Lord of the Rings (BBC Radio)
List activity
605 views
• 5 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
54 people
- Actor
- Animation Department
- Additional Crew
Sir Ian Holm was one of the world's greatest actors, a Laurence Olivier Award-winning, Tony Award-winning, BAFTA-winning and Academy Award-nominated British star of films and the stage. He was a member of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company and has played more than 100 roles in films and on television.
He was born Ian Holm Cuthbert on September 12, 1931, in Goodmayes, Essex, to Scottish parents who worked at the Essex mental asylum. His mother, Jean Wilson (née Holm), was a nurse, and his father, Doctor James Harvey Cuthbert, was a psychiatrist. Young Holm was brought up in London. At the age of seven he was inspired by the seeing 'Les Miserables' and became fond of acting. Holm studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1950 to the Royal Shakespeare Company. There he emerged as an actor whose range and effortless style allowed him to play almost entire Shakespeare's repertoire. In 1959 his stage partner Laurence Olivier scored a hit on Ian Holm in a sword fight in a production of 'Coriolanus'. Holm still had a scar on his finger.
In 1965 Holm made his debut on television as Richard III on the BBC's The Wars of the Roses (1965), which was a filmed theatrical production of four of Shakespeare's plays condensed down into a trilogy. In 1969 Holm won his first BAFTA Film Award Best Supporting Actor for The Bofors Gun (1968), then followed a flow of awards and nominations for his numerous works in film and on television. In 1981, he played one of his best known roles, Sam Mussabini in Chariots of Fire (1981), for which he was nominated for Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In the late 1990s, he gave a highly-acclaimed turn as the lawyer, Mitchell, in Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter (1997), and was subsequently cast in a number of high-profile Hollywood films of the next decade, playing Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element (1997), Bilbo in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), and Professor Fitz in The Aviator (2004), as well as Zach Braff's character's father Gideon in Garden State (2004). His last non-Hobbit film role was a voice part as Skinner in Ratatouille (2007).
Ian Holm had five children, three daughters and two sons from the first two of his four wives and from an additional relationship. In 1989 Holm was created a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), and in 1998 he was knighted for his services to drama. He died in London in June 2020.Frodo Baggins- Gerard Murphy was born on 14 October 1948 in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK. He was an actor, known for Waterworld (1995), Batman Begins (2005) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999). He died on 26 August 2013 in Histon, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.Narrator
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Some of Hordern's finest work was not in films or television but on radio: His performance as Gandalf in the BBC's radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings was arguably the definitive portrayal of that character (contrast Hordern's Gandalf with that of Ian McKellen in the 3-part film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson).Gandalf- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Sir Robert's career fell into two distinct parts. In the '60s, he was widely regarded as the heir of Laurence Olivier. But, after his departure from Britain's National Theatre in 1970 and the breakup of his marriage with Maggie Smith three years later, he suffered a slump made worse by heavy drinking. In the '90s, the Royal Shakespeare Company invited him to play first Falstaff in "Henry IV" and then Lear in "King Lear", and this re-established Stephens's career. He was knighted early in 1995.Aragorn- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Bill Nighy is an award-winning British character actor. He was born William Francis Nighy on December 12, 1949 in Caterham, Surrey, England, to Catherine Josephine (Whittaker), a psychiatric nurse from Glasgow, and Alfred Martin Nighy, who was English-born and managed a garage in Croydon.
At school, he gained 'O'-levels in English Language and English Literature and enjoyed reading, particularly Ernest Hemingway. On leaving school he wanted to become a journalist but didn't have the required qualifications. He eventually went on to work as a messenger boy for the Field magazine. He stayed in Paris for a while because he wanted to write "the great novel", but he only managed to write the title. When he ran out of money, the British consul shipped him home.
Nighy wound up training at Guildford School of Dance and Drama in London, and has since then worked consistently in film, television, and on stage.
Nighy is perhaps best-known to international audiences for his memorable performance as washed-up pop singer Billy Mack in Love Actually (2003), which won him a BAFTA for best supporting actor. He has also made appearances in major franchises: he played vampire leader Viktor in Underworld (2003), Underworld: Evolution (2006) and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), did the performance capture and voice for Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), and made a brief appearance as Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010).
Nighy's recent film credits include roles in I Capture the Castle (2003), Shaun of the Dead (2004), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), The Constant Gardener (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Hot Fuzz (2007), Valkyrie (2008) and The Boat That Rocked (2009). He has also provided voice work for many animated movies in the past few years including Flushed Away (2006), Astro Boy (2009), Rango (2011) and Arthur Christmas (2011).
