The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – The Cast

Dec 132012

IAN McKELLEN (Gandalf the Grey) has been honored with over 50 international acting awards during his half-century on stage and screen. He is treasured worldwide as Magneto in the “X-Men” films and Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy.

In “The Hobbit” Trilogy he again plays Gandalf the Grey, the role that earned him an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” As Gandalf the White in the other two “Lord of the Rings” films, he shared the SAG Award® for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast Performance.

As the gay film director James Whale, in Bill Condon’s “Gods and Monsters” (1998) he received his first Academy Award® nomination, for Best Actor, plus an Independent Spirit Award and a British Independent Film Award. The same year, top critics groups elected him Best Actor, as the Nazi-in-hiding in Bryan Singer’s “Apt Pupil.” For his classic performance in Richard Loncraine’s “Richard III,” which he produced and co-wrote, he was named 1996 European Actor of the Year.

His long list of film successes include “The Keep” (1983), “Plenty” (1985), “Scandal” (1988), “Six Degrees of Separation” (1993), “Restoration” (1995), “Bent” (1997), “Cold Comfort Farm” (1995), and “The Da Vinci Code” (2006).

For his extensive television work, McKellen is a five-time Emmy nominee, most recently for the PBS presentation of his monumental “King Lear” (2008); the British miniseries “The Prisoner” (2009); and his comic guest spot on “Extras” (2006), remembered for the viral catch-phrase: “How do I act so well?” He earlier received a Golden Globe award for his Tsar Nicholas II in the telefilm “Rasputin” (1996). He is most proud of his work as the mentally handicapped “Walter” (1982 Royal Television Award); in HBO’s “And the Band Played On” (1993 Cable ACE Award), about the origins of AIDS; and a short spell in the UK’s longest-running soap, “Coronation Street” (2005).

Born and raised in the north of England, 73-year-old McKellen attended Cambridge University and since 1961 has worked non-stop in the British theatre. He has been leading man and produced plays, modern and classic, for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain and in the West End of London. He has won Olivier Awards for “Macbeth” (1976-78), “The Alchemist” (1977), “Bent” (1979), “Wild Honey”(1984), and “Richard III”(1990); plus Evening Standard Awards for his performances in “Coriolanus”(1984) and “Othello” (1989) and for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre (2009).

In 1981, he won every available award, including a Tony for Best Actor, as Salieri in the Broadway production of Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus.” He was most recently in New York in “Dance of Death” (2001) with Helen Mirren. Over a decade, he toured his solo entertainment “Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare” throughout four continents, where on DVD it is daily viewed in schools and universities. He astonished his fans as Widow Twankey in the Christmas pantomime at the Old Vic in London (2004 & 2005), and in “Waiting for Godot” (2009), with Patrick Stewart, he broke all box-office records in London and on UK and world tours.

In 1991, Sir Ian was knighted, for his outstanding contribution to theatre. He is co-founder of Stonewall UK, which lobbies for legal and social equality for gay people. In 2008, the Queen personally appointed him Companion of Honour for his services to drama and to equality.

Complete professional credits and personal writings are on www.mckellen.com.

MARTIN FREEMAN (Bilbo Baggins) recently earned an Emmy nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Dr. John Watson on the award-winning BBC television series “Sherlock,” which debuted in 2010 and has been renewed for a third season. Freeman also won a BAFTA TV Award and received a second nomination for his work on the program.

Freeman was already familiar to television audiences for the role of Tim Canterbury on Ricky Gervais’s original hit comedy series “The Office.” He starred for three seasons on the hugely acclaimed show, earning a BAFTA TV Award nomination and two British Comedy Award nominations for his performance.

On the big screen, Freeman reprises the role of Bilbo in the second and third films of the trilogy, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” in 2013, and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” in 2014. Also upcoming, Freeman stars in “The World’s End,” written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, and directed by Wright. In addition, he will be seen in the independent film “Svengali,” and lends his voice to the animated feature “Saving Santa.”

Freeman has a wide range of earlier film credits, but is perhaps best known for his comedic roles. He starred opposite Joanna Page in the 2003 box office success “Love Actually,” followed by the horror spoof “Shaun of the Dead,” from Wright and Pegg. He later reunited with the writing duo on the 2007 cult hit “Hot Fuzz.” One of Freeman’s most well-known roles remains that of Arthur Dent in Garth Jennings’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” in which Freeman starred with Zooey Deschanel and Sam Rockwell. Freeman’s other film credits include the mockumentary “Confetti,” “Nativity!,” and the recent Aardman animated feature “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.”

On stage, Freeman’s latest credit was the successful West End production of “Clybourne Park” at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Dominic Cooke. His other stage credits include Kathy Burke’s “Kosher Harry,” at the Royal Court, and “Blue Eyes and Heels,” by Toby Whithouse, presented at the Soho Theatre, under the direction of Jonathan Lloyd.

