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CAST OF CHARACTERS
ELIJAH WOOD
Character: Frodo Baggins
Culture: Hobbit
Description: An adventurous Hobbit who undertakes the quest to destroy
the One Ring
Elijah Wood has been widely regarded as one of the most gifted actors
of his generation. After coming to attention in Paradise, he went
on to star in Radio Flyer, Forever Young, Huck Finn, The Good Son,
North, The War and Flipper. He also appeared in Internal Affairs,
Avalon and Back to the Future Part 2. For his performance as Frodo
in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Wood was nominated
for an MTV Award and shared an ensemble nomination from the Screen
Actors Guild.
Wood's feature credits include James Toback's Black and White, Robert
Rodriguez's The Faculty, Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, the sci-fi thriller
Deep Impact and the crime comedy Chain of Fools. He also lent his
voice to the animated film The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina.
Wood starred in Ash Wednesday opposite Ed Burns, who also wrote
and directed this mobster drama which premiered at the Tribecca
Film Festival. He will next be seen in Try Seventeen, opposite Mandy
Moore and Franka Potente.
IAN MCKELLEN
Character: Gandalf
Culture: Wizard
Description: A very powerful wizard who faces his greatest test
in destroying the One Ring
Sir Ian McKellen has been thrilling audiences for 40 years on both
stage and screen, and has won more than 40 major international acting
awards. For his performance as Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the
Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring McKellen won a Screen Actors?
Guild Award as best supporting actor and was nominated for an Oscar.
Since then he has starred on Broadway in Strindberg's Dance of Death
and filmed X-Men 2 as, once again, Magneto, the Master of Magnetism.
For the telefilm Rasputin, McKellen was nominated for an Emmy and
won the Golden Globe Award.
Other recent films include Gods and Monsters (Academy Award nomination
for Best Actor), Apt Pupil and Richard III (co-screenplay writer
and executive producer). His many stage performances are legendary.
He has acted in and produced classical and new plays for the Royal
Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre in London and
on tour. His solo shows, Acting Shakespeare and A Knight Out, have
been acclaimed throughout the world.
Complete biography available on www.mckellen.com.
LIV TYLER
Character: Arwen
Culture: Elf
Description: The Elf princess who falls in love with a man, Aragorn
Liv Tyler made an auspicious film debut with the leading role in
Silent Fall, directed by Bruce Beresford. After another lead in
Empire Records, Tyler portrayed a waitress in a local diner in Heavy,
a favorite at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Tyler went on to
shine in Bernardo Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty, Inventing The Abbotts,
Armageddon and Robert Altman's Cookie's Fortune. She recently reunited
with Altman to star in the critically acclaimed Dr. T and the Women
with Richard Gere. For her role in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
of the Ring, Tyler and the rest of the principal cast were nominated
for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture
by the Screen Actors Guild.
Tyler's other recent work includes Onegin co-starring Ralph Fiennes,
Plunkett & Macleane and One Night at McCool's opposite Matt Dillon.
Tyler is currently in production on Kevin Smith's next film, Jersey
Girl, in which she will star opposite Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.
Miramax will release the film sometime next year.
VIGGO MORTENSEN
Character: Aragorn, aka Strider
Culture: Human
Description: A brave warrior who joins and defends the Fellowship
Since his debut as a young Amish Farmer in Peter Weir's Witness,
Viggo Mortensen's career has been marked by a steady string of well-rounded
performances. Critics have continually recognized his work in over
thirty movies, including such diverse projects as Jane Campion's
Portrait of a Lady, Sean Penn's Indian Runner, Brian DePalma's Carlito's
Way, Ridley Scott's G.I. Jane and Tony Goldwyn's A Walk on the Moon.
Mortensen's latest work is playing Strider/Aragorn in The Lord of
the Rings trilogy. The first film in the trilogy, The Fellowship
of the Ring, has generated not only box office receipts, but critical
acclaim as well.
Born in New York to a Danish father and an American mother, Mortensen
spent the early part of his childhood in Manhattan. His family traveled
a great deal and he spent several years living in Venezuela, Argentina,
and Denmark. He began acting in New York, studying with Warren Robertson.
