Marquis de Sade Inspector Marais
1997 Cats Don't Dance Woolie the MammothVoice [37]
Bloodsport III Jacques Duvalier
The Protector Rasheed
1999 Secret of the Andes Father Claver
2000 Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists King Akron, BarakaVoice
Delta Force One: The Lost PatrolIvan
2001 Never Say Never Mind: The Swedish Bikini Team Hakim
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Gimli, Gloin
2002 Sabretooth Anthony Bricklin
Endangered Species Lieutenant Wyznowski
Scorcher Matthew Sallin
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Gimli, Treebeard
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Coronado President Hugo Luis Ramos
The Jungle Book 2 Ranjan's FatherVoice [37]
The Medallion Commander Hammerstock-Smythe
2004 12 Days of Terror Captain
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement Viscount Mabrey
La Femme Musketeer Porthos
The Lost AngelFather Kevin
The Privileged Planet The NarratorVoice
2005 The Game of Their Lives Bill Jeffrey
Chupacabra Terror Captain Randolph
The King Maker Phillippe
2006 Shark Bait ThortonVoice, English dub [37]
One Night with the King Mordecai
The Legend of Sasquatch Ranger SteveVoice [37]
2007 In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale Merick
The Ferryman The Greek
Catching Kringle Santa Voice
2009 Reclaiming the Blade The NarratorVoice
31 North 62 East John Hammond
2010 Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes Dr. Watson Voice, direct-to-video [37]
2011 KJB: The Book That Changed the World Self / Presenter
Sophie and ShebaAlistair Winston
Treasure HuntersNathan Pickett
Ferocious Planet Senator Jackson Crenshaw
2012EscapeMalcolm Andrews
2013100 Degrees Below ZeroRalph Dillard
Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map Pirate GnarlybeardVoice, direct-to-video [37]
Prisoners of the Sun Professor Hayden Masterton
2014 Apocalypse Pompeii Colonel Carlo Dillard
Saul: The Journey to Damascus Caiphas
The Prophet YousefVoice [37]
Time Lapse [38] Mr. Bezzerides
2015 Beyond the Mask [39] Charles Kemp
2016The Apostle Peter: Redemption Saint Peter
2017 Camera Store "Pinky" Steuben
2018ShemiraMyer
Aquaman Brine KingVoice
2019 The Pilgrim's Progress EvangelistVoice
Valley of the Gods Dr. Herrmann
Santa FakeJoe O'Brian
Mosley WarnieVoice [37]
2020 Grizzly II: Revenge Karl BouchardReleased as "The Concert"; filmed in 1983
TaintedVladimir
ShadowtownEinar
I Am Patrick: The Patron Saint of IrelandOld PatrickDocumentary
G-LocHenry
Moments in SpacetimeMason
Silent Night: A Song for the WorldGeneral Haig
2021Prick'dArchie
2022KingslayerWilliam Marshal
2023 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Sallah
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Brine KingVoice
Little Brown BirdDadShort Film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974ZodiacAikmanEpisode: "Death of a Crab"
1974 Fall of Eagles Grigory Zinoviev Episode: "The Secret War"
1975 The Sweeney Ron BrettEpisode: "Poppy"
1976 I, Claudius Naevius Sutorius Macro 2 episodes
Warship CPO Cook MantellEpisode: "Heart of Oak"
1977 1990 Ivor GriffithEpisode: "Health Farm"
Just William AuthorityEpisode: "William and the Wonderful Present"
1978 Z Cars Terry LarkinEpisode: "Fat Freddie B.A."
The Nativity NestorTelevision film
1979–1980 BBC Television Shakespeare Eustace Chapuys / Salerio 2 episodes
1979 The Danedyke Mystery Armchair6 episodes
1980 Shōgun Vasco RodriguesMiniseries
1981 Peter and Paul Silas Television film
1982 CHiPs NakuraEpisode: "Force Seven"
Ivanhoe Front-de-BoeufTelevision film
The Quest Sir EdwardTV series (9 episodes, 4 unaired)
1983 Reilly, Ace of Spies TanyatosEpisode: "An Affair with a Married Woman"
1984 Robin of Sherwood King Richard Episode: "The King's Fool" [40]
Scarecrow and Mrs. King Lord BromfieldEpisode: "Affair at Bromfield Hall"
1987Marjorie and the Preacher Man [41] SeymourTelevision drama
The Little Match Girl Police Chief MurphyTelevision film