RICHARD ARMITAGE (Thorin Oakenshield) has been a favorite of critics and audiences alike in the UK for several years. His starring roles in such high-profile television productions as “North and South,” “Spooks (US title: MI-5),” “Robin Hood” and “Strike Back” have established him as one of the most popular actors in the UK, with a massive fan following. With several highly anticipated projects upcoming in the United States, Armitage is quickly rising as a leading man in Hollywood as well.

Most recently, Armitage wrapped production on the upcoming tornado disaster film “Black Sky,” in which he stars opposite Sarah Wayne Callies. The Steven Quale-directed feature is due out in 2013. He also reprises the role of Thorin Oakenshield in the second and third installments of the trilogy, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.”

For his first U.S. film, Armitage appeared in 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” directed by Joe Johnston. Armitage played Heinz Kruger, Captain America’s nemesis, alongside Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci and Hayley Atwell.

His other British TV projects include BBC’s “Macbeth,” opposite James McAvoy and Keeley Hawes, and appearances in “Sparkhouse,” “Cold Feet,” “Ultimate Force” and “Between the Sheets.”

Armitage also has also appeared in numerous theatre productions, including “Hamlet,” “The Four Alice Bakers,” “Macbeth” and “The Duchess of Malfi.”

Born and raised in Leicester, England, Armitage was classically trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

JAMES NESBITT (Bofur) is an award-winning actor, who first gained fame on television with his starring role on the British romantic comedy/drama series “Cold Feet.” For his performance on that show, Nesbitt won a British Comedy Award and a National Television Award, in addition to garnering two more British Comedy Award nominations. He went on to star in the series “Murphy’s Law,” playing the role of undercover detective Tommy Murphy, which was specially created for him by writer Colin Bateman. He later received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the title role of the BBC horror thriller miniseries “Jekyll.”

Nesbitt earlier appeared in the independent feature hit “Waking Ned Devine,” for he shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast Performance. In 2002, he starred in Paul Greengrass’s historical drama “Bloody Sunday,” for which he won a British Independent Film Award and earned a BAFTA Award nomination. His other film credits include “Hear My Song”; the Michael Winterbottom-directed films “Jude” and “Welcome to Sarajevo”; Danny Boyle’s “Millions”; Woody Allen’s “Match Point”; “Five Minutes of Heaven,” with Liam Neeson; Emilio Estevez’s “The Way”; and “Coriolanus,” directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes.

His list of additional television credits in the UK includes “Ballykissangel,” “Canterbury Tales,” “The Passion,” “Midnight Man,” “The Deep,” and, most recently, the title role in “Monroe.”

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Nesbitt graduated from London’s Central School of Speech and Drama before beginning his career on the stage. He has since appeared in numerous plays, including “Paddywack,” “Translations,” “As You Like It,” “Philadelphia Here I Come,” “And Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay” and the West End production of “Shoot The Crow.”

KEN STOTT (Balin) is one of the UK’s most celebrated actors. His remarkable theatre career began with the Royal Shakespeare Company. From there, he went on to star in numerous leading roles on the stage, including the original production of Yasmina Reza’s play “Art,” in which he was nominated for Best Actor at the Olivier Theatre Awards; Eddie in Arthur Miller’s “A View From the Bridge,” for which he was also nominated for an Olivier Theatre Award and Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor; and “God of Carnage,” opposite Ralph Fiennes, in London’s West End and on Broadway. He is currently starring in the title role of “Uncle Vanya” in the West End.

Stott has had a huge variation of starring roles on television, including headlining three different acclaimed series: “Rebus,” “The Voice” and “Messiah.” His other TV work includes his performance as the comedian Tony Hancock in “Hancock & Joan,” for which he won a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor and was nominated for a UK BAFTA Best Actor award. He also appeared in Richard Curtis’ telefilm “The Girl in the Café,” opposite Bill Nighy, and as Adolf Hitler in “Uncle Adolf.”

Stott’s feature film credits include “Toast,” opposite Helena Bonham Carter, Mike Nichols’ “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Casanova,” “King Arthur,” “The Debt Collector,” “Plunkett & Macleane,” “The Boxer,” “Fever Pitch” and “Shallow Grave.”

SYLVESTER McCOY (Radagast) was born in Dunoon, Scotland, where he was also made honorary High Chieftain in 2010. He is best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the hugely popular television series “Doctor Who” between 1987 and 1989 and later revived the role in a 1993 charity special, “Dimensions in Time,” and again in 1996, appearing in the “Doctor Who” television movie with Paul McGann as the eighth Doctor.

Since playing the Doctor, McCoy has appeared in many television and theatre roles, as well as recording audio books. His television credits include guest appearances in the comedy pilot “The Academy,” with Ian McKellen; “Al Murray’s Multiple Personality Disorder”; BBC Scotland’s “Still Game”; BBC’s “Casualty,” Talkback Thames’ “The Bill,” “Gil Mayo Mysteries,” “Rab C. Nesbitt” and “See It Saw It”; Mersey TV’s “Hollyoaks”; and the BBC adaptation of Henry Fielding’s novel “The History Of Tom Jones, a Foundling.” McCoy also guest starred in an episode of BBC’s “Doctors,” playing an actor who once played the time-traveling hero of a children’s television series called “The Amazing Lollipop Man,” a role especially written for McCoy as a nod to his portrayal of Doctor Who.

