John Rhys - Davies - wikipedia John Rhys - Davies John Rhys - Davies Rhys - Davies at the 2014 Phoenix Comicon ( 1944 - 05 - 05 ) 5 May 1944 ( age 74 ) Salisbury, Wiltshire, England Alma mater Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Occupation Actor, voice artist, producer Years active 1969 -- present Spouse ( s ) Suzanne Wilkinson ( m. 1966 ; d. 2010 ) Partner ( s ) Lisa Manning ( 2004 -- present ) Children Signature John Rhys - Davies ( born 5 May 1944 ) is a Welsh actor and voice actor known for his portrayal of Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the charismatic excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films. He also played Agent Michael Malone in the 1993 remake of the 1950s television series The Untouchables, Pilot Vasco Rodrigues in the mini-series Shōgun, Professor Maximillian Arturo in Sliders, King Richard I in Robin of Sherwood, General Leonid Pushkin in the James Bond film The Living Daylights, and Macro in I, Claudius. Additionally, he provided the voices of Cassim in Disney 's Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Macbeth in Gargoyles, Man Ray in SpongeBob SquarePants, Hades in Justice League and Tobias in the computer game Freelancer. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 The Lord of the Rings trilogy 2.2 Voice work 3 Personal life 4 Political views 5 Filmography 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 5.3 Video games 6 Audio books 7 References 8 External links Early life John Rhys - Davies was born on 5 May 1944 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and was brought up there, in Tanganyika and in Ammanford, Wales. His mother, Phyllis Jones, was a nurse, and his father, Rhys Davies, was a mechanical engineer and colonial officer. In the early 1950s his family lived for several years in Kongwa, Dar es Salaam, Moshi and Mwanza, Tanzania, while his father was serving there as a colonial police officer. He was educated at Truro School and at the University of East Anglia where he was one of the first 105 students admitted, and where he founded the Dramatic Society. After teaching at Watton County Secondary School in Norfolk he won a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Career He appeared sporadically on UK television in the early 1970s including his role as the gangster Laughing Spam Fritter opposite Adam Faith in Budgie. Later he played Praetorian officer Naevius Sutorius Macro in I, Claudius. He then began to appear more frequently, and not just in the UK, with roles as a Portuguese navigator Rodrigues in the 1980 television miniseries Shogun, based on the novel by James Clavell, and in the Indiana Jones films. In 1989, Rhys - Davies also starred in another James Clavell adaption, Noble House, set in Hong Kong, in which he plays Ian Dunross ' corporate enemy, Quillian Gornt. He has since appeared in numerous television shows and miniseries, including Agent Michael Malone in the 1993 remake of the 1950s television series The Untouchables as well as a leading role in the television series Sliders as Professor Maximillian Arturo from 1995 to 1997. He also appeared in Reilly, Ace of Spies in 1983, made several appearances on Star Trek : Voyager as a holodeck version of Leonardo da Vinci, starred as an ally of James Bond in The Living Daylights and appeared in the film One Night with the King. Davies has played the character Porthos in two separate projects ; a two - part episode of The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne and the Hallmark Channel film La Femme Musketeer. He appears in the full motion video cut scenes of computer games including Ripper ( as Vigo Haman ) ( 1996 ), Dune 2000 ( as Noree Moneo ) ( 1998 ), and the Wing Commander series ( as James Taggart, doubling as the voice of Thrakhath nar Kiranka in the third game of the series ). In 2004, he narrated The Privileged Planet, a documentary that makes the case for intelligent design. In 2013 he appeared in the family history programme Coming Home, in which he discovered information about his grandfather 's life in the Carmarthenshire coal mines. In 2014, he joined the cast of the television show Metal Hurlant Chronicles to play Holgarth, an immortal alchemist. In 2015 he had a role in the single player campaign of the PC game Star Citizen alongside Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman. The work consists of full body Motion capture, including facial expressions and his voice and was recorded primarily at the Imaginarium studios in the UK. The Lord of the Rings trilogy He is also known for his popular portrayal of the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The cinematography of the films was aided in that Rhys - Davies is tall -- 6 ft 1 in ( 1.85 m ), compared to the actors playing hobbits at around 5 ft 6 in ( 1.68 m ). Therefore, although his character was supposed to be short, he was properly in proportion compared to the hobbit actors. Had he been of more similar height, shots of the entire fellowship would have required three camera passes rather than two. Rhys - Davies is the only one of the nine Fellowship of the Ring actors who did not receive a tattoo of the word `` nine '' written in the Tengwar