One Actor Played Not One but Two Key Roles in LotR, but Nobody Noticed
Peter Jackson's film trilogy adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential film series ever made, introducing a whole new audience to Middle-Earth, as well as launching the film careers of some prominent actors; including Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan.
It is no longer uncommon to see the likes of orcs and elves at any popular film convention. However, many fans may not have recognized that one of the actors, in particular, portrayed two of the main characters throughout the franchise. And you'll be astonished you missed it when you find out who.
Who did John Rhys-Davies portray in the LotR films?
When the filmmakers were originally casting for the movies, John Rhys-Davies was suggested for a few of the roles. The actor was well-established and was already known for supporting roles in other popular franchises including Indiana Jones.
At first, he was considered for Denethor, the grieving steward of Gondor, who ultimately is revealed as the mad father of Boromir and Faramir. However, he was later recast to play the role of Gimli instead, which his son urged him to accept.
Not only did Rhys-Davies offer the right mixture of refinement with his experienced comedic delivery, but also his proportions fitted perfectly for the portrayal of a dwarf on screen. His tall height (6' 1″) made it an easier task for special effects teams to scale his size down in the film and make him appear of dwarven stature compared to the other actors.
What other character did he play?
Although Rhys-Davies is well known as the face of the character of Gimli, many are still unaware that he also voiced the character of Treebeard in the film series. Treebeard is an Ent within the story of LotR, who appears as a talking tree. Rhys-Davies' distinctive voice, as well as his vocal talents, was a perfect choice for the additional part. Much of Treebeard's generation for the film involved elaborate prop work or computer generation. And therefore did not require the process of motion capture from him, as Andy Serkis had to do for his part as Gollum.
John Rhys-Davies was both a skilled voice actor and had appeared in front of the camera for many years. His voice has been used across many different animated television series and video games. Including such roles in the animated series' Gargoyles and SpongeBob SquarePants, and the popular games Freelancer and Lords of Everquest.
Although The Lord of the Rings remains on the list of some fans' favorite films, the franchise continues to offer new surprises. It's not unusual considering the films represent one of the largest-scale franchises and most elaborate movies of their time.