On stage, McCoy played the Fool in Trevor Nunn’s acclaimed production of “King Lear,” alongside Ian McKellen in an RSC International Tour and the New London Theatre, and has recently finished playing Grimes in a highly acclaimed production of Evelyn Waugh’s “Decline & Fall” at the Old Red Lion Theatre.

His other recent theatre credits include the original staging and UK tours of “Little Shop Of Horrors” at the Menier Chocolate Factory; the title role in “The Mikado” for Carl Rosa Opera Company at the Sheffield Lyceum; “Me And My Girl”; “The Pocket Orchestra”; and “Arsenic & Old Lace.” Other theatre credits include “Pride And Prejudice”; “Noises Off” in the West End; “Twelfth Night” at the Leicester Haymarket; “Antony And Cleopatra” and “The Taming Of The Shrew,” both for the Theatre Royal, Haymarket; “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” at the RSC in Stratford; “The Dead Move Fast” at the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh; “As You Like It” at the Ludlow Festival; “The Hypochondriac” at the Lyceum in Edinburgh; “Life is a Dream” at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, Barbican Theatre and Brooklyn Academy of Music and New York National Theatre; and the title role in The National Theatre’s production of “The Pied Piper” and Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Welsh National Opera.

BARRY HUMPHRIES (Great Goblin) is an Australian comedian, character actor, script writer and film producer, an award-winning writer and a star of London’s West End musical theatre.

Humphries is perhaps best known as his on-stage and television alter-egos, the universally adored international housewife and Gigastar, Dame Edna Everage, and the foul-mouthed Sir Les Patterson.

He has appeared in a plethora of films including “Bedazzled,” “Nicholas Nickleby,” “Spice World,” and as the voice of Bruce the Shark in “Finding Nemo.” He is an instant sell out each time he appears on Broadway and in the West End. He most recently appeared with Dick Whittington as The Saviour of London Town at the New Wimbledon Theatre.

Humphries appeared as a judge in 2008 on BBC 1’s “I’d Do Anything,” the search for the new Nancy and Oliver, and an episode of the comedy panel quiz “QI” series 7. Dame Edna’s most recent television appearances include “Chatty Man,” “Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford,” “Paul O’Grady Live” and “The Rob Brydon Show.”

Last year, Humphries was honored with the 2011 Oldie of the Year award.

CATE BLANCHETT (Galadriel) is the co-Artistic Director and co-CEO of Sydney Theatre Company, alongside Andrew Upton. She is a graduate of the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art and holds Honorary Doctorates of Letters from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney.

Blanchett won an Academy Award® for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese’s 2004 Howard Hughes biopic “The Aviator,” for which she also won BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards® and received a Golden Globe nomination. In 2008, Blanchett was nominated for two Oscars®, as Best Actress for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and as Best Supporting Actress for “I’m Not There,” making her only the fifth actor in Academy history to be nominated in both acting categories in the same year. Additionally, she received dual SAG and BAFTA Award nominations, for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively, for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and “I’m Not There.” For the latter, she also won a Golden Globe Award, an Independent Spirit Award, several critics groups’ awards, and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2007 Venice Film Festival.

She earned her first Oscar® nomination and won BAFTA, Golden Globe Award and London Film Critics Circle Awards for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth.” She also received Oscar®, Golden Globe and SAG Award® nominations for her performance in “Notes on a Scandal.” Additionally, Blanchett has earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress for the title role in Joel Schumacher’s “Veronica Guerin” and her work in Barry Levinson’s “Bandits,” and, earlier, another BAFTA Award nomination for her performance in Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”

Blanchett has a range of films upcoming, including two Terrence Malick films; Woody Allen’s as-yet-untitled next feature; and George Clooney’s “The Monuments Men.”

Blanchett originated the role of Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy. Her more recent film credits include Joe Wright’s “Hanna” Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood,” David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” Steven Soderbergh’s “The Good German,” “Babel,” and Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.”

Among her other film credits are Jim Jarmusch’s “Coffee and Cigarettes,” earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination; Ron Howard’s “The Missing”; Gillian Armstrong’s “Charlotte Gray”; Lasse Hallström’s “The Shipping News”; Rowan Woods’ “Little Fish”; Mike Newell’s “Pushing Tin”; Oliver Parker’s “An Ideal Husband”; Sam Raimi’s “The Gift”; Sally Potter’s “The Man Who Cried”; Bruce Beresford’s “Paradise Road”; “Thank God He Met Lizzie,” for which she won both the Australian Film Institute (AFI) and the Sydney Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actress; and Gillian Armstrong’s “Oscar and Lucinda,” opposite Ralph Fiennes, for which she also earned an AFI nomination for Best Actress.

