John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys- Davies ( born May 5, 1944 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England ) is a British film, television and theater actor.
Life
The Welshman John Rhys -Davies spent his childhood in England, Wales and Africa. His parents, Phyllis and Rhys Davies, went with him to Tanzania, where his father was stationed as an officer. Later Rhys -Davies attended a private school in England. At the Truro School in Cornwall he played with 13 years in Shakespeare plays. His enthusiasm for literature, he deepened with a degree in history and English Literature at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, where he founded the University Dramatic Society and the Maddermarket Theatre began his stage career. After a one year stint as a teacher, he took acting classes at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ( RADA ) in London, where he made his degree in 1969. As a result, John Rhys -Davies played in various theater ensembles and included, among other things, several seasons the ensemble of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His repertoire included Shakespearean roles such as Falstaff, Othello and Macbeth.
Since the early 70s, John Rhys -Davies, who has more than 100 appearances in film and television to the most hardworking actors in Europe and the United States. He had already in 1964 in the British series Crossroads, but only seven years later, in 1971 followed by other roles on television Its first small television role. His first and very brief appearance in the film he had in The Black Windmill 1974. He had numerous guest appearances on television series, including Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Murder, She Wrote and Star Trek: Voyager as Leonardo da Vinci. Among his most famous roles include Sallah in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones movies Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981 ) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989 ), the dwarf Gimli in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and the role of Professor Arturo television series in the Sci- Fi Sliders and the role as General Leonid Pushkin ( the successor to the General Gogol ) in the movie James Bond 007 the Living Daylights. For his role as captain of Portuguese Rodrigues in the mini- series Shogun 1981, he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor Emmy. In 2004 he received along with his castmates from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King the Screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble performance. He also often works as a voice actor for animated films and video games.
John Rhys -Davies is missing a part of his left middle finger - see, for example, in the movie of the King - A Dungeon Siege Tale - which he lost when replacing a van engine. For his role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy him a Gelprothese was adhered.
John Rhys -Davies lives in Los Angeles and the Isle of Man, where he builds up a film studio. He is a passionate collector of classic cars and likes to go to Africa on safari. Rhys -Davies has two sons, Tom and Ben.