Rhys-Davies, John
John Rhys-Davies plays Gimli, a Dwarf who joins the Fellowship of the Ring. He also provides the voice of the Ent, Treebeard.
He's wonderfully politically incorrect. He says exactly what he thinks. He is prejudiced. He is a little bit scared of the supernatural. He is suspicious, occasionally mean but unimaginably brave. He will turn and face the foe always, as long as he has his axe in his hand. There is a magnificence to that. And the most wonderful thing about him, of course, is that he doesn't realize he is small. --Jam Showbiz (11/7/01)
John Rhys-Davies was born in Wiltshire, England on the 5th of May, 1944. As a child he spent time in Wales and Africa. While studying at Truro School as a teenager, he became interested in the Theatre. He then studied History and English at the University of East Anglia, but his interest in Theatre Arts continued to grow and he founded the University Dramatic Society. Rhys-Davies continued to learn acting and graduated from London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1969, where he had been studying on scholarship.
He has a long theatre career, working first in the Madder-Market Theatre, and then in the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company with many starring roles. This, however would change with his first television role, at the age of 28, in the BCC comedy Budgie. His first introduction to American audiences was with Masterpiece Theater’s I, Claudius. In 1981 he was nominated for an Emmy Award in recognition of his portrayal of Vasco Rodrigues in NBC’s Shogun. This was just the beginning of a long television and movie career in which has worked with such notable directors as Steven Spielberg. He also wrote and performed in the 1990 film Tusks. In the mid-nineties he provided voice-overs for the animated films Aladdin and the King of Thieves and Cats Don’t Dance. He has also worked on a number of Saturday morning cartoons such as Animaniacs and the video games Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger and Dune 2000.
John-Rhys Davies originally auditioned for the part of Denethor but was cast as Gimli and the voice of Treebeard. He and his wife Deborah have one son.
Fire & Ice (2008) (TV) (post-production) .... Sangimel
Anaconda 3: The Offspring (2008) (TV) (post-production) .... Murdoch
Anaconda 4: Trail of Blood (2008) (TV) (post-production) .... Murdoch
Medium Raw (2008) (post-production) .... Elliot Carbon
Prisoners of the Sun (2008) (post-production) .... Prof. Hayden Masterton
Kiss Me Deadly (2008) (TV) .... Yale
"Takezo Kensei: Sword Saint" .... Narrator (6 episodes, 2007)
The Ferryman (2007) .... The Greek
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007) .... Merick
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II - Rise of the Witch King (2006) (VG) (voice) .... Gimli son of Gloin
"Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!" .... Comandor (1 episode, 2006)
One Night with the King (2006) .... Mordecai
Shark Bait (2006) (voice) .... Thorton
Tainted Love (2006) .... Underwood
The Legend of Sasquatch (2006) (voice) .... Ranger Steve
The King Maker (2005) .... Phillippe
The Shadow Dancer (2005) .... Mr. Benton
The Game of Their Lives (2005) (as John Rhys Davies) .... Bill Jeffrey
"Revelations" (2005) (mini) TV mini-series .... Professor Lampley
Chupacabra Terror (2005) (V) .... Captain Randolph
Writer:
"Sliders" (2 episodes, 1997)
Tusks (1990) (writer)
Producer:
The Legend of Sasquatch (2006) (associate producer)
Soundtrack:
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (performer: "A British Tar")
Self:
Reclaiming the Blade (2008) (voice) .... Narrator
1362: The Kensington Enigma (2007) (TV) .... Himself - Host
Making of 'Shadows in the Sun' (2005) (V) .... Himself
"Loose Women" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
Prophecies of the Passion (2005) (TV) .... Narrator
Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005) .... Himself
The Privileged Planet (2004) (V) .... Narrator
"Mondo Thingo" .... Himself (1 episode, 2004)
"Dennis Miller" .... Himself (1 episode, 2004)
"GMTV" .... Himself (1 episode, 2004)
National Geographic: Beyond the Movie - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003) (TV) .... Himself/Narrator
J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle-Earth (2003) (V) .... Himself
Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy (2003) (V) .... Himself
The Making of '20000 Leagues Under the Sea' (2003) (V) .... Narrator
The Making of a Legend (2003) (V) .... Himself
Ring Con 2002 (2002) (V) .... Himself
The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' (2002) (V) .... Himself
"The Big Breakfast" .... Himself (1 episode, 2001)
Quest for the Ring (2001) (TV) .... Himself / Gimli
Archive Footage:
DNZ: The Real Middle Earth (2004) (TV) .... Himself/Gimli
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (VG) (voice) .... Gimli
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) (VG) (voice) .... Gimli
Lord of the Piercing (2002) (TV) .... Gimli
More: John Rhys-Davies on IMDb