Blanchett has worked extensively on the stage in Australia and abroad during her five year stint as co-Artistic Director and co-CEO of Sydney Theatre Company (STC). During this time, Blanchett performed Richard II in the celebrated STC production of “The Wars of The Roses”; Blanche Du Bois in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” directed by Liv Ullmann, which travelled to much critical acclaim from Sydney to Washington and New York (her performance was heralded as the Performance of the Year by The New York Times) and for which she received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actress in a non-resident production; Yelena in Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, in a version by Andrew Upton as part of STC’s 2010 Main Stage season, which was also staged in Washington, DC and at New York City’s Lincoln Center Festival in June 2012 and for which she also won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actress; and most recently Lotte in Botto Strauss’ “Gross und Klein,” which toured extensively throughout Europe in 2012 following a 2011 Sydney season and was part of the London Cultural Olympiad. Her performance in “Gross und Klein” was critically celebrated worldwide and won her the Helpmann Award for Best Actress and a nomination for Best Actress in the Evening Standard Theatre Awards (winners yet to be announced).

Blanchett has been awarded the Centenary Medal for Service to Australian Society through Acting and in 2007 she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. She has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2008, Blanchett co-chaired the creative stream of the Prime Minister of Australia’s National 2020 Summit. She is a patron of the Sydney Film Festival and an Ambassador for the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Film Institute.

IAN HOLM (Old Bilbo) earned an Academy Award® nomination and won a BAFTA Award for his work in the Oscar®-winning Best Picture “Chariots of Fire,” for which he also won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival. He later won a Genie Award for Best Actor for his role in “The Sweet Hereafter.”

He previously worked with Peter Jackson as a member of the cast of “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, for which he shared in several ensemble acting awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award® for the final film, “The Return of the King.”

Holm’s long list of film credits also includes “The Boffers Gun,” for which he won a BAFTA Award; Richard Attenborough’s “Young Winston”; Peter Hall’s “The Homecoming”; Richard Lester’s “Robin and Marian”; Ridley Scott’s “Alien”; Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits” and “Brazil”; “Greystoke,” earning a BAFTA Award nomination; Woody Allen’s “Another Woman”; Kenneth Branagh’s “Henry V” and “Frankenstein”; Franco Zeffirelli’s “Hamlet”; Steven Soderbergh’s “Kafka”; David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch” and “eXistenZ”; Nicholas Hytner’s “The Madness of King George,” for which Holm received a BAFTA Award nomination; and Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” among many others.

He has also appeared in numerous longform television projects, recently including “The Last of the Blonde Bombshells,” for which he garnered an Emmy nomination. He was previously Emmy nominated for his performance in the title role of the PBS presentation of “King Lear,” and also received a BAFTA TV nomination and won a Royal Television Society Award for the BBC miniseries “The Lost Boys.” His other longform TV credits include “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” “The Browning Version,” “Inside the Third Reich,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Les Miserables,” “Jesus of Nazareth,” “Holocaust” and “The Man in the Iron Mask.”

Holm graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he made his stage debut in 1954 in “Othello.” After many years on the London stage, he made his Broadway debut in 1967 in Harold Pinter’s hit play “The Homecoming,” for which he won a Tony Award. Among his other theatrical honors, Holm won Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards for “Moonlight,” and an Olivier Award for “King Lear.”

In 1989, Holm was awarded the prestigious Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in June of 1998, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him for his services to drama.

CHRISTOPHER LEE (Saruman) is a true movie legend and an icon to genre fans, with a career spanning well over 60 years.

He previously collaborated with Peter Jackson on the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, where he first played Saruman. He has also worked a number of times with director Tim Burton, including the films “Sleepy Hollow,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Corpse Bride,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Dark Shadows.” In addition, he played Monsieur Labisse in Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” and the role of the evil Count Dooku in George Lucas’s blockbusters “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.” His recent film work also includes Dominc Sena’s “Season of the Witch,” “The Golden Compass,” and a number of independent releases, including the acclaimed feature “Jinnah.”

Some of the other notable directors for whom Lee has worked over the course of his long career are 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, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Andrei Konchalovsky.

Born in the UK, Lee was educated at Summer Fields preparatory school and took a scholarship at Eton College and Wellington College, where he was a classical scholar in Greek and Latin. During World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force and Special Forces where he was decorated for distinguished service and held the rank of Flight Lieutenant. He entered the film industry in 1947 and was, for a time, under contract to the Rank Organization.

Lee has since had roles in more than 250 film and television productions, among which the best known include “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Dracula,” “The Mummy,” “The Wicker Man,” “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes,” “The Three Musketeers,” “The Four Musketeers,” “1941,” “Airport ’77” and “Gremlins II.” A cousin of author Ian Fleming, he also appeared in the Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun.”

Among his claims to fame as an actor: he is the only actor to have portrayed both Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft; he executed onscreen King Charles the First of England and King Louis the Sixteenth of France; and he holds the world record for more sword fights on camera than any other actor. He also did his own stunts and is an honorary member of three Stuntmen’s Unions. He has filmed in Russian, French, Italian, German and Spanish, and has filmed in countries all over the world.

On television, Lee more appeared in the epic BBC miniseries “Gormenghast.” He still considers one of the most important points in his career to have been as a host of “Saturday Night Live” in 1978 with the original cast, including John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin. It remains the third-highest-rated show of the series.