With supporting turns in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Wrath of the Titans (2012) and Total Recall (2012), 2012 was a busy year for Nighy. There are no signs of slowing down either, as he next appeared in Jack the Giant Slayer (2013), About Time (2013), and I, Frankenstein (2014).
Nighy has also had an active career on the small screen, beginning with Agony (1979), and his first widely-recognized role was in 1991 mini-series The Men's Room (1991). He has also made a habit of working on television with Harry Potter director David Yates: projects together include State of Play (2003), The Young Visiters (2003), The Girl in the Café (2005) and Page Eight (2011). Nighy won a Golden Globe for his performance in Gideon's Daughter (2005).
Nighy actually began his career on the stage, and has earned acclaim for his work in numerous plays including "The Vertical Hour," "Pravda". "A Map of the World", Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, and David Hare's Skylight. He received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in 2001 play "Blue/Orange."
Bill's partner was actress Diana Quick (he asked her to marry him but she said: "don't ask me again"; he called her his wife because anything else would have been too difficult). They have a daughter, Mary Nighy, who is studying at university and contemplating an acting career. She has already begun to appear on TV dramas and radio programs.Samwise Gamgee- Richard O'Callaghan was born on 7 March 1940 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Watership Down (1978), Carry on Loving (1970) and Carry on at Your Convenience (1971).Merry
- Pippin
- Actor
- Soundtrack
British stage and screen actor whose characters typically displayed indecision or timidity, usually mild-mannered or naive types who tended to come to a sticky end somewhere along the line. Collings began acting professionally with the Liverpool Repertory Theatre in the early 60s. Though having never attended drama school, he nonetheless segued successfully into television work following the advice of a fellow actor. On screen from 1965, he initially appeared in several prominent cop shows (Z Cars (1962), Softly Softly (1966)) but became ultimately best known for his work in science fiction, often having undergone extensive alien make-up. He was notable as an alien kidnap victim turned into a human bomb in The Psychobombs (1970) and as a 'Vogan' renegade scientist out to destroy (and, of course, expiring in the process) the perennial robotic nemesis in Revenge of the Cybermen. Having enjoyed the experience, he popped up twice more in Doctor Who (1963) instalments: as the driver of a mining vehicle on an extraterrestrial world who suffers from the unfortunate malady 'robophobia' while confronting The Robots of Death and as the titular antagonist (on this occasion playing an immortal, but mutated and disfigured alien scientist) in Mawdryn Undead.
Collings also specialised in period drama, particularly effective as the often mistreated and underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit in Scrooge (1970), the spy John Barsad (aka Solomon Pross) in A Tale of Two Cities (1980), the Russian liberal politician Pavel Nikolayevich Milyukov in Fall of Eagles (1974) and British Tory Prime Minister William Pitt in the miniseries Prince Regent (1979). On stage, he portrayed Lord Stanley in a National Theatre production of Richard III and the King of France in Henry V at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. He provided the voice for Legolas in the BBC 4 radio serial The Lord of the Rings.Legolas- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Douglas Livingstone was born on 23 May 1934 in Dagenham, Essex, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Boys from the Bush (1991), Chillers (1990) and The Impossible Spy (1987). He was married to Anne Carroll. He died on 19 April 2021.Gimli- Michael Graham Cox was born on 8 January 1938 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Watership Down (1978), The Lord of the Rings (1978) and Reluctant Bandit (1965). He died on 30 April 1995 in London, England, UK.Boromir
- Marian Diamond was born on 17 December 1936 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Avengers (1961), Detective (1964) and Sherlock Holmes (1964).Galadriel
- Simon Cadell was born on 19 July 1950 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Watership Down (1978), The Cold Light of Day (1996) and Enemy at the Door (1978). He was married to Rebecca Croft. He died on 6 March 1996 in Westminster, London, England, UK.Celeborn
- Actress
- Producer
Sonia Fraser was born on 11 January 1937 in London, England, UK. She was an actress and producer, known for Saturday Playhouse (1958), The Bacchae (1962) and Codename Icarus (1981). She died on 12 November 2013 in London, England, UK.Arwen- Peter Howell was an English actor born in London to Owen, a solicitor, and his wife Nora, née Mally, on 25 October 1919. He attended Winchester College and began studying Law at Christ Church, Oxford but left when he was called up for wartime service in 1939. Invalided out of the army in 1943 as a result of dysentery he became interested in acting through his sister Gillian, who was training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). At this point of the war RADA was looking for men to act in productions to replace those away on active service.
