John Rhys-Davies: biography and filmography (photo)

Today, John Rhys-Davies is a world-class actor who has become famous for working on many popular films, including pictures of the adventures of Indiana Jones, as well as the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Many fans are interested in the biographical data of the famous artist.

John Rhys-Davies: biography and general information

The future famous actor was born in the UK, in Salisbury, May 5, 1944. His parents are Welsh in origin. Father Rhys worked in the Ministry of Colonies, and Mary's mother was a nurse.

Since childhood, the boy was interested in acting. By the way, he received his education at the University of East Anglia, where he also regularly took part in stage productions. And after graduation, he entered one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world - the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

The first steps in a career

After graduating from the academy, John Rhys-Davies continues to work on the stage. And in the early seventies slowly began to break through and on television, participating in not very well-known serials, receiving episodic roles in the films.

In 1976, the young actor made his debut on television. He played Macron in a mini-series called "I, Claudius." In 1980, a new historical series "Segun", where John won the role of Vasco Rodriguez. And in 1981, the filmography of a novice artist was supplemented with the film "The Apostles Peter and Paul."

"Indiana Jones" and the first success

In 1981, the actor was offered a role in a rather popular cycle of films about the adventures of Indiana Jones. In the movie Indiana Jones: In Search of the Lost Ark, he played Sallah, a famous Egyptian archaeologist and friend of the main character.

By the way, it was this role that made the actor known to the broad masses, and it was she who became a turning point in his career. In 1989, the actor starred in the continuation of the story "The Last Crusade" with Garrison Ford.

John Rees-Davies: filmography

After success in the role of an assistant indefatigable Indiana, the actor began to receive invitations to other serious projects. In 1982, he played Andre Kassel in the rather popular movie "Victor / Victoria". In the same year he took part in the film adaptation of Ivanhoe.

In 1983, John played Richard the Lionheart in the movie "Robin of Sherwood." In the same year he participated in the filming of the film "Sahara". And a year later, again appeared on the screens in the movie "The Sword of the Brave". In 1985, the actor was involved in the film "Copies of King Solomon."

In 1987, followed another important career role - John played Russian General Leonid Pushkin in the movie "James Bond: Live Lights." In 1992, the actor appeared on the screen in the image of Rudi Von Xenenbaum in the "Double Agent". In the same year he played Professor Challenger in the films "The Lost World" and "Return to the Lost World." In addition, he played Nick in "The Picture" and participated in the filming of the film "The Seventh Coin".

Of course, the following years were no less fruitful, since the famous actor did not think to slow down the pace. In 1993, he began shooting in the series "Untouchables". In addition, he played Professor Harley Warren in the horror film "The Unimaginable Horror 2". In 1994, the actor received an episodic role in the film "She wrote a murder."

In the same 1994, John received a role in the film "Heavenly Crusade" - here he played the brother of Parvus. And a year later again appeared on the screen in the image of Emelian Pugachev in the historical film "Catherine the Great".

1995 was marked by a new rise in the career of the actor. It was at this time he was offered to play Professor Maximilian Arturo in the series "Slithering". The role of the physics teacher, who, along with a group of young people, travels through parallel worlds, unable to return home, has made John even more popular among spectators. On this series, the actor continued to work for two years.

In 1996, John Rice-Davies starred in the movie "Big White Deception". In addition, he played Leonardo da Vinci in the tapes "Star Trek: Voyager. Season 3 "and" Season 4 ".

The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and worldwide fame

In 2001, the actor was offered one of the roles in the film adaptation of the famous novel "The Lord of the Rings" by J. Tolkien. By that time, the actor was already quite popular and in demand both in American and in world cinema. It is worth noting that at first John refused the offer, because the work seemed too heavy for him. Nevertheless, his agent, as well as his son, adoring this story, persuaded the actor to agree to work.

Hard, sarcastic, but strong and honest dwarf Gimli - it was played by John Rice-Davies. The growth of the actor, incidentally, is about 180 centimeters, so for the shooting used a different platform to achieve the necessary proportions between the characters.

As you know, the film was incredibly successful - he received four Oscar statuettes and 68 other awards. Subsequently, the actor played the role of a severe gnome and in the continuation of the story - "The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers" (2002), as well as "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

Of course, it was after this role that actor John Rice-Davies became famous throughout the world. And although the team work on the project brought him pleasure, John often noted that the long hours of filming in the makeup with the use of platforms and other devices were given to him hard.

Development of a career after the role of Gimli

Naturally, after the role of the gnome, the actor began to enjoy incredible popularity. He is still actively involved in various projects. For example, in 2002 he played Anthony Briclina in the horror film "Sabretooth". In the same year he worked on the thriller "Dangerous Individuals".

In 2003, with the participation of the actor, several films were released, including "Medallion" and "Elena Troyan", where he played Priam. In 2004, John starred in the pictures Princess Diaries 2: How to become a queen, The Phantom of the Opera, 12 Days of Fear and The Power of the Dragon.

No less fruitful was the next year of 2005. During this time, he managed to work on the films "Lost Angel" and "Servant of the King", as well as "Playing Their Lives" and "Shadows in the Sun". And in 2007 came out the painting "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale", where he got the role of Merik.

John Ris-Davies (pictured in this article) also worked on such popular films as "Fire and Ice: The Chronicles of the Dragons", "Prisoners of the Sun", "Rana: Night of the Wolf", "Fierce Planet" and "100 degrees below zero ".

During his career, the actor managed to film more than two hundred films. And, despite his age, he still continues to work on the set.