He appeared in several plays and movies, and eventually moved to
Los Angeles, where his performance in "Bent" at the Coast Playhouse
earned him a Drama-logue Critic's Award. Mortensen is also an accomplished
poet, photographer, and painter. He is currently working on his
third book of poetry, and his latest showing of new photographs
and paintings was during March 2002 at Track 16 Gallery in Los Angeles,
as well as at the Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art in Athens.
His most recent showing opened on July 11, 2002, at the Robert Mann
Gallery in New York.
Mortensen is currently starring in Hidalgo for Disney, which is
due for release July, 2003.
SEAN ASTIN
Character: Sam or Samwise Gamgee
Culture: Hobbit
Description: An ordinary Hobbit who becomes the most extraordinary
and loyal of Frodo's friends
Sean Astin made his feature film debut in The Goonies and soon had
a starring role in the critically acclaimed Rudy. Other film credits
include Bulworth, Courage Under Fire, Memphis Belle, Encino Man,
Like Father Like Son, Where the Day Takes You, Staying Together,
War of the Roses and Safe Passage. Astin received Best Actor honors
for his performance in Low Life at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival.
Astin has also been seen in the indie releases Deterrence, Kimberly,
The Last Producer and Boy Meets Girl. He made his professional debut
with his mother, Patty Duke, in the television After School Special
"Please Don't Hit Me Mom." For his role in The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring, Astin and the rest of the principal
cast were nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a
Theatrical Motion Picture by the Screen Actors Guild.
A promising director, Astin garnered an Academy Award nomination
for his short film Kangaroo Court, which he also co-produced with
his wife, Christine. A Directors Guild of America member, Astin
also directed an episode of the HBO anthology series "Perversions
of Science."
Astin has earned a degree in History/American Literature and Culture
from UCLA.
CATE BLANCHETT
Character: Galadriel
Culture: Elf
Description: An Elf Queen of power and wisdom who assists the Fellowship
Since graduating from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic
Art (NIDA), Blanchett has worked extensively in the theater: with
Company B, a loose ensemble of actors including Geoffrey Rush, Gillian
Jones and Richard Roxburgh based at Belvoir St. under the direction
of Neil Armfield. Her roles included Miranda ("The Tempest"), Ophelia
("Hamlet" -for which she was nominated for a Green Room Award),
Nina ("The Seagull") and Rose ("The Blind Giant is Dancing").
For the Sydney Theater Company (STC) she appeared in Caryl Churchill's
"Top Girls," David Mamet's "Oleanna" (awarded The Sydney Theater
Critics award for Best Actress), Michael Gow's "Sweet Phoebe" (also
for the Croyden Wearhouse, London) and Timothy Dalys "Kafka Dances"
(also for The Griffin Theatre Company) for which she received the
Critics Circle award for best newcomer.
For the Almeida Theatre in 1999, Blanchett played Susan Traheren
in David Hare's "Plenty" on London's West End.
Her television credits include lead roles in "Bordertown" and "Heartland,"
both for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
Her film roles include Susan Macarthy in Bruce Beresford's Paradise
Road, Lizzie in Thank God He Met Lizzie, an anti-romantic comedy
directed by Cherie Nowlan for which she was awarded both the Australian
Film Institute (AFI) and the Sydney Film Critics awards for Best
Supporting Actress, and Lucinda in Oscar and Lucinda opposite Ralph
Fiennes and directed by Gillian Armstrong, a role that earned her
an AFI nomination for Best Actress.
In 1998, Blanchett portrayed Queen Elizabeth I in the critically
acclaimed Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur, for which she received
a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and a BAFTA for
Best Actress in a Leading Role as well as Best Actress Awards from
The Chicago Film Critics Association, The London Film Critics Association,
On-line Film Critics, Variety Critics and UK Empire Award. She also
received a Best Actress nomination from the Screen Actors Guild
and the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts, & Sciences.
In 1999, Blanchett appeared in Pushing Tin with John Cusack, a black-comedy
about air traffic controllers directed by Mike Newell, An Ideal
Husband directed by Oliver Parker and The Talented Mr. Ripley directed
by Anthony Mingella for which she received a BAFTA nomination for
Best Supporting Actress. She most recently starred in The Gift,
directed by Sam Raimi; Bandits with Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton,
directed by Barry Levinson; and Sally Potter's The Man Who Cried,
which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
In addition to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,
for which she and the rest of the principal cast were nominated
for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture
by the Screen Actors Guild, Blanchett has appeared in the title
role of Charlotte Gray, directed by Gillian Armstrong and based
on Sebastian Faulks' best-selling novel; Heaven, opposite Giovanni
Ribisi and directed by Tom Tykwer; and The Shipping News, co-starring
Kevin Spacey and directed by Lasse Hallstrom, which is based on
the 1994 Pulitzer-Prize winning novel by Annie Proulx.