He has appeared in the theatre and in operatic performances and has recorded for radio worldwide. He also sang in “The Return Of Captain Invincible” and recorded The King of Elfland’s Daughter for Chrysalis; Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale for Nimbus; Peter and the Wolf, also for Nimbus and conducted by Yehudi Menuhin; Devils, Rogues and Other Villains, from Broadway to Bayreuth in “The King and I;” and many others. More recently, he recorded an album with the world famous metal band Rhapsody, and recorded the single “The Magic of the Wizard’s Dream,” which entered the music charts. He recorded a solo album and DVD entitled Revelation, marking the first time somebody of his age has recorded a solo album that went platinum. He has also recorded two heavy metal albums, entitled “Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross,” and “Charlemagne: Omens of Death.” Last year, he was awarded the Spirit of Hammer Award by Tony Iommi, founder of Black Sabbath, at the Metal Hammer Golden God ceremony.

Amongst his publications are an autobiography Tall, Dark and Gruesome, first published by W.H. Allen in 1977 and since re-published in 1997 and also re-published in 2003 by Orion Books Ltd as Lord of Misrule, introduced by Peter Jackson.

Lee has received awards for his contribution to the cinema from the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Great Britain. He is a Commander Brother of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the world’s oldest order. In 2002, he was awarded the prestigious Lifetime World Actor Award in Vienna personally presented by Mikhail Gorbachev. He was named Officer of Arts and Letters by the French Government. He was awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2001 Queen’s Birthday’s Honours list, and, in 2009, was made a Knight Bachelor for his services to drama and charity.

HUGO WEAVING (Elrond) most recently played multiple roles in the interwoven storylines of the epic feature “Cloud Atlas,” from directors Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski. He is also widely known for his role as Agent Smith in the Wachowskis’ highly acclaimed “Matrix” trilogy, as well as for his starring role in “V for Vendetta.” Weaving first played the role of Elrond in Peter Jackson’s award-winning “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy.

He previously starred as Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull in Joe Johnston’s “Captain America” and in Johnston’s “The Wolfman,” and “The Keyman.” Weaving’s numerous credits in voice work include the characters of Megatron in Michael Bay’s blockbuster “Transformers” and its sequels, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”; as well as Noctus/Grimble in Zack Snyder’s “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole”; Noah the Elder in George Miller’s Oscar®-winning “Happy Feet” and its sequel, “Happy Feet Two”; and Rex the Sheepdog in the award-winning hit “Babe” and its sequel, “Babe: Pig in the City.”

Weaving is the recipient of four Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, receiving the first in 1991 for Best Actor for his portrayal of a blind photographer in Jocelyn Moorhouse’s breakthrough feature “Proof.” He received another nomination in the same category in 1994 for the role of Mitzi Del Bra in Stephan Elliott’s “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” In 1998, Weaving won his second AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in Craig Monahan’s “The Interview,” for which he also received the 1998 Best Actor Award at the World Film Festival in Montreal. In 2005, Weaving’s performance in the critically acclaimed “Little Fish,” opposite Cate Blanchett and Sam Neill, earned him his third AFI Award for Best Actor. In 2012, he was honored with his fourth AFI Award, for Best Supporting Actor, for his role in “Oranges and Sunshine,” opposite Emma Watson and David Wenham, for which he also received the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Weaving’s extensive stage credits include the Sydney Theatre Company’s “Uncle Vanya,” opposite Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh; “Hedda Gabler,” opposite Cate Blanchett; “Riflemind,” directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman; and numerous productions with Sydney’s acclaimed Belvoir St Theatre, including “The Alchemist” and “The Popular Mechanicals,” with Geoffrey Rush.

ELIJAH WOOD (Frodo) returns to the role he created in Peter Jackson’s award-winning blockbuster trilogy based on The Lord of the Rings novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. Wood originated his portrayal of Frodo in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” and again played the beloved character in “The Two Towers” and the Oscar®-winning Best Picture, “The Return of the King.” For the last, Wood shared in a number of ensemble acting awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award® for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast Performance.

Wood also lent his voice to the lead character in George Miller’s Academy Award®-winning animated hit “Happy Feet” and its sequel “Happy Feet Two.” He more recently starred in the horror thriller “Maniac” and co-starred with Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg in the romantic comedy “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

On the small screen, Wood made his series debut in 2011 in David Zuckerman’s U.S. remake of the Australian hit sitcom “Wilfred,” for FX. The show revolves around Wood’s character, who finds an unlikely friend and confidant in a mixed-breed dog named Wilfred. He also starred as Ben Gunn in the SyFy channel’s two-part adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” directed by Steve Barron and also starring Eddie Izzard and Donald Sutherland.

His additional film credits include “The Romantics,” alongside Katie Holmes, Josh Duhamel and Anna Paquin; “The Oxford Murders,” with John Hurt; “Paris, Je’Taime”; “Day Zero”; Emilio Estevez’s award-winning historical drama “Bobby”; Liev Schreiber’s “Everything is Illuminated”; Michel Gondry’s critically acclaimed “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”; Lexi Alexander’s “Green Street Hooligans”; Frank Miller’s “Sin City,” directed by Robert Rodriguez and Miller; Ang Lee’s “The Ice Storm”; Martin Duffy’s “The Bumblebee Flies Away”; Jeffrey Porter’s “Try Seventeen”; “Ash Wednesday”; and James Toback’s “Black and White.” He also lent his voice to the animated feature “9.”

