Today, Lawrence Makoare celebrates his birthday and Middle-earth News celebrates with him! After portraying Lurtz, the Uruk-hai killing Boromir, the Witchking, and another Orc in The Lord of the Rings, he returned to Middle-earth for The Hobbit trilogy as Bolg.
Lawrence Makoare was born on March 20th 1968 in Auckland, New Zealand. Among the Tolkien fandom, he is best known for his portrayal of the Uruk-hai Lurtz and the Witchking of Angmar. Both roles were physically demanding in their own right. For Lurtz, Lawrence’s entire body was covered in prosthetics. In order to apply all prosthetic pieces, he had to spend 10 hours, starting at 10 p.m., having it put on, ready to start work at 8 a.m. After shooting for six hours, it took five more hours to remove everything. In the case of Bolg, Lawrence had to suffer less because performance capture was used.
His on-screen personae might be evil and devious, but the actor behind these masks couldn’t be kinder and likeable. Whether at conventions, in person, or via the internet, all those who came in contact with Mr. Makoare appreciate his kindness. A few years ago, I was not only planning my trip to New Zealand, but also planned to get a tattoo there. It took me a while to collect my courage to ask Lawrence for advice (who is tattooed himself). Not only was he kind enough to reply, he recommended that I get my tattoo done in Wellington. As I’ve then found out, the tattoo artist Roger Ingerton was the the same tattoo artist that tattooed the Fellowship cast.
One of the aspects I love about being in the Tolkien fandom, are people like Lawrence Makoare who approach fans with kindness, patience, and a genuine interest. So let’s raise our pints and celebrate Lawrence’s birthday!