She is currently finishing work on Chasing the Dragon: The Veronica
Guerin Story, a fact-based tale of the Irish journalist who was
slain in her homeland in 1996 by drug dealers, directed by Joel
Schumacher.
JOHN RHYS-DAVIES
Character: Gimli
Culture: Dwarf
Description: A courageous Dwarf with great strength and sense of
justice
John Rhys-Davies began acting in Shakespeare plays at the age of
thirteen at Truro School in Cornwall, England. By the time he had
graduated from the then new University of East Anglia, where he
founded the University Dramatic Society and starred at the acclaimed
Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich, he had created an impressive amateur
resume. He taught for a year before spending two years at the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 1969. He then worked
in repertory theatres throughout Britain and at the Royal Shakespeare
Company.
Rhys-Davies made his feature film debut in Don Siegel's The Black
Windmill, starring Michael Caine, where he was blown up before the
title sequence. His eighty plus film credits include Victor/Victoria,
Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Living Daylights and Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade. For his role in The Lord of the Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring, Rhys-Davies and the rest of the principal
cast were nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a
Theatrical Motion Picture by the Screen Actors Guild. He will next
be seen in Highbinders, opposite Jackie Chan and Claire Forlani.
For television, he was nominated for an Emmy for his performance
as Rodrigues in "Shogun," starred as Professor Arturo in "Sliders,"
and is remembered for performances in "I, Claudius" and "The Naked
Civil Servant." He would like to spend more time piloting planes,
playing with old cars and writing.
BILLY BOYD
Character: Pippin or Peregrin Took
Culture: Hobbit
Description: A fun-loving Hobbit and member of the Fellowship
Billy Boyd, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, began his acting career
in the Scottish television series "Taggart." He went on to amass
UK television credits including "Coming Soon" and "Chapter and Verse."
Boyd made his feature film debut in An Urban Ghost Story, followed
by Julie and the Cadillacs and a film short entitled Soldiers Leap.
He and the rest of the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
of the Ring were nominated for the Screen Actor's Guild ensemble
award. He will next be seen in Peter Weir's Master and Commander:
The Far Side of the World. Prior to Master and Commander, Boyd filmed
a groundbreaking science fiction one-man short film, Sniper 470,
financed by Scottish Screen and STV, which world premiered at the
Edinburgh Film Festival 2002. It is one of only two films to be
chosen from the Newfoundland series to be blown to 35 mm.
On the stage, Boyd has performed in various UK productions including
"The Speculator," "An Experienced Woman Gives Advice," "Therese
Racquin," "Britannia Rules," "Kill The Old, Torture Their Young,"
"The Chic Nerds," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Merchant of Venice,"
"Trainspotting" (Tour), "Merlin the Magnificent" and "The Slab Boys."
Last year, Boyd starred in the Traverse production of "The Ballad
of Crazy Paola," a new play by Anne Sierens.
Boyd is also a skilled singer and musician who plays the bass, drums
and guitar.
DOMINIC MONAGHAN
Character: Merry or Meriadoc Brandybuck
Culture: Hobbit
Description: An adventurous young Hobbit who joins Frodo's quest
Dominic Monaghan, who was introduced to international film audiences
in The Fellowship of the Ring, is best known for the British television
drama "Hetty Wainthrop Investigates." His other television credits
include "This is Personal -The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper," and
a leading role in "Monsignoir Renard," a new series starring John
Thaw. Monaghan's film debut was in Boomber with Rutger Hauer and
Martin Shaw. On the stage, Monaghan has performed in the U.K. productions
of "The Resurrectionists," "Whale" and "Annie and Fanny from Bolton
to Rome."
He and the rest of the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
of the Ring were nominated for the Screen Actor's Guild ensemble
award.
