Photograph by Diane Krauss
Brad Dourif, who played Grima Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings, is 62 today! We all love a baddie and Wormtounge is among the best of them.
Dourif was born in West Virginia and raised by his actress mother and step-father, after his own father died when he was three years old. At school he was interested in art and acting. He took part in school productions and later joined the Huntington Community Players. He dropped out of Marshall University at the age of 19 and went to New York to study acting. There he worked with the Circle Repertory Company and, whilst he was appearing in When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?, he was spotted by director Miloš Forman who cast him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). This was Dourif’s big break and it won him a Golden Globe for best actor debut, a British Academy Film Award for best supporting actor and an Academy Award nomination.
Dourif made five trips to New Zealand for the filming of The Lord of the Rings and had to shave his eyebrows off for the role of Wormtongue.
He reflects, “I am good when there is something central about the character. There is always a human theme I attach myself to. I am really looking for something that is moving or enlightening or something with depth as an actor. I look for these kinds of roles.”
Dourif has often been cast in horror movies the most well-known of his roles probably being as the voice of Chucky the evil killer doll in Child’s Play.
He says “There is nothing wrong with horror films. Their existence has definitely had an impact on me. It is important to have scary demons in our world on film. We have them in the world. That is why we are afraid, it is nice to have a visual and to have a confrontation with it.”
Dourif has made a career out of playing disturbed or eccentric characters although he tries not to be typecast, but these tend to be the sort of roles he is offered. He has numerous television credits such as for The X files and Star Trek Voyager and has also voiced video games.
We’d like to wish him a very happy birthday from everyone here at Middle-earth Network.
