Happy Birthday, Hugo Weaving!

Hugo Weaving is 54 today!

Weaving, who has reprised his role as Elrond Lord of Rivendell for The Hobbit, has many film and stage roles to his credit. He is the first actor to play the same role three times in three different trilogies: The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix and Transformers, playing Lord Elrond, Agent Smith, and the voice of Megatron, respectively. Whilst perhaps best known for his roles in blockbuster movies he told the Baltimore Sun in 2011,” It doesn’t feel to me as though they’ve been the majority of my work, though that’s probably the way it seems to most other people.”

Weaving often works in the theatre and has appeared on stage several times with his fellow LOTR and The Hobbit actor Cate Blanchett.

Weaving was born in Nigeria to English parents. His father was a seismologist, working in different parts of the world, which meant Weaving spent his childhood in England, Australia and South Africa. In 1976 his family returned to Australia and it was there he graduated from the National Institute for Dramatic Art in 1981.

Weaving is a keen supporter of animal rights. He is an ambassador for the Australian animal rights organisation, Voiceless, attending events and promoting the organisation in interviews. He is also a pesco vegetarian, eating fish but no meat.

Fellow actor Bret McKenzie revealed that, in their downtime on The Hobbit, Weaving, Ian McKellen, and he had fun planning a musical version of the book and making up songs.

So here’s to a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday Hugo Weaving!” from the team at Middle-earth News!