ORLANDO BLOOM
Character: Legolas
Culture: Elf
Description: Lethal with knife and bow, Legolas represents the Elves
in the Fellowship
Orlando Bloom, who made his major feature film debut in The Fellowship
of the Ring, graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama,
London. During his time at Guildhall, Bloom performed in the productions
"Little Me," "A Month in the City," "Peer Gynt," "Mephisto," "Twelfth
Night," "Trojan Women," "The Seagull," "Three Sisters," "Recruiting
Officer," "Antigone," "Uncle Vanya," "A Night Out" and "Mystery
Plays."
Bloom was born in Canterbury, Kent. At 16, he moved to London where
he joined the National Youth Theatre for two seasons and then gained
a scholarship to train with the British American Drama Academy.
On completion of his scholarship, Bloom played the lead in "A Walk
in the Vienna Woods." Bloom's screen debut was in the feature film
Wilde. He was then accepted to Guildhall and chose to put his screen
career on hold for the opportunity to further his education. After
graduating from Guildhall, Bloom performed in the television series
"Midsomer Murders."
For his role in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,
Bloom and the rest of the principal cast were nominated for Outstanding
Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture by the Screen
Actors Guild. He has since appeared in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk
Down and will next be seen in Pirates of the Caribbean, opposite
Johnny Depp; and The Kelly Gang, opposite Heath Ledger, Geoffrey
Rush and Naomi Watts.
CHRISTOPHER LEE
Character: Saruman
Culture: Wizard
Description: Once the head of the Council of the Wise, Saruman has
succumbed to the lure of power and evil of Sauron
Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, born in Belgravia, London, entered
the film industry in 1947 and was for a time under contract to the
Rank Organisation. He has appeared in numerous theatre and operatic
concert performances, television, and has recorded radio world-wide.
Lee has filmed in English, Russian, Italian, French, German, and
Spanish. He has appeared in over 250 films and television productions,
among which the best known are A Tale of Two Cities, Dracula, The
Wicker Man, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, The Three and The
Four Musketeers, The Man with the Golden Gun, 1941, Airport 77,
Gremlins II, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Jinnah and the BBC's production
of "Gormenghast." In 2001, Lee starred in two of the biggest films
of the year, Star Wars - Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. He will next be seen
in the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Episode 3.
The directors for whom he has worked include John Huston, Raoul
Walsh, Joseph Losey, George Marshall, Orson Welles, Nicholas Ray,
Michael Powell, Edward Molinaro, Jerome Savary, Billy Wilder, Steven
Spielberg, Joe Dante, John Landis, Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, and
George Lucas. He has also appeared as host of "Saturday Night Live"
in 1978, the third highest-rated show of the series.
Lee is the only actor who has portrayed Sherlock Holmes and his
brother Mycroft, and he executed both King Charles, the First of
England and King Louis the Sixteenth of France. He is an accomplished
screen sword fighter, and an honorary member of three stuntmen's
unions.
Lee is listed in the Guiness Book of Movie Facts & Feats as being
the international star with the most screen credits, numbering nearly
300 film and television productions, and was recently awarded the
London Film Critics Dilys Powell 94 award for his work as an actor
and for his services to the film industry. He has also received
honors from France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Belguim and Spain for
his contributions to world cinema. He is a Commander of the Order
of St. John of Jerusalem, the world's oldest order, and was also
made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth
II in the Queen's birthday honors in June 2001 for his services
to drama. He has also recorded opera and popular songs on CD, including
the most recent, "The King and I."
HUGO WEAVING
Character: Elrond
Culture: Elf
Description: Born of a human father and Elf mother, Elrond is the
father of Arwen
Hugo Weaving's many film credits include The Matrix, The Adventures
of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Interview, Bedrooms and Hallways,
Exile, Strange Planet and Proof. His performance in The Interview
earned him an Australian Film Institute Award (AFI) and a World
Film Festival Award (Montreal) for Best Actor. Weaving also received
the AFI Award for The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert
and Proof. In addition to his role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy,
he is returning as Agent Smith in the forthcoming Matrix: Reloaded
and Matrix: Revolutions.
For television, Weaving has appeared in "Halifax 3," "The Bite,
Lust," "Bangkok Hilton," "Dirtwater Dynasty" and the mini series
"The Custodian," among others. A graduate of the National Institute
of Dramatic Arts, Weaving has performed in numerous stage productions
including many for the Sydney Theatre Company.