In addition to acting, Wood is also working behind the camera as a producer. He is producing a number of upcoming independent titles, including “Open Windows,” “Henley,” “Curse the Darkness,” “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” and “Black Wings Has My Angel,” in which he also stars.

ANDY SERKIS (Gollum / 2nd Unit Director) is an award-winning actor who has earned acclaim from both critics and audiences for his work in a range of memorable roles. He gained legions of fans around the globe for his performance as Gollum in the Academy Award®-winning “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson. Serkis won an Empire Award for his role, in addition to sharing in several Outstanding Ensemble Cast Awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award®. Reuniting with Jackson, he played two roles in the director’s epic retelling of “King Kong,” taking performance capture to another level as the title character of Kong, and also appearing as Lumpy, the ship’s cook.

In October 2012, Serkis announced the acquisition of two projects that will be produced by his London-based performance capture studio, The Imaginarium: “The Bone Season,” based on a series of books by Samantha Shannon, scheduled for publication next year, and a re-telling of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” which Serkis will direct.

Most recently, Serkis starred as Captain Haddock in “The Adventures of Tintin,” from director Steven Spielberg. In Summer 2011, he starred in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” a prequel to the iconic film “Planet of the Apes.” Serkis’s performance as Caesar was acclaimed by both journalists and audiences worldwide, and brought him a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, among other honors.

Serkis also had co-starring roles in “Death of a Superhero” and “Brighton Rock.” In 2010, Serkis received accolades for his portrayal of punk-rock legend Ian Dury in the film “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll,” directed by Mat Whitecross. The role earned Serkis a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor. He also played 19th-century grave robber William Hare, opposite Simon Pegg’s William Burke, in John Landis’s black comedy “Burke & Hare.”

On the small screen, Serkis appeared in the BBC miniseries “Little Dorrit,” based on Charles Dickens’ classic tale, which garnered him a 2009 Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred as Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein in the BBC/HBO production of “Einstein and Eddington.” Serkis previously earned Golden Globe and BAFTA TV Award nominations for his performance as Ian Brady in HBO’s “Longford.” He also earned praise for the role of Bill Sikes in the PBS presentation of “Oliver Twist.” He is also well known to British television audiences for a wide range of roles in other telefilms and miniseries, as well as series.

Serkis’s feature film credits include Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed drama “The Prestige”; the comedy “13 Going on 30,” with Jennifer Garner; and the indie films “The Cottage,” “Extraordinary Rendition” and “Sugarhouse.” He also lent his voice to the animated feature “Flushed Away.” He earlier co-starred in Michael Winterbottom’s “24 Hour Party People” and Mike Leigh’s “Topsy-Turvy.” He includes among his other film credits such independent releases as “Deathwatch,” “The Escapist,” “Shiner,” “Pandaemonium,” “The Jolly Boys’ Last Stand,” “Five Seconds to Spare,” “Sweety Barrett,” “Among Giants,” “Mojo,” “Career Girls,” “Loop,” “Stella Does Tricks” and “The Near Room.”

An accomplished stage actor, Serkis has received acclaim for his work on the stages of London and across the United Kingdom. He starred as Iago in “Othello,” at the Royal Exchange Theatre; played the Emcee in “Cabaret”; and originated the role of Potts in Jez Butterworth’s “Mojo,” at the Royal Court Theatre. His additional stage work includes productions of “King Lear,” “Hush” and “Decadence.” In 2003, he made his directorial debut with the play “The Double Bass” at London’s Southwark Playhouse.

As a director, Serkis also helmed the award-winning “Heavenly Sword”(TM) for PlayStation®3 and the upcoming “Enslaved: Odyssey to the West,” for Namco Bandai Games. In addition, he wrote and directed a short film called “Snake,” starring his wife, Lorraine Ashbourne, and Rupert Graves.

AIDAN TURNER (Kili) is perhaps most recognized by audiences for his lead role as the vampire with a conscience, Mitchell, in BBC Three’s edgy and award-winning series “Being Human,” which has gained a worldwide following. Turner also starred opposite Ruth Jones in BBC Four’s biographical drama “Hattie,” and played the lead role, as artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, in BBC One’s primetime drama “Desperate Romantics.” His other television credits include “The Clinic” for RTE and “The Tudors” for Showtime. Turner previously appeared as Mal in Gerry Stembridge’s “Alarm.”

On the stage, Turner has appeared in several productions for the Abbey Theatre including “Romeo and Juliet,” “A Cry from Heaven” and “The Plough and the Stars.” His other theatre credits include “Cyrano De Bergerac,” “Titus Andronicus,” “Drive By,” “Yokohama Delegation” and “Crock of Gold.”

