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 Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies was born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales, to Mary Margaretta Phyllis (nee Jones), a nurse, and Rhys Davies, a mechanical engineer and Colonial Officer. He graduated from the University of East Anglia and is probably best known to film audiences for his roles in the blockbuster hits Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He was introduced to a new generation of fans in the blockbuster trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)) in the role of Gimli the dwarf. He has also had leading roles in Victor/Victoria (1982), The Living Daylights (1987) and King Solomon's Mines (1985).Rhys-Davies, who was raised in England, Africa and Wales, credits his early exposure to classic literature for his decision to pursue acting and writing. He later refined his craft at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (of which he is now an Associate Member). His television credits include James Clavell's Shogun (1980) and Noble House (1988), Great Expectations (1989), War and Remembrance (1988) and Archaeology (1991). An avid collector of vintage automobiles, Rhys-Davies has a host of theater roles to his credit, including "The Misanthrope", "Hedda Gabler", and most of Shakespeare's works. He divides his time between Los Angeles and the Isle of Man.
Bio:
Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies was born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales, to Mary Margaretta Phyllis (nee Jones), a nurse, and Rhys Davies, a mechanical engineer and Colonial Officer. He graduated from the University of East Anglia and is probably best known to film audiences for his roles in the blockbuster hits Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He was introduced to a new generation of fans in the blockbuster trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)) in the role of Gimli the dwarf. He has also had leading roles in Victor/Victoria (1982), The Living Daylights (1987) and King Solomon's Mines (1985).Rhys-Davies, who was raised in England, Africa and Wales, credits his early exposure to classic literature for his decision to pursue acting and writing. He later refined his craft at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (of which he is now an Associate Member). His television credits include James Clavell's Shogun (1980) and Noble House (1988), Great Expectations (1989), War and Remembrance (1988) and Archaeology (1991). An avid collector of vintage automobiles, Rhys-Davies has a host of theater roles to his credit, including "The Misanthrope", "Hedda Gabler", and most of Shakespeare's works. He divides his time between Los Angeles and the Isle of Man.
Tivia:
He spent up to 5 hours a day putting on makeup for the role of Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was discovered early on that he was allergic to the prosthetics, so he could only put them on and work about every third day. The first week, it burned off the skin under his eyes. After filming was completed he was given the appliance used and told to do what he wanted with it. One of the makeup artists claimed they had never seen him move so fast as he threw it into a nearby fire.Ironically, he is actually taller than The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) co-stars Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellen, yet he plays the Dwarf.His son urged him to accept the role in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).According to an article in the Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), December 14, 2003, the actors who played the members of the Fellowship of the Ring got a tattoo as a memento of their shared experiences, except for Rhys-Davies, who sent his stunt double instead. According to the BellaOnline body art website, the double was martial artist Brett Beattie, who in fact spent more film hours performing as Gimli the Dwarf.Lost the end tip of his left hand middle finger to the knuckle while changing a van engine. During filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), he was fitted with a gel tip for the finger. Rhys-Davies and the crew played a prank on director Peter Jackson by slicing the gel tip nearly in half and inserting prop blood inside. Rhys-Davies approached Jackson to tell him he was hurt and pulled open the tip, letting the blood flow out.While working on the Lord of the Rings films, he lost seventy pounds from all the running around the part involved. When he went back to New Zealand for re-shoots, the makeup artists had to alter his Gimli makeup to better fit his slimmed-down facial features.Is the only actor to star in the James Bond, Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings franchises.A supporter of the British Conservative Party, Rhys-Davies was a radical leftist in the '60s, who tried to heckle a young Tory MP. But the parliamentarian "shot down the first two hecklers in such brilliant fashion that I decided I ought for once to shut up and listen". The MP was Margaret Thatcher. He is a supporter of Brexit. On 25 April 2019, he appeared as a panellist on the BBC's Question Time (1979). His conduct on the programme towards politician Caroline Lucas was later described as "thuggish and sexist" by some viewers.Owns property in New Zealand and lives there when not on location.A resident of the Isle of Man since 1988, he provides the introductory voice-over to the Island's Castle