MIRANDA OTTO
Character: Eowyn of Rohan
Culture: Human
Description: The niece of the King, who lost her Rohan parents to
marauding Orcs, Eowyn yearns to fight the terrible forces threatening
her homeland After earning top accolades for her Australian film
and stage work, Miranda Otto has recently completed work on both
sides of the Atlantic. She will be seen starring as the title character
in Julie Walking Home (filmed in Canada and Poland) for acclaimed
Polish director Agnieszka Holland. The film premiered at the 2002
Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. Otto will also star in the forthcoming
The Three Legged Fox, (filmed in Italy) directed by Sandro Dionisio,
as well as Doctor Sleep (filmed in the UK), a thriller that also
stars ER's Goran Visnjic.
Otto recently completed the Australian romantic comedy Danny and
the Deckchair, in which she is re-teamed with Rhys Ifans. She was
last seen on screen with Ifans alongside Tim Robbins and Patricia
Arquette in Charlie Kaufman's first feature since Being John Malkovich,
Human Nature. The dark comedy, directed by Michel Gondry, premiered
at both the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and the 2002 Sundance Film
Festival and was released in April 2002.
Otto garnered rave reviews this Spring for her portrayal of Nora
Helmer in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of the Henrik
Ibsen classic "A Doll's House."
A graduate of the prestigious Australian theatrical school NIDA,
which also boasts such alumnae as Mel Gibson, Judy Davis and Cate
Blanchett, Otto has been honored with Australian Film Institute
award nominations for her work in In The Winter Dark, The Well,
Daydream Believer, and The Last Days of Chez Nous. She also earned
an Australian Film Critics Circle Award nomination for her performance
in Last Days of Chez Nous, as well as for Love Serenade, which won
the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Otto's other credits include Robert Zemekis's What Lies Beneath,
with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer; Terence Malick's The Thin
Red Line; Kin; Dead Letter Office; Doing Time for Patsy Cline; True
Love and Chaos, and Jack Bull, opposite John Cusack, for HBO.
BERNARD HILL
Character: King Theoden of Rohan
Culture: Human
Description: The once noble King of Rohan has succumbed to a devastating
spell cast by the wizard Saruman through his spy Grima Wormtongue
Bernard Hill has enjoyed a multifaceted acting career on both sides
of the Atlantic, starring in top British (Mountains of the Moon,
Shirley Valentine) and American (Titanic, True Crime, The Ghost
and the Darkness) feature films as well as scores of television
and stage productions.
Born in Manchester, England, he made his English television debut
in 1973 in Mike Leigh's first film, Hard Labour. Balancing stage,
film and television work, Hill starred in films such as Gandhi,
The Bounty, No Surrender, Blessed Art Thou, A Midsummer Night's
Dream, Going Off Big Time and The Criminal. He was most recently
seen in The Scorpion King. He was also see in the award-winning
television productions of I, Claudius, Henry VI trilogy and Richard
III; Antigone; Boys From the Black Stuff; The Mill on the Floss;
and Great Expectations.
He makes his debut in The Lord of the Rings trilogy in The Two Towers
and will next be seen in The Return of the King.
BRAD DOURIF
Character: Grima Wormtongue
Culture: Human
Description: The manipulative adviser to King Theoden and a pawn
of the evil wizard Saruman
Since making his motion picture debut in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest, a role which garnered him an Academy Award? nomination, a
Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award, Brad Dourif has appeared
in over fifty films. His film credits include Ragtime, Mississippi
Burning, The Eyes of Laura Mars, Wise Blood, Blue Velvet, Dune,
The Exorcist III, Hidden Agenda, Jungle Fever, Murder in the First,
The Color of Night, Nightwatch, and Senseless, to name just a few.
He received the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his role in Body Parts, and a Genie Award Nomination for Best
Actor for his role in Common Bonds. He has also appeared in the
Jean Pierre Jeunet's Alien Resurrection, the independent films Soulkeeper,
The Ghost and Brown's Requiem, and played the "Voice of Chucky"
in all four Child's Play films.
