Jackson, Peter
Director, Writer, and Producer of all three Lord of the Rings films
Peter Jackson was born on October 31, 1961 in Pukerua Bay, North Island, New Zealand. He was an only child. Peter always loved filmmaking, and began making short films with his friends at the age of eight, when his family bought their first Super 8 video camera. Eventually, Peter entered some of his movies in amateur short film contests, though he didn’t win.
When Peter was 22, he embarked on his first full-length film, “Bad Taste,” which was released in 1987. This film began as a low budget project, filmed on a $250 second-hand camera. Peter directed, produced, filmed and acted in a number of roles for this film. He did almost everything himself, including baking the latex models in his family’s oven. After four hard years, the movie was complete. One of Peter’s friends arranged for it to be shown in a local film festival. Because of its bizarre humor and overdose of special effects, “Bad Taste” was a success. Peter became a well-known director and producer after the release of his first professionally produced film, “Brain Dead” in 1992.
Peter continues to make movies. He has been credited as a director, producer, writer, editor, actor, costume designer, visual and special effects manager and cinematographer. Having started out as an amateur with a low budget, Peter often has cameos or larger roles in his movies and he is known for the special effects he creates on a low budget. Peter is best known for directing Lord of the Rings, but before he created the film version of Tolkien’s epic trilogy, he filmed many other movies. These include “The Frighteners” (1996), “Forgotten Silver” (1996), “Heavenly Creatures”(1994), “Brain Dead” (1992), “Meet the Feebles” (1989), “Bad Taste” (1987) and “The Valley (1976). He owns WingNut Films, ThreeFootSix (a film company), New Zealand Film Unit and WETA Limited, or WingNut Effects and Technical Allusions (he explained that spelling was not one of his strong points, and besides WETI sounded slightly awkward).
Peter now lives with Fran Walsh and their two children, Billy and Katie, in Karaka Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. Peter likes collecting WWI model airplanes, the Beatles, old James Bond movies and “Dawn of the Dead,” which sparked his interest in horror films. Peter’s parents, Bill and Joan both passed away during the production of “Lord of the Rings”.
The Hobbit 2 (2011) (announced) (executive producer)
The Hobbit (2010) (announced) (executive producer)
Halo (2009) (announced) (executive producer)
District 9 (2009) (pre-production) (producer)
Tintin (2009) (pre-production) (producer)
The Lovely Bones (2009) (post-production) (producer)
King Kong (2005) (producer)
RKO Production 601: The Making of 'Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World' (2005) (V) (producer)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (producer)
The Long and Short of It (2003) (executive producer)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) (producer)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) (producer)
Director:
The Lovely Bones (2009) (post-production)
King Kong (2005)
The Lost Spider Pit Sequence (2005) (V)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Writer:
The Lovely Bones (2009) (post-production) (screenplay)
King Kong (2005) (screenplay)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (screenplay)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) (screenplay)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) (screenplay)
Actor:
Hot Fuzz (2007) (uncredited) .... Thief Dressed as Santa
King Kong (2005) .... Gunner
Lord of the Brush (2005) (TV)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (uncredited) .... Mercenary On Boat
The Long and Short of It (2003) .... Bus Driver
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) (uncredited) .... Rohirrim Warrior
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) (uncredited) .... Albert Dreary
The Frighteners (1996) (uncredited) .... Man with Piercings
Heavenly Creatures (1994) (uncredited) .... Bum outside theater
Braindead (1992) .... Undertaker's Assistant
Bad Taste (1987) .... Derek / Robert
The Valley (1976)
Special Effects:
The Lounge Bar (1989) (special effects)
Bad Taste (1987) (special effects)
"Worzel Gummidge Down Under" (1986) TV series (special effects) (unknown episodes)
The Valley (1976) (special effects)
Miscellaneous Crew:
"Great Performances" (concert producer) (1 episode, 2005)
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994) (TV) (project manager: Weta Ltd.)
Meet the Feebles (1989) (puppet maker)
Visual Effects:
Contact (1997) (additional visual effects)
Braindead (1992) (miniatures)
Editor:
Bad Taste (1987)
The Valley (1976)
Make-Up Department:
Bad Taste (1987) (makeup effects)
The Valley (1976) (makeup designer)
Music Department:
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (executive soundtrack producer) (uncredited)
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director:
Jack Brown Genius (1994) (second unit director)
Animation Department:
Braindead (1992) (stop motion animator)
Camera and Electrical Department:
Meet the Feebles (1989) (camera operator)
Cinematographer:
Bad Taste (1987)
Costume Designer:
The Valley (1976)
Thanks:
Hot Fuzz (2007) (thanks)
Black Sheep (2006/I) (thanks)
In the Headlights (2006) (V) (special thanks)
Hostel (2005) (very special thanks)
The World's Fastest Indian (2005) (thanks)
I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005) (grateful thanks)
The Characters of 'Star Wars' (2004) (V) (special thanks)
The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of 'Star Wars' (2004) (V) (special thanks)
The Lord of the Rings: The Quest Fulfilled (2003) (TV) (special thanks)
I'll See You in My Dreams (2003) (thanks)
The Saw Is Family: Making 'Leatherface' (2003) (V) (special thanks)
Self:
Fay Wray: A Life (2008) (post-production) .... Himself
"Entourage" .... Himself (1 episode, 2007)
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed (2007) (TV) .... Himself
Recreating the Eighth Wonder: The Making of 'King Kong' (2006) (V) .... Himself
"Sunday Morning Shootout" .... Himself (5 episodes, 2004-2006)
Forbes Celebrity 100: Who Made Bank? (2006) (TV) .... Himself
06 Spaceys (2006) (TV) .... Himself
The Sci-Fi Boys (2006) .... Himself
Kong's New York, 1933 (2006) (V) .... Himself
Bryan's Journals (2006) (V) .... Himself
Skull Island: A Natural History (2006) (V) .... Himself
It's All Gone King Kong (2005) (TV) .... Himself
"Film '72" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
"HBO First Look" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
"Corazón de..." .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
King Kong: Peter Jackson's Production Diaries (2005) (V) .... Himself
"Total Request Live" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
RKO Production 601: The Making of 'Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World' (2005) (V) .... Himself
AFI Tribute to George Lucas (2005) (TV) .... Himself
Du kommst nicht vorbei - Fans im Bann des Ringes (2005) (V) .... Himself
Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005) .... Himself
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection (2005) (V)
Archive Footage:
Maquillando entre monstruos (2007) (TV) .... Himself
"Cinema mil"
Before Stardom (2002) (TV) .... Himself
More: Peter Jackson on IMDb