Rushen, one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in Britain. In 2018 he leant his voice to the Isle of Man's tourism commercial.Although a double needed to be used to make Rhys-Davies look much smaller than his shorter co-stars Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom, his height was exactly the right proportions to those of his hobbit co-stars and no body doubles were used in their shots together. The hobbits are supposed to average about 3' 6" (2 feet shorter than the actors who played them) and Gimli, at just over 4 feet tall, is about 2 feet shorter than the real Rhys-Davies.Bears a resemblance to Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti. This has been poked fun at in several of his projects including The Great White Hype (1996) and The King Is Back (1995).Every film he has made with Kiran Shah has been nominated for Best Picture: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).Keeps busy by developing a new hobby with each movie.John Rhys Davies and his wife, Suzanne, had two sons, Tom and Ben. He has lived with Lisa Manning since 2004; they have a daughter, Maia. He separated from his wife in the early 1980s; the couple never divorced. Suzanne Davies was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1995 and died in 2010.Played the character of Malone in the TV Series The Untouchables (1993). The character was played by Sean Connery in the movie version The Untouchables (1987). Both actors also played Richard the Lionheart, King of England, in separate versions of Robin Hood: Rhys-Davis in TV's Robin Hood (1984) and Connery (albeit uncredited) in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). Connery and Rhys-Davies appeared together in between these projects in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).Is one of four "Lord of the Rings" stars to star, pre-"Rings," with Harrison Ford. He starred with Ford in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Ford starred with Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) in Witness (1985), with Sean Bean (Boromir) in Patriot Games (1992), and with Miranda Otto (Eowyn) in What Lies Beneath (2000).April 2004 - Appeared as the special Lord of the Rings guest at the Armageddon Sci-Fi and Comics Convention in Auckland, New Zealand.As of 2014, has appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), with the latter winning in the category.Before getting the role of Gimli, he auditioned for the role of Denethor. Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas, auditioned for the role of Denethor's other son, Faramir. In Helen of Troy, Rhys-Davies played Priam, and in Troy (2004), Bloom played Paris, Priam's younger son.He was considered for guest roles in Doctor Who (1963) - Commander Lytton in "Resurrection of the Daleks" and King Ycranos in "Mindwarp".He was considered for Methos in Highlander (1992).Parents: Rhys Davies (a mechanical engineer) and Mary Margaretta Phyllis Jones (a nurse).In Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) he sings several lines from Gilbert & Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore". The same song was sung by Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). Both men have appeared together in the TV series I, Claudius (1976); they have also both featured in the 'Star Trek' and 'Dune' universe: Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Dune (1984); Rhys-Davies in Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Dune 2000 (1998).Graduated from the University of East Anglia. Later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) , of which he is an Associate Member.He is the narrator of The Truth & Life Dramatized audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatised audiobook version of the New Testament which uses the Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition translation. In 2011, he presented KJB: The Book That Changed The World, which features him reading diverse snippets from the King James Version.He was considered for Captain John Sheridan in Babylon 5 (1993).In 2004, he was the unknowing subject of an internet prank that spread false rumours in several mainstream media sources that he was scheduled to play the role of General Grievous in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).Two of his television movies have been followed up with similarly themed theatrical films starring Eric Bana. He played "The Kingpin" in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989); the film Hulk (2003) starred Bana. He played "King Priam" in Helen of Troy (2003); Eric Bana played "Hector" in Troy (2004).He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).September 2004 - Attended the Armaggeddon Pulp Culture Expo Convention in Wellington, New Zealand as a Lord of the Rings guestIn 2016, he provided spoken words for Voices of Fire, the sixth album by a cappella power metal band van Canto.Born on exactly the same date as Roger Rees (of "Cheers" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" fame).Most well known for his breakout role in the cult classic, Robot in the family. |
| Name: |
John Rhys-Davies |
Type: |
Actor,Sound Department,Producer (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Actor,Sound Department,Producer |
| Products for sale: |
Actor,Sound Department,Producer |
| Model rank: |
499 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 03:24:53 |
| Height: |
6' 1' (1.85 m) |
| Biography: |
Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies was born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales, to Mary Margaretta Phyllis (nee Jones), a nurse, and Rhys Davies, a mechanical engineer and Colonial Officer. He graduated from the University of East Anglia and is probably |
| Trivia: |
He spent up to 5 hours a day putting on makeup for the role of Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was discovered early on that he was allergic to the prosthetics, so he could only put them on and work about every third day. The first week, it burned off the skin under his eyes. After filming was completed he was given the appliance used and told to do what he wanted with it. One of the makeup artists claimed they had never seen him move so fast as he threw it into a nearby fire.Ironically, he is actually taller than The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) co-stars Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellen, yet he plays the Dwarf.His son urged him to accept the role in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).According to an article in the Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), December 14, 2003, the actors who played the members of the Fellowship of the Ring got a tattoo as a memento of their shared experiences, except for Rhys-Davies, who sent his stunt double instead. According to the BellaOnline body art website, the double was martial artist Brett Beattie, who in fact spent more film hours performing as Gimli the Dwarf.Lost the end tip of his left hand middle finger to the knuckle while changing a van engine. During filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), he was fitted with a gel tip for the finger. Rhys-Davies and the crew played a prank on director Peter Jackson by slicing the gel tip nearly in half and inserting prop blood inside. Rhys-Davies approached Jackson to tell him he was hurt and pulled open the tip, letting the blood flow out.While working on the Lord of the Rings films, he lost seventy pounds from all the running around the part involved. When he went back to New Zealand for re-shoots, the makeup artists had to alter his Gimli makeup to better fit his slimmed-down facial features.Is the only actor to star in the James Bond, Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings franchises.A supporter of the British Conservative Party, Rhys-Davies was a radical leftist in the '60s, who tried to heckle a young Tory MP. But the parliamentarian "shot down the first two hecklers in such brilliant fashion that I decided I ought for once to shut up and listen". The MP was Margaret Thatcher. He is a supporter of Brexit. On 25 April 2019, he appeared as a panellist on the BBC's Question Time (1979). His conduct on the programme towards politician Caroline Lucas was later described as "thuggish and sexist" by some viewers.Owns property in New Zealand and lives there when not on location.A resident of the Isle of Man since 1988, he provides the introductory voice-over to the Island's Castle Rushen, one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in Britain. In 2018 he leant his voice to the Isle of Man's tourism commercial.Although a double needed to be used to make Rhys-Davies look much smaller than his shorter co-stars Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom, his height was exactly the right proportions to those of his hobbit co-stars and no body doubles were used in their shots together. The hobbits are supposed to average about 3' 6" (2 feet shorter than the actors who played them) and Gimli, at just over 4 feet tall, is about 2 feet shorter than the real Rhys-Davies.Bears a resemblance to Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti. This has been poked fun at in several of his projects including The Great White Hype (1996) and The King Is Back (1995).Every film he has made with Kiran Shah has been nominated for Best Picture: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).Keeps busy by developing a new hobby with each movie.John Rhys Davies and his wife, Suzanne, had two sons, Tom and Ben. He has lived with Lisa Manning since 2004; they have a daughter, Maia. He separated from his wife in the early 1980s; the couple never divorced. Suzanne Davies was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1995 and died in 2010.Played the character of Malone in the TV Series The Untouchables (1993). The character was played by Sean Connery in the movie version The Untouchables (1987). Both actors also played Richard the Lionheart, King of England, in separate versions of Robin Hood: Rhys-Davis in TV's Robin Hood (1984) and Connery (albeit uncredited) in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). Connery and Rhys-Davies appeared together in between these projects in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).Is one of four "Lord of the Rings" stars to star, pre-"Rings," with Harrison Ford. He starred with Ford in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Ford starred with Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) in Witness (1985), with Sean Bean (Boromir) in Patriot Games (1992), and with Miranda Otto (Eowyn) in What Lies Beneath (2000).April 2004 - Appeared as the special Lord of the Rings guest at the Armageddon Sci-Fi and Comics Convention in Auckland, New Zealand.As of 2014, has appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), with the latter winning in the category.Before getting the role of Gimli, he auditioned for the role of Denethor. Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas, auditioned for the role of Denethor's other son, Faramir. In Helen of Troy, Rhys-Davies played Priam, and in Troy (2004), Bloom played Paris, Priam's younger son.He was considered for guest roles in Doctor Who (1963) - Commander Lytton in "Resurrection of the Daleks" and King Ycranos in "Mindwarp".He was considered for Methos in Highlander (1992).Parents: Rhys Davies (a mechanical engineer) and Mary Margaretta Phyllis Jones (a nurse).In Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) he sings several lines from Gilbert & Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore". The same song was sung by Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). Both men have appeared together in the TV series I, Claudius (1976); they have also both featured in the 'Star Trek' and 'Dune' universe: Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Dune (1984); Rhys-Davies in Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Dune 2000 (1998).Graduated from the University of East Anglia. Later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) , of which he is an Associate Member.He is the narrator of The Truth & Life Dramatized audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatised audiobook version of the New Testament which uses the Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition translation. In 2011, he presented KJB: The Book That Changed The World, which features him reading diverse snippets from the King James Version.He was considered for Captain John Sheridan in Babylon 5 (1993).In 2004, he was the unknowing subject of an internet prank that spread false rumours in several mainstream media sources that he was scheduled to play the role of General Grievous in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).Two of his television movies have been followed up with similarly themed theatrical films starring Eric Bana. He played "The Kingpin" in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989); the film Hulk (2003) starred Bana. He played "King Priam" in Helen of Troy (2003); Eric Bana played "Hector" in Troy (2004).He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).September 2004 - Attended the Armaggeddon Pulp Culture Expo Convention in Wellington, New Zealand as a Lord of the Rings guestIn 2016, he provided spoken words for Voices of Fire, the sixth album by a cappella power metal band van Canto.Born on exactly the same date as Roger Rees (of "Cheers" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" fame).Most well known for his breakout role in the cult classic, Robot in the family. |
| Trademarks: |
Distinctive sounding voice
In most of his roles he has a beard
Towering build. |
| Quotes: |
I'd love to spend more time on the Isle of Man. I love the anonymity of putting on a boiler suit and going down to buy parts for the compressor. And Norman Wisdom's a neighbour; I salute him occasionally.
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On a 4th Indiana Jones - "Every three or four years the rumours start again, but any new script has got to be approved by Steven, and by George, and by Harrison. Everyone would like to do one, but the script has got to be better than the other three. Every year Paramount must send boxes of goodies to all three, saying 'please please please make us another one.....'"
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One of my abiding memories is being halfway up a mountain and watching two men carrying a basket with my clothes up to me, and another two carrying my armour and axe, then a woman carrying my helmet up, and finally another with my big, heavy boots to give that dwarfish trouser-look. Then they put it all on me and the director said 'now run up that hill'. - on shooting Fellowship of The Ring
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<hr>
On why he left Sliders (1995): I like SF. I love intelligent SF. We had the most wonderful series concept with "Sliders", but we did everything that had been done before and we did it every damned episode. We did Species (1995). We did Tremors (1990). We did Twister (1996). We did War of the Worlds (2005). We did The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). It was out of control, just out of control. In the end, "Sliders" wasn't the worst experience I ever had. I was just disappointed. Again, I love SF. I'm a passionate believer in "Sliders". The series could have been great. The public always understood that of "Sliders". The public understood that you could go anywhere in the galaxy. The writers, though, would try to graft a Law u0026amp; Order (1990) story, or something they had done or seen before, onto "Sliders" and just make the characters work around it.
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Every time I meet little boys and girls I do get asked about Sallah. Generally, the line is, "Can we have 10 or 15 of your autographs to trade at school?" Even 10 or 15 of mine are not really enough to get one Harrison Ford. But I enjoy acting. It's not that I begin to think I'm getting better. I now fully know that I've made no improvement whatsoever since I was 20. I can live with it. |
| Job title: |
Actor,Sound Department,Producer |
| Others works: |
Late 1990s: Reprised his Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) role for a special film to be played in the line-up area for the "Indiana Jones" attraction at Disneyland.
Narrated the documentary "The Making of 20,000 Leagues |
| Spouse: |
Suzanne A. D. Wilkinson (December 1966 - August 2010) (her death, 2 children) |
| Parents: |
Mary Margaretta Phyllis Jones
Rhys Davies |
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