Lawrence Makoare | |
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![]() Makoare in 2003 | |
Born | Bastion Point, Auckland, New Zealand | 20 March 1968
Occupation | Actor |
Known for |
Lawrence Makoare (born 20 March 1968) is a New Zealand actor. He is most known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings film series as several prominent antagonists, including Lurtz the Uruk-Hai and the Witch-King of Angmar.
Makoare was a road construction builder who drifted into acting after he accompanied a girlfriend to a drama class and was picked out by the teacher to perform because of his impressive height. He began his career performing as a stuntman. [1] Makoare is best known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. In The Fellowship of the Ring , he portrayed the Uruk-hai leader Lurtz, and in The Return of the King , he portrayed the Witch-king of Angmar as well as Gothmog, the Orc commander at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug , he portrayed the Orc commander Bolg, son of Azog. Due to filming commitments on Marco Polo , Makoare was unavailable during the pick-ups shooting of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies , in which Bolg is portrayed by John Tui instead.
Makoare is also popular among Xena: Warrior Princess fans, having played two memorable characters in the third season: a Barbarian leader in episode "The Quill Is Mightier..."; and Maecanus (a minion of Aphrodite) in episode "Fins, Femmes and Gems". In 2002, he portrayed Mr. Kil in the James Bond film Die Another Day . The director of The Dead Lands, Toa Fraser, was not enthusiastic about using Makoare as the warrior, but was won over by the way he managed, after a few directing hints, to turn in a performance that made him weep. [2]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1994 | Rapa Nui | Atta | |
1999 | What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? | Grunt | |
Greenstone | Rameka | TV series | |
2000 | The Feathers of Peace | Pemako | |
The Price of Milk | Nephew | ||
2001 | Crooked Earth | Kahu Bastion | |
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Lurtz | ||
2002 | The Maori Merchant of Venice | Pirihina o Morako (The Prince of Morocco) | |
Die Another Day | Mr Kil | ||
2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Witch-King of Angmar / Gothmog | |
2007 | The Ferryman | Snake | |
2012 | L'oncle Charles | Ratu | |
Fundamental | J.T. | ||
2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Bolg | |
2014 | Marco Polo | Za Bing | TV series |
The Dead Lands | The Warrior | ||
2021 | Occupation: Rainfall | Gary | |
2023 | The Convert | Akatarewa | |
2025 | Forgive Us All | Supporting role [3] |