He will next be seen opposite Lena Headey and Lily Collins in the film “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.”

DEAN O’GORMAN (Fili) is a New Zealand-born actor who is very well-known to Kiwi audiences for his work in film, television and on stage. O’Gorman’s film work includes “Bonjour Timothy,” for which he was nominated Best Actor at the Giffoni Italian Film Festival and the New Zealand Film and Television Awards, as well as the films “When Love Comes,” “Snakeskin,” “Toy Love,” “Sabotage” and “Nights in the Garden of Spain.”

On television, he most recently appeared in the popular television comedy-drama “The Almighty Johnsons.” His other TV work includes “Serial Killers,” for which he was nominated for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor at the New Zealand Screen Awards; and the popular Aussie drama “Mcleod’s Daughters,” for which he was nominated as Most Popular New Talent in the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. His other credits include the WB series “Moonlight,” as well as “Go Girls,” “The Cult,” and “Legend of the Seeker.” He has also appeared in the cult fantasy series “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys,” “Young Hercules,” “Xena: Warrior Princess,” series four of “Farscape,” and the New Zealand television drama “Tangiwai.”

On stage, O’Gorman has been seen in “Tape,” “The Ocean Star,” “The Rabbit,” “Ruben Guthrie,” and “Blood Wedding.”

GRAHAM McTAVISH (Dwalin) began his career in London, appearing in projects as varied as the cult hit “Red Dwarf,” Brian Blessed’s “King Lear” and the co-production miniseries “Empire.” At the same time, McTavish appeared in leading roles in prestigious UK theatres from the Royal Court and the National in London to the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh. In 2008, McTavish moved to the United States.

One week after arriving in Los Angeles, McTavish landed a leading role, opposite Sylvester Stallone, in “Rambo.” Since then, he has worked non-stop in a diverse array of roles on television, including the nefarious Russian Diplomat Mikhail Novakovich on the final season of “24.”

McTavish developed quite a fan base with his voice performance as Dante Aligheri in the animated film and video game of “Dante’s Inferno,” and has also provided the voice of Loki for “Wolverine and the X-Men,” “Hulk Vs. Thor” and “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”

After back-to-back leading roles in the feature films “Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground” and “The Wicker Tree,” the sequel to “The Wicker Man,” McTavish took the role of Carl Hatton in “Secretariat,” with Diane Lane. McTavish is also featured in the “Middle Men,” with James Caan and Giovanni Ribisi. He was most recently seen in the Oliver Megaton feature “Columbiana.”

ADAM BROWN (Ori) is a young British actor who is making his film debut in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

Previously, much of Brown’s work has been in theatre. He is co-founder of the Comedy Theatre Company Plested and Brown, whose productions have enjoyed successful runs at The Edinburgh Festival and on tours across the world.

PETER HAMBLETON (Gloin / William Troll) is a 1991/1992 graduate of the New Zealand Drama School, and has become one of the country’s most acclaimed actors. He was awarded Best Supporting Actor for “The Last Tattoo” at the 1985 New Zealand Film and Television Awards. His recent film work includes playing Sgt. Syd Gurton in “Home by Christmas.” On television, Hambleton’s appearances include “Shortland Street,” “Spies and Lies,” “Stolen,” “Paradise Café” and “Tangiwai.”

Hambleton is a vastly experienced theatre actor and director, and has won numerous awards. In 2010 he received critical acclaim for his work in Juliet O’Brien’s “The Letter Writer” at the New Zealand International Arts Festival, and won the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award Accolade for Outstanding Performance.

Hambleton was an S.G.C.N.Z. Artistic Fellow to Shakespeare’s Globe in 2002 and a Winston Churchill Fellow in 2007, investigating Shakespeare productions in the UK. He has directed stage productions of “Cymbeline,” “Pericles,” an all-male “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Ray Henwood’s “All the World’s a Stage,” and an outdoor “All’s Well That Ends Well.” He has also directed Wellington productions of “Marathon,” “Wait Until Dark,” “The 39 Steps” and “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment,” which earned three Chapman Tripp Theatre Award nominations in 2010.

In a career spanning 30 years, other highlights include performances in “The Birthday Boy,” “Blood Wedding,” “Collapsing Creation,” “Four Flat Whites in Italy,” “Who Wants to Be 100?,” “Home Land,” “Othello,” “The Graduate,” “Flagons and Foxtrots,” “The Bach,” “Dr. Buller’s Birds,” “Democracy,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Spreading Out,” “An Enemy of the People,” and “Copenhagen,” for which he won a 2002 Chapman Tripp Award for Actor of the Year.

JOHN CALLEN (Oin) began acting at age five in a school play in London. After moving to New Zealand at age 16, he gained experience in youth and amateur theatre work before turning fully professional almost 40 years ago. He has since worked as a professional actor, director and writer in theatre, radio, film and television.

As an actor, Callen was twice nominated by Wellington theatre critics, for Best Actor then Best Supporting Actor, winning the awards on both occasions. He also won Best Actor in a Short Film for his work in “Fly.” His experience includes more than 100 theatre productions as actor or director, and covers everything from the absurd to the classical, including roles as Shylock and Macbeth, a performance that garnered Callen a Critics’ Choice award in New Zealand.