For television, Dourif has guest-starred on such series as Millennium,
The X-Files, and Tales From The Crypt, and was a series regular
on ABC's The Secret Lives of Men. His movie-of-the-week and mini-series
credits include Escape To Witch Mountain, Crusaders, Stamper's Rampage,
Oliver Stone's Wild Palms, Steven Spielberg's Class of '61, and
Rage of Angels.
Dourif's stage credits include the title role in the Off-Broadway
production of When You Comin' Back Red Ryder. He was a founding
member of New York's Circle Repertory Theater.
ANDY SERKIS
Character: Gollum/Smeagol
Culture: Stoor
Description: Once a Hobbit-like creature, his proximity to the Ring
has transformed him into a grotesque creature
Andy Serkis most recently appeared as the eccentric choreographer
in Topsy Turvy, and as the coked up yuppie in Career Girls. He will
soon be seen opposite Michael Caine in Shiner. Other film credits
include leading roles in Mojo, Among Giants, Loop, Sweety Barrett,
The Jolly Boys, Last Stand, as well as major roles in Stella Does
Tricks, Five Seconds To Spare, The Near Room, and the forthcoming
Pandemonium.
His extensive television works include a highly acclaimed performance
in a recent adaptation of "Oliver Twist," and lead roles in "The
Jump" and the series "Finner" along with many guest appearances
in "Shooting The Past" and "Touching Evil."
Serkis has played a huge range of parts in theatres in London and
across the UK. Recent critically acclaimed roles include Potts in
the original cast of "Mojo" by Jez Butterworth, "King Lear," and
"Hush" all for the Royal Court Theatre, "Hurlyburly" at the Old
Vic and Queens Theatre, "Decadence" at the Bolon Octagon, and "Cabaret"
at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.
DAVID WENHAM
Character: Faramir
Culture: Human of Gondor Description: Son of Denethor and brother
of Boromir, Faramir is a ranger who finds and captures the Hobbits
in Emyn Muil
David Wenham is critically acclaimed in Australia for his diverse
performances in film, theater and television. A five-time nominee
for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Australian Film Institute
(AFI) Awards, Wenham won the honor in 1997 for his role in the television
drama series Simone De Beauvoir's Babies.
He is best known (and best-loved) in Australia as Diver Dan, the
laconic fisherman in ABC TV's comedy-drama series Seachange, a role
which earned Wenham one of his AFI nominations. He was again nominated
for his menacing portrayal of criminal Brett Sprague in the feature
film The Boys - a part he first played on stage in the Griffin Street
Theatre Company production. Wenham, who also received a Film Critics'
Circle of Australia Best Lead Actor nomination for The Boys, was
associate producer on the film. He most recently starred in The
Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.
Wenham makes his debut in The Lord of the Rings trilogy in The Two
Towers.
KARL URBAN
Character: Eomer
Culture: Human of Rohan
Description: Nephew to King Theoden and brother of Eowyn, Eomer
is a fierce warrior of the Rohan people
Karl Urban launches into the second installment of The Lord of the
Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, starring in the dynamic role of Rohan
warrior Eomer. Director/Writer/Producer Peter Jackson cast New Zealand
actor Urban in The Lord of the Rings after viewing a rough cut of
the critically acclaimed indie film The Price of Milk, which garnered
Urban a Best Actor nomination at The New Zealand Film Awards.
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Urban first appeared on television
as a child. Throughout his school years he wrote, directed, and
starred in many film and stage productions. As a young adult Urban
postponed his university studies to further pursue his acting career,
training and working throughout "Australasia" in theatre and film.
Urban landed his feature film debut in Miramax's Heaven, starring
Martin Donovan and Richard Schiff, and garnered his first Best Actor
nomination at the New Zealand Film Awards for his work in Via Satellite.
Urban will also be seen this year in the Warner Bros./Dark Castle
production Ghost Ship, also starring Gabriel Byrne and Julianna
Margulies.
BRUCE HOPKINS
Character: Gamling
Culture: Human of Rohan
Description: Guardian of Helm's Dike
Bruce Hopkins makes his debut in the trilogy in The Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers. A professional dancer for nine years
in Australia and New Zealand, Hopkins was a member of several companies
including Limbs Dance Co. and Black Grace Dance Co. He turned to
performing arts after training as a teacher in physical education
and has made numerous appearances in such series as Xena: Warrior
Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Cleopatra 2525. Additionally,
he has a recurring role in the New Zealand series Shortland Street.
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