Howell then joined the Old Vic Company which had relocated to the New Theatre, London following the bombing of it's own location. Whist there he gained valuable experience with small parts alongside the likes of Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Sybil Thorndike. This would provide the foundation for a stage and screen career that would eventually last for over fifty years.
Since then he played many roles on stage and television, notably in long-running hospital soap 'Emergency Ward 10'. He was also an active member of Equity, the actors' union, and the Labour Party. Married to Susan , who died in 1992, he died on April 20 2015 and is survived by three daughters and a son.Saruman - Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Hugh Dickson was born on 19 August 1927 in Worthing, West Sussex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Canterbury Tales (1969) and Poldark (1975). He was married to Dorothy White. He died on 26 November 2018 in London, England, UK.Elrond- Actor
- Soundtrack
The son of a solicitor, British character actor John Le Mesurier attended public school in Dorset, England, before embarking on a career in law. However, acting was his true calling, and at age 20, with his parents' approval, he began his acting career by studying drama at the Fay Compton School of Acting, where one of his classmates was Alec Guinness.
After acting school he performed in repertory until World War II, when he served as a captain in the Northwest Indian Frontier.
After the war, he returned to the stage and made his film debut in Death in the Hand (1948). By the late 1950s Le Mesurier had made appearances in numerous films, especially those made by the Boulting Brothers, and also on television, particularly on Hancock's Half Hour (1956). In 1968 he landed arguably his most popular role, that of Sgt. Wilson in the long-running television series Dad's Army (1968). Although preferring comedy, Le Mesurier also excelled in drama, winning a BAFTA award for Best Actor of the Year in 1971 for his performance in Dennis Potter's "Traitor (1971) (TV)".
In 1977, during "Dad's Army", he had become very ill, but he recovered and continued acting until his death six years later.Bilbo Baggins- Peter Woodthorpe was educated at Archbishop Holgate's Grammar School in York and attended Magdalene College, Cambridge. He undertook National Service in the Royal Navy and made his debut as a professional actor in the theatre in 1955. His extensive and distinguished stage career included work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, at the Royal Court and on Broadway. An immensely talented character actor, he was made an Associate Member of RADA.Gollum/Smeagol
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jack May was born on 23 April 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Count Duckula (1988) and Adam Adamant Lives! (1966). He was married to Petra Davies. He died on 19 September 1997 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.Theoden- Paul Brooke was born on 22 November 1944 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and Alfie (2004).Grima Wormtongue
- Eowyn
- Eomer
- Andrew Seear was born in 1951 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Simply Irresistible (1999), Shadowlands (1993) and The Trial of Lord Lucan (1994).Faramir
- Stephen Thorne was born on 2 March 1935 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Death of an Expert Witness (1983), Doctor Who (1963) and Runaway (1984). He was married to Barbara Sykes. He died on 26 May 2019 in the UK.Treebeard
- Actor
- Soundtrack
A true character actor in the best sense of the word, offbeat British thespian Peter Vaughan's hefty frame could appear intimidating or benevolent; his mere presence menacing or avuncular. Adept at playing both sides of the law, his characters usually possessed a strange, somewhat wary countenance that seemed to keep his audience slightly off balance. This veteran actor has been a stalwart presence for nearly fifty years. Born Peter Ohm in 1923, he began on the stage and didn't enter films until 1959, well into his thirties.
Married in 1952 to rising actress Billie Whitelaw, Peter was primarily in the background at first, offering a cheapjack gallery of thugs, unsmiling cops, and foreign agents in movies. An easily unsympathetic bloke, he played unbilled policemen in his first two films, then slowly gravitated up the credits list. He appeared as the chief of police in the spy drama The Devil's Agent (1962), which also featured his wife, and then gained a bit more attention in a prime part as an offbeat insurance investigator in the B movie Smokescreen (1964), a role that propelled him into the higher ranks. Noticeably shady roles came with playing Tallulah Bankhead's seedy handyman who meets a fatal end in the Gothic horror Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) [aka Die! Die! My Darling!]; his villainous roles in the spy thrillers The Naked Runner (1967) opposite Frank Sinatra and The Man Outside (1967); a German thug in A Twist of Sand (1968); and Sgt. Walker in The Bofors Gun (1968).
