John Rhys-Davies is 68 today! Rhys-Davies is known to LOTR fans as Gimli the dwarf, a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Rhys-Davies grew up in Ammanford in Wales and in East Africa and in England. As a boy he was interested in classical literature and decided to become an actor after performing in a Shakespearian play at the age of fifteen. He read English at the University of East Anglia and, after graduation, won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Nowadays he is an Associate Member of the Academy.
Rhys-Davies began his career in the theatre, becoming a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and performing in over a hundred plays. His most notable role in television was in the BBC’s adaptation of the Robert Graves novel I, Claudius. He has appeared in over eighty films and, apart from The Lord of the Rings, is probably best known for playing Sallah in the Indiana Jones movies.
In 1999 Rhys-Davies read for the minor role of Denethor in The Two Towers. Peter Jackson offered him (a man over six feet tall) the part of Gimli the dwarf instead. As Gimli, Rhys-Davies had to wear heavy facial prosthetics which took five hours to apply each day and to which, over time, he developed a severe allergic reaction. It took two people to help him into his costume which weighed more than 40 kilos. In addition to Gimli, Rhys-Davies was also the voice of Treebeard the ent.
Rhys-Davies is the only one of the nine Fellowship of the Ring actors who did not get a tattoo of the word “nine” written in Elvish. His stunt double, Brett Beattie, got the tattoo instead.
When asked if he would reprise his role of Gimli for The Hobbit he said, “I’ve already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t. 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 anymore.”
After visiting the set of The Hobbit last year Rhys-Davies told Wales Online
“… what I saw down there (New Zealand) I think means almost a quantum change in the way films are made. After this Hobbit comes out, film-making will never be the same.
The decision to shoot and project in 48 frames per second is extraordinary and an improvement of image that will become the new standard, I think. Lord of the Rings is definitive, but by the time The Hobbit comes out, it’s going to look like old hat.”
Rhys-Davies is an avid collector of vintage cars. He also holds a pilots license.
Here’s wishing John Rhys-Davies a Happy Birthday from everyone at Middle-earth Network!
Photo credit: By Diane Krauss (DianeAnna) (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.0-de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons
