Adam Brown, who plays the young dwarf Ori in The Hobbit, is 33 today!
Adam was a relatively unknown stage actor when, two and a half years ago, he was plucked from playing King Frog in pantomime and dropped into The Hobbit, his very first film. Indeed he was convinced they had “got the wrong person” when he flew out to New Zealand to start filming.
“One minute I was screaming ‘this is amazing, I can’t believe it’, the next I was crying ‘It’s too much, I can’t cope’,” he says.
But although, prior to The Hobbit, his screen appearances had consisted of a few TV adverts and a small role in the children’s TV programme Chucklevision, Adam had been quietly successful for several years as a writer and actor with his comedy theatre troupe Plested and Brown.
Adam comes from Hungerford in Berkshire, England. He studied Performing Arts at Middlesex University, where he met Clare Plested with whom he formed Plested and Brown. The company produced some well-received shows such as Carol Smillie Trashed My Room, The Reconditioned Wife Show, Hot Pursuit and Minor Spectacular, with some national and international tours, including a tour of New Zealand with Hot Pursuit.
Clare and Adam were regulars in the Christmas pantomime at the Newbury Corn Exchange. When Adam was unable to be in the panto because of filming The Hobbit, he recorded an audio file to be played on opening night and was delighted when Ian McKellen asked if he could join in.
“I was recording it on my iPad on location and Ian was dressed as Gandalf and asked to take part. I wrote a little speech for him and sent it off to the theatre. They were over the moon,” he says.
In between the premieres for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the final block of filming, Adam has been busy starring as a gladiator in the short film Minimus. The film is due for release later this year.
Adam is a keen runner. He ran his first half marathon in Liverpool earlier this year and has signed up for the Wellington Half Marathon in June. Go Adam!
Here’s wishing Adam a very Happy Birthday from everyone here at Middle-earth News!
With thanks to The Express
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