Callen has appeared in a number of films, including “Picture,” “The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior,” “Treasure Island Kids,” “Love Birds,” and the New Zealand/UK co-production of “The Man Who Lost His Head.” He has also done a considerable amount of voice work, including narrating almost 150 documentaries for National Geographic, Discovery and Animal Planet, among others. Behind the camera, Callen’s major directing credits include “Shortland Street,” “Comedy Central,” “Epitaph,” “Jackson’s Wharf I and II,” “The Tribe,” “Karaoke High,” “Taonga” and, more recently the story of Kiwi World War II hero Sir Keith Park, “The Kiwi Who Saved Britain.”

MARK HADLOW (Dori / Bert Troll) started his career in 1978, and has to his credit over 130 plays, dozens of film appearances, television series, commercials, and radio voiceovers. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” marks his third Peter Jackson-directed film, following “Meet the Feebles” and “King Kong.”

On the stage, he has appeared in many musicals, his all-time favorite being “Little Shop of Horrors,” in which he has performed in four separate productions. He has also worked on television in New Zealand, most notably the role of Harry in the series “Willy Nilly,” for which he was recognized with Best Comedy Actor award nominations. Hadlow has also achieved success in directing many plays and musicals.

The Kiwi actor has won Best Theatrical Performance of the Year in 1993, and Entertainer of the Year in 1995, and more recently won Best Voice Over Artist at the Radio New Zealand Awards in 2010. He has worked with Radio Network for more than 15 years.

Apart from being an actor, Hadlow’s other full-time job is as Events Manager and Creative Planner for the 75th Anniversary in 2016 for Royal New Zealand Navy, with the rank of Lieutenant.

JED BROPHY (Nori) has more than 60 theatre productions, as well as numerous feature film, television and short film credits to his name. He won Best Actor at the Drifting Cloud Film Awards for the short film “Group Therapy” in 1998, and, in 2009, won The Chapman Tripp Award for Wellington Actor of the Year.

Following his first film, the New Zealand feature “Once on Chunuk Bair,” Brophy was cast as the Zombie Void in Peter Jackson’s “Brain Dead.” In 1993, Jackson cast him again, as John the boarder, in “Heavenly Creatures.” He next appeared in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, as leading Orc characters, including Snaga and Sharku, and one of the black riders, the Nazgul. He also worked as one of the horse trainers and riders on the production. Brophy worked again with Jackson on “King Kong,” appearing as a member of the Venture crew.

In 2005, he joined the Motion Capture cast of the PlayStation®3 game “Heavenly Sword,” directed by Andy Serkis, and also worked on the “The Adventures of Tintin” MoCap set. His film credits include the New Zealand feature “Second Hand Wedding,” and the acclaimed “District 9.” He most recently appeared in the films “Tracker” and “Warrior’s Way,” as well as the telefeature “Tangiwai.”

Born in Taihape, New Zealand, Brophy grew up on a sheep and cattle farm in The Ruanui Valley out of Mataroa. After graduating from the University of Otago, he completed his studies at the New Zealand Drama School, Toi Whakaari.

WILLIAM KIRCHER (Bifur / Tom Troll) launched his acting career after graduating from the New Zealand Drama School. He worked extensively in theater throughout the country and over the next 20 years appeared in more than 100 professional theater productions. This was also the grounding for a long and successful film & television career that saw him holding a reputation as one of the most respected actors in the country.

Later in his career, Kircher also focused on production, working as a producer and communications executive with UK-based Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment. He was invited to head up Cloud 9’s commercial division, where he produced an award-winning short film, as well as a range of corporate projects. In 2003, Kircher went into partnership to form production company ScreenAdventures, to develop and finance feature films. Before starting work on “The Hobbit” Trilogy, he line produced a television docudrama, “The Investigator,” for Red Sky Film & Television.

Kircher returned to acting in 2006, with a leading role in the acclaimed film “Out of the Blue,” directed by Robert Sarkies, based on a true story of a massacre in the small seaside village of Aramoana. His career highlights also include national tours of John Godber’s “Bouncers,” and “Ladies Night”; the telefeatures “Gold” and “Valley of Adventure”; and three seasons starring as BP in the top-rated police drama “Shark in the Park.”

STEPHEN HUNTER (Bombur) was born in Wellington, New Zealand. After working on New Zealand television, Hunter relocated to Australia, where, following several guest roles on both sides of the Tasman, he landed the part of Sharpie in the second series of the two-time Logie Award-winning drama “Love My Way.” This was closely followed in 2008 by a leading guest role on Channel 7’s long running Australian medical drama “All Saints.”

He further developed his comedic repertoire on screen in both New Zealand and Australia, including stints on Nickelodeon’s “The Go Show” and ABC’s “Review with Miles Barlow.” In 2009, Hunter landed a lead role in the ABC animated series “CJ the DJ,” as the lovable Si.

Hunter’s strong resonant voice has led to him become one of Australasia’s top voice actors.