Perry Mason Edward TremayneEpisode: "The Case of the Murdered Madam"
1988–1994 Murder, She Wrote Harry Mordecai
Harry Waverly
Lancaster
3 episodes
1988 Noble House Quillan GorntMiniseries
War and Remembrance Sammy MutterperlMiniseries
Goddess of Love Zeus Television film
1989 The Trial of the Incredible Hulk Wilson Fisk/Kingpin Television film
Great Expectations Joe Gargery Miniseries
1991 The Mystery of the Black Jungle O'ConnorMiniseries
Tales from the Crypt DuvalEpisode: "Dead Wait"
The Strauss Dynasty GribovMiniseries
1992 Batman: The Animated Series Waclaw Jozek / BaronVoice, episode: "The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy" [37]
Perry Mason Phillip GraffEpisode: "The Case of the Fatal Framing"
Archaeology: Voyages of the VikingsThe NarratorDocumentary series (TLC)
Ring of the MusketeersMaurice TrevilleTelevision film
The Making of Aladdin: A Whole New WorldHostDocumentary
1992–1993 The Legend of Prince Valiant King Hugo / King DonovanVoice, 8 episodes
1993–1994 The Untouchables Agent Malone15 episodes
1993 Animaniacs TympanniniVoice, episode: "Piano Rag" [37]
1994 A Flintstones Christmas Carol Charles BrickensVoice, television special [37]
1995–1996 Gargoyles Macbeth, Arthur Morwood-Smythe, FindleachVoice, 13 episodes [37]
1995–1997 Sliders Professor Maximillian Arturo40 episodes
1995 Fantastic Four Thor Voice, 2 episodes
Archaeology: Florida's Lost EmpireHostDocumentary series (TLC)
1996 The Incredible Hulk ThorVoice, episode: "Mortal Bounds" [37]
Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh The NarratorVoice, television special
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm AsgarthEpisode: "Overthrown"
1997 Freakazoid! Professor BeastheadVoice, episode: "Tomb of Invisibo" [37]
You Wish "Madman" Mustapha3 episodes
Star Trek: Voyager Leonardo da Vinci 2 episodes
1999 Au Pair Nigel KentTelevision film
2000 Britannic Captain Charles Bartlett Television film
2002 Justice League Hades Voice, episode: "Paradise Lost" [37]
The Zeta Project Edgar MandragoraVoice, episode: "Ro's Gift" [37]
2000–2002 SpongeBob SquarePants Man Ray Voice [37]
2002 Fillmore! LennyVoice, episode: "Ingrid Third, Public Enemy #1" [37]
2003 Helen of Troy King Priam Miniseries
2004 Dragon Storm King FastradTelevision film
2005 Revelations (Omnium Finis Imminet)Professor Jonah LampleyMiniseries
2006 Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! Captain ProteusVoice, episode: "Demon of the Deep" [37]
2008 Anaconda 3: Offspring MurdochTelevision film
Fire & Ice: The Dragon Chronicles SangimelTelevision film
Kiss Me Deadly Yale EricsonTelevision film
2009 Dark Days in Monkey City The Narrator4 episodes
Anacondas: Trail of Blood MurdochTelevision film
Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire Grimshank3 episodes
2010 Legend of the Seeker HoraceEpisode: "Vengeance"
Three Wise WomenArchangel GreenTelevision film
Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf Elliot CarbonTelevision film
2012 Psych Museum CuratorEpisode: "Indiana Shawn and the Temple of the Kinda Crappy, Rusty Old Dagger"
Missing ChristmasThe Narrator / Santa Claus Voice, television special [37]
2014 Let The Season In The Narrator Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert Special (filmed in 2013)
Once Upon a Time Grand PabbieVoice, 3 episodes
2015 Killing Jesus Annas Television film
The Adventures of Puss in Boots GoodswordVoice, episode: "Sword" [37]
2015–2016 TripTank Various Voices7 episodes [37]
2016 The Shannara Chronicles Eventine Elessedil7 episodes
Winter ThawMartin AvdeitchTelevision film
The Lion Guard King SokweVoice, episode: "The Lost Gorillas" [37]
2018A Dickens ChristmasThe Narrator Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert Special
2019Fresh EggsCutter Anderson [33] 6 episodes
2020 Wizards: Tales of Arcadia Galahad Voice, 7 episodes [37]
2022 Documentary Now! Garth Davies-GruffuddEpisode: "How They Threw Rocks"