Divorced from Whitelaw in 1966, he later married actress Lillias Walker, who had roles in a couple of his pictures: Malachi's Cove (1973) and Intimate Reflections (1975). TV became a large source of income for Vaughan in the 1970s, particularly in his role of Grouty in Porridge (1974) on both the large and small screen, and his quirky demeanor fitted like a glove for bizarre director Terry Gilliam, who cast him as the Ogre in Time Bandits (1981) and then as Mr. Helpman in Brazil (1985). For the past few decades he has maintained a healthy balance between film (including standout roles in Zulu Dawn (1979), The Remains of the Day (1993) and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)) and TV mini-movies, both contemporary and period. He was still performing into his 90s: his final role was Maester Aemon Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011).
He died at age 93 on December 6, 2016, in Sussex, England.Denethor- Philip Voss was born on 20 August 1936 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Octopussy (1983), About Time (2013) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). He died on 13 November 2020 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK.Lord of the Nazgul
- Actor
- Writer
John Rye is known for Macbeth (1958), Mystery and Imagination (1966) and Puss in Boots Shorts (2014).Mouth of Sauron- Actor
- Additional Crew
John Webb was an actor, known for Bopha! (1993), Poirot (1989) and Way Past Cool (2000). He died in 2003 in Dallas, Texas, USA.Glorfindel- Haldir, Nazgul, Nob, Minstrel
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Patrick Barr, born into a judicial family in British India in 1908, was active for more than half a century on the stage, screen and, later, very successfully on television.
Tall and distinguished, the son of a judge and (in retirement) theatrical manager, Barr was educated at Radley and Trinity College, Oxford, winning a "blue" in the 1929 University Boat Race.
Having first worked as an engineer, he made the move to acting at the comparatively late age of twenty-five. His West End stage debut, followed in 1936 in a production of "The Country Wife" at the Old Vic. The following year, he made his debut on the New York stage.
During the Second World War, he was a conscientious objector serving with a Free French ambulance unit in North Africa. For his bravery, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
On his return to the United Kingdom, he resumed his acting career in a revival of Noël Coward's "Private Lives" at the Apollo Theatre. For the next fifteen years, he appeared almost non-stop on the West End Stage, the longest-running being "Like a Dove", in which he played "Lord Dungavel" for over two years. By the mid 1950s, the popularity of television was growing dramatically and Barr became more widely-known as a result, twice becoming "Television Actor of the Year".
In 1970, he made a strong return to the stage, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company for the season at Stratford. He played the ghost in "Hamlet", "Alonso" in "The Tempest" and "Escalus" in "Measure for Measure".
His first film, The Merry Men of Sherwood (1932) was the first of numerous character parts and, while never attaining first billing as he had on the stage and television, his talents were always in demand.
Patrick Barr died aged 77 on August 29 1985.Gamling- Actor
- Writer
Mike McStay, Mac, as he was known in his school days attended Leyton County High School, Leyton East. His family home was in Chingford. He excelled as an actor in a succession of ambitious productions of the school dramatic society. The school had a long established tradition for drama, thanks to a series of outstanding English masters who took on the role of director of the annual school play. The first of them was David Brown, followed by David Newton, Martial Rose and Basil Brown. Mac's first appearance was in two roles in Hamlet at the school in 1948 followed by Brutus in Julius Caesarin 1949.
Later that year he received wider notice in the lead role in Richard of Bordeaux (Gordon Daviot) and a succession of leads followed in a varied selection of plays including Othello, The Government Inspector, Androcles and the Lion and as MacDuff in Macbeth. In the latter he toured with the school drama group under Martial Rose's leadership in West Germany in August 1952. Mac was also a sound goal-keeper for the school's first XI and played inter-school basketball. He was a popular contributor of witty articles to the school magazine, ranging from nonsense poetry to acrid riffs of films and plays.
A dominating personality with a strong sense of humor, his clowning did not go down well with everyone. He gained much respect by bravely debating the Chairman of the local Education Committee, Cllr J.J. Walsh, a left-wing figure who wasn't always positive towards the educational system. Mac was interested in sports, jazz, theater, cinema and contemporary literature and was splendid conversationalist. He left Leyton, where he was School Captain in his final year, to go up to Bristol University, having won a scholarship to read English and Drama.