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994 Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness NarratorVoice actor
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger Prince Thrakhath [37]
1996 Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom James Taggart
Ripper Vigo HamanActor
1998 Dune 2000 Noree Moneo
2001 Forgotten Realms: Baldur's Gate – Dark Alliance JherekVoice actor
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Treebeard
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Gimli / Treebeard
Freelancer Richard Winston Tobias
2004 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth Gimli / Treebeard (archive audio)archive audio
2006 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
2009 Risen Don EstebanVoice actor
2012 LEGO The Lord of the Rings Gimliarchive audio
2015 LEGO Dimensions
2023 The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Gimli [42] [43] [44] Voice actor

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryProjectResult
1980 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Shōgun Nominated
2001 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society AwardBest CastWon
2002 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society AwardBest CastWon
2003 Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Cast The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Won
National Board of Review Best Cast Won
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society AwardBest CastNominated

Audio work

Audiobooks

Podcasts

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sallah</span> Character in the Indiana Jones films

Sallah Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir is a fictional character played by Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies in three of the Indiana Jones films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. He also appears in various comics and novels, and is featured in the Disney theme park attractions, the Indiana Jones Adventure and The Great Movie Ride.

The production of The Lord of the Rings film series posed enormous challenges, both logistical and creative. Under Peter Jackson's direction, these obstacles were overcome between 1997 and 2004. Many attempts to produce J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings had failed; the few that had reached the screen were animations. Since the publication of the source novels in the mid-1950s, many filmmakers and producers had considered a film but then set the project aside. The series as filmed by Jackson consists of three epic fantasy adventure films. They were produced by New Line Cinema, assisted by WingNut Films. The cinema versions appeared between 2001 and 2003, and the extended edition for home video in 2004. Development began in August 1997. The films were shot simultaneously. Their production was undertaken entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand. It spanned the 14-month period from October 1999 until December 2000, with pick-up shots filmed over a further 24 months, from 2001 to 2003.

Gimli is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, appearing in The Lord of the Rings. A dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin, a member of Thorin's company in Tolkien's earlier book The Hobbit. He represents the race of Dwarves as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. As such, he is one of the primary characters in the story. In the course of the adventure, Gimli aids the Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins, participates in the War of the Ring, and becomes close friends with Legolas, overcoming an ancient enmity of Dwarves and Elves.

Peregrin Took, commonly known simply as Pippin, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is closely tied with his friend and cousin, Merry Brandybuck, and the two are together during most of the story. Pippin and Merry are introduced as a pair of young hobbits of the Shire who become ensnared in their friend Frodo Baggins's quest to destroy the One Ring. Pippin joins the Fellowship of the Ring. He and Merry become separated from the rest of the group at the breaking of the Fellowship and spend much of The Two Towers with their own story line. Impetuous and curious, Pippin enlists as a soldier in the army of Gondor and fights in the Battle of the Morannon. With the other hobbits, he returns home, helps to lead the Scouring of the Shire, and becomes Thain or hereditary leader of the land.

Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He is a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm and son of its king, Thranduil, becoming one of the nine members of the Fellowship who set out to destroy the One Ring. Though Dwarves and Elves are traditionally rivals, he and the Dwarf Gimli form a close friendship during their travels together.

<i>Hobitit</i> Finnish live action fantasy television miniseries

Hobitit is a nine-part Finnish live action fantasy television miniseries directed by Timo Torikka, originally broadcast in 1993 on Yle TV1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renato Mori</span> Italian actor and voice actor

Renato Pietro Mori was an Italian actor and voice actor.

Lego The Lord of the Rings is a Lego theme based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson and the novel by the English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. It is licensed from Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The theme was first introduced in 2012. The first sets appeared in 2012, to coincide with a release of the video game Lego The Lord of the Rings. Subsequent sets based on The Hobbit film trilogy would also be released and the video game Lego The Hobbit was released in 2014. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2015. Later, the theme was relaunched in January 2023 with three new sets released as the part of the Lego BrickHeadz theme. In February 2023, The Lego Group unveiled a new Rivendell set that released on 8 March 2023 as the part of the Lego Icons theme.

<i>The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria</i> 2023 video game

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a 2023 survival-crafting video game developed by Free Range Games and published by North Beach Games on October 24, 2023. It is based on the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien and takes place during its Fourth Age after the events of the The Lord of the Rings novels. It follows a company of dwarves as they try to retake their homeland Moria and restore the long-lost ancient kingdom of Khazad-dûm.

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