And although he appeared in many TV shows in Britain, he's probably best recognized as one of the bandits in the cult classic Robbery directed by Peter Yates.Ceorl- Michael Spice was born on 20 May 1931 in Croydon, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Hamlet (1961), Doctor Who (1963) and Six Days of Justice (1972). He was married to Polly Murch. He died on 2 November 1983 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, UK.Hama, Nazgul
- Eothain, Otho, Ruffian
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Martyn Read was born on 11 November 1944 in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Kavanagh QC (1995), The Darling Buds of May (1991) and The Sweeney (1975). He died on 25 September 2022 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK.Halbarad- Beregond, Black Rider, Guard
- Pauline Letts was born on 1 May 1917 in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Antony and Cleopatra (1951), Gawain and the Green Knight (1973) and Nicholas Nickleby (1977). She died on 25 June 2001 in Isleworth, Middlesex, England, UK.Ioreth
- Alexander John was born in 1932 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Sense and Sensibility (1995), The Orchard End Murder (1981) and A Dirty Knight's Work (1976). He died on 22 July 2002 in Paddington, London, England, UK.Gwaihir
- Donald Gee was born on 28 September 1937 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for 1990 (1977), Doctor Who (1963) and The Forsyte Saga (1967). He was married to Shirley Thieman. He died on 14 January 2022 in the United Kingdom.Radagast
- John Church is known for The Avengers (1961), She Stoops to Conquer (1956) and Adam Adamant Lives! (1966).Gaffer
- Gordon Reid was born on 6 September 1939 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Mansfield Park (1999), The Others (2001) and Doctor Who (1963). He died on 26 November 2003 in London, England, UK.Ted Sandyman, Snaga
- Kathryn Hurlbutt was born in 1958 in Birmingham, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Jupiter Moon (1990), Vote for Them (1989) and Casualty (1986).Rosie
- Leonard Fenton was born on 29 April 1926 in Stepney, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Shine on Harvey Moon (1982), EastEnders (1985) and A Legacy (1975). He was married to Madeline Thorner. He died on 29 January 2022 in England, UK.Daddy Twofoot
- John Bott was born on 28 March 1923 in Douglas, Isle of Man, UK. He was an actor, known for Orlando (1992), A Question of Guilt (1980) and United! (1965). He died on 3 May 1994 in Washington, USA.Farmer Maggot, Ruffian
- Diana Bishop is known for The Wednesday Play (1964), Coronation Street (1960) and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996).Lobelia
- Alan Dudley was born in 1925 in Greenwich, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Chariots of Fire (1981), Eleanor Marx (1977) and Beasts (1976). He died on 7 January 2013 in Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK.Farmer Cotton
- Sean Arnold was born on 30 April 1941 in Wickwar, Gloucestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Bergerac (1981), Great Expectations (1989) and The Caesars (1968). He died on 15 April 2020 in St Peter, Jersey, Channel Islands.Proudfoot, Orc
- Editor
- Director
- Cinematographer
Harry Holm is known for O Nefyn i Nairobi (2012) and Look Up and Wave Your Glove (2005).Elanor Gamgee- James Grout was born on 22 October 1927 in Edmonton, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Mother Love (1989), Inspector Morse (1987) and Born and Bred (1978). He was married to Noreen J. Fowler. He died on 24 June 2012 in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, UK.Barliman Butterbur
- Brian Haines was born on 9 May 1921 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955), The Avengers (1961) and ITV Play of the Week (1955). He was married to Joy Adamson. He died on 25 July 1991 in Brighton, Sussex, England, UK.Ugluk
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Probably best known as Moxy in the television series of Auf Wiedersen Pet he was born in Essex, educated in Canterbury then moved to Liverpool when he was 17. He made his stage debut in 1974 as Prince Henry in The Wisest Fool at the Civic Theatre in Darlington when as understudy he had to go on when the leading man was taken ill.Shagrat- David Sinclair was born on 19 May 1934 in Elham, Kent, England, UK. He was an actor, known for New Scotland Yard (1972), Dead of Night (1972) and My Partner the Ghost (1969). He died on 31 December 1996 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.Gorbag
- Graham Faulkner was born on 26 September 1947 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972), Dickens of London (1976) and Notorious Woman (1974).Deagol, Bill Ferny, Orc Captain
- Shelob Effects
- The Bard
- Music Department
- Actor
- Soundtrack
The Ambrosian Singers is known for Batman Begins (2005), Get Smart (2008) and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992).Singers