script ; his stunt double, Brett Beattie, got the tattoo instead as Rhys - Davies was disinclined to get one himself. The other members of the cast -- Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, and Elijah Wood -- got the same tattoo. Rhys - Davies suffered severe reactions to the prosthetics used during filming, and his eyes sometimes swelled shut. When an interviewer asked him whether he would consider returning to the role for the film version of The Hobbit, he said, `` I 've already been asked and to be honest with you, I would n't. I have already completely ruled it out. There 's a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more. '' He added that this time around `` They 've got a different set of problems... because you 've got 13 dwarves, a whole band of them... You 're trying to represent a whole race... You 're trying to do for dwarves what ' The Lord of the Rings ' did for hobbits. '' Voice work In addition to voicing the Ent Treebeard in Lord of the Rings, Rhys - Davies has lent his distinctive voice to many video games and animated television series, including the role of Hades in Justice League and numerous times in Gargoyles ( 1994 -- 1996 ), as the character Macbeth. He also lent his vocal talents to the games Freelancer ( as Richard Winston Tobias ) and Lords of Everquest ( both in 2003 ) and the game Quest for Glory IV : Shadows of Darkness, which was released with his narration on a CD - ROM version in 1995. He also had a voice role on Baldur 's Gate : Dark Alliance as the character Jherek, and narrated a documentary called The Glory of Macedonia. John Rhys - Davies ' voice can be heard on the 2009 documentary Reclaiming The Blade. In the narration, Rhys - Davies explores swords, historical European swordsmanship and fight choreography on film, a topic very familiar to him from his experiences in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, where his character Gimli wielded an axe in many scenes. In 2004, he was the unknowing subject of an internet prank that spread false rumours in several mainstream media sources that he was scheduled to play the role of General Grievous in Star Wars Episode III. Rhys - Davies is the narrator of The Truth & Life Dramatized audio New Testament Bible, a 22 - hour, celebrity - voiced, fully dramatised audiobook version of the New Testament which uses the Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition translation. In 2011, he presented KJB : The Book That Changed The World, which features him reading diverse snippets from the King James Version. John Rhys - Davies ' voice work also includes voice - over work with Breathe Bible. In 2016, he provided spoken words for Voices of Fire, the sixth album by a cappella power metal band van Canto. A resident of the Isle of Man since 1988, John Rhys - Davies provides the introductory voice - over to the Island 's Castle Rushen, one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in Britain. In 2018 he leant his voice to the Isle of Man 's tourism commercial. Personal life Rhys - Davies married Suzanne Wilkinson in December 1966. They had two sons. Although they separated in 1985, they remained married until her death in 2010 from Alzheimer 's disease. He remained close to her and took care of her until she died. In 2004, he began living with Lisa Manning. They have a daughter. Political views Rhys - Davies in an autograph session in Sweden Rhys - Davies is not a member of any political party. As a university student in the 1960s, he had been a radical leftist, but changed his views when he went to heckle a young local member of parliament, Margaret Thatcher. Rhys - Davies says that `` she shot down the first two hecklers in such brilliant fashion that I decided I ought for once to shut up and listen ''. In 2004, Rhys - Davies stated the following in a controversial interview with a Welsh news website about the Muslim population, stating : There is a demographic catastrophe happening in Europe that nobody wants to talk about, that we dare n't bring up because we are so cagey about not offending people racially. And rightly we should be. But there is a cultural thing as well. By 2020, 50 percent of the children in Holland under the age of 18 will be of Muslim descent. His comments were endorsed by the British National Party. Rhys - Davies commented that the BNP was so insignificant in numbers that it `` could do no harm '' yet stating it was `` distressing to find yourself on a BNP leaflet ''. He was also endorsed in a National Vanguard editorial. In an interview with the conservative journal National Review, he clarified that he is opposed to Islamic extremism precisely because he feels that it violates the `` Western values '' of equality, democracy, tolerance and the abolition of slavery. Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1973 Penny Gold Rugby Player The Black Windmill Fake Military Policeman Uncredited The Naked Civil Servant Barndoor 1979 A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Solicitor 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark Sallah 1982 Best Revenge Mustapha Ivanhoe Front de Bœuf Victor / Victoria Andre Cassell The Island of Adventure Smith Sahara Rasoul Sadat Gamal Abdel Nasser 1984 Sword of the Valiant Baron Fortinbras Kim Babu 1985 King Solomon 's Mines Dogati 1986 Firewalker Corky Taylor The Living Daylights General Leonid Pushkin 1988 Waxwork Werewolf 1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Sallah Rising Storm Donwaldo 1991 The Unnamable Returns 1992 The Double 0 Kid Rudi Von Kseenbaum The Lost World Challenger Return to the Lost World Challenger 1993 Sunset Grill Stockton Cyborg Cop Kessel The Seventh Coin Captain Galil The Unnamable II : The Statement of Randolph Carter Professor Warren 1994 The High Crusade Bruder Parvus The Great White Hype Johnny Windsor Glory Daze Luther Aladdin and the King of Thieves Cassim Voice Direct - to - video Marquis de Sade Inspector Marais 1997 Cats Do n't Dance Woolie the Mammoth Voice Bloodsport III Jacques Duvalier 1999 Secret of the Andes Father Claver 2000 Britannic Captain Barrett TV Movie Sinbad : Beyond the Veil of Mists King Akron / Baraka Voice The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring Gimli Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated -- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Never Say Never Mind : The Swedish Bikini Team Hakim 2002 Sabretooth Anthony Bricklin The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers Gimli / Voice of Treebeard Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated -- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Endangered Species Police Lt. Wyznowski Scorcher Dr. Matthew Sallin 2003 Coronado Presidente Hugo Luis Ramos The Jungle Book 2 Ranjan 's father Voice The Medallion Cmdr. Hammerstock - Smythe The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King Gimli / Voice of Treebeard Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated -- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast 12 Days of Terror Captain The Princess Diaries 2 : Royal Engagement Viscount Mabrey La Femme Musketeer Porthos The Lost Angel Father Kevin The Privileged Planet Narrator 2005 The Game of Their Lives Bill Jeffrey Chupacabra : Dark Seas Captain Randolph The King Maker Phillippe 2006 Shark Bait Thorton English Dub One Night with the King Mordecai The Legend of Sasquatch Ranger Steve Voice 2007 In the Name of the King : A Dungeon Siege Tale Merick The Ferryman The Greek Catching Kringle Santa Voice 2009 Reclaiming the Blade Narrator 31 North 62 East John Hammond Medium Raw : Night of the Wolf Elliot Carbon TV Movie Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes Dr. Watson Voice Direct - to - video 2011 KJB : The Book That Changed the World Sophie and Sheba Ferocious Planet Senator Jackson Crenshaw 2012 Escape Malcolm Andrews 2013 100 Degrees Below Zero Ralph Dillard Scooby - Doo ! Adventures : The Mystery Map Gnarlybeard Voice Direct - to - video Prisoners of the Sun Prof. Hayden Masterton 2014 Apocalypse Pompeii Colonel Dillard Saul : The Journey to Damascus Caiphas The Prophet Yousef Voice 2015 Beyond the Mask Charles Kemp Television Year Title Role Notes Fall of Eagles Zinoviev The Sweeney Ron Brett Episode : `` Poppy '' ( Season 2, episode 8 ) 1976 I, Claudius Macro Episodes 8 and 9 1977 Ivor Griffith Episode : `` William and the Wonderful Present '' 1980 BBC Television Shakespeare Salerio The Merchant of Venice 1980 Shōgun Vasco Rodrigues Miniseries Nominated -- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie 1982 CHiPs Nakura Season 5, episode 27 1982 Ivanhoe Front - de-Boeuf Reilly, Ace of Spies Tanyatos 1984 Robin of Sherwood King Richard Series 1, episode 6 `` The King 's Fool '' 1984 Scarecrow and Mrs. King Lord Bromfield Season 2, episode 8 `` Affair at Bromfield Hall '' Marjorie and the Preacher Man Seymour Television Drama 1988 - 1994 Murder, She Wrote Harry Mordecai / Harry Waverly / Lancaster 3 episodes ( he played different characters ) 1988 Noble House Quillan Gornt Miniseries 1988 War and Remembrance Sammy Mutterperl Miniseries 1989 The Trial of the Incredible Hulk Wilson Fisk TV film 1991 Great Expectations Joe Gargery 1991 The Mystery of the Black Jungle O'Connor Miniseries 1991 Tales from the Crypt Duval Episode : `` Dead Wait '' 1992 Batman : The Animated Series ' Baron ' Waclaw Jozek ( voice ) Episode : `` The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy '' 1992 Archaeology Himself Voyages of the Vikings 1992 Ring of the Musketeers Maurice Treville TV movie 1992 - 1993 The Legend of Prince Valiant King Hugo, King Donovan ( voice ) 8 episodes 1993 -- 1994 The Untouchables Agent Michael Malone 15 episodes 1994 A Flintstones Christmas Carol Charles Brickens ( voice ) Television special 1995 -- 1997 Sliders Prof. Maximillian Arturo 40 episodes 1995 Fantastic Four Thor ( voice ) 2 episodes ; Season 2, episodes 6 and 8 The Incredible Hulk Episode : `` Mortal Bounds '' 1995 - 1996 Gargoyles Macbeth ( voice ) 13 episodes Boo to You Too ! Winnie the Pooh Narrator Halloween television special Mortal Kombat : Defenders of the Realm Asgarth ( voice ) Episode : `` Overthrown '' 1997 You Wish Madman Mustapha 3 episodes 1997 Star Trek : Voyager Leonardo da Vinci 2 episodes 1999 Au Pair Nigel Kent Television film 2002 Justice League Hades ( voice ) Episode : `` Paradise Lost '' Parts 1 & 2 2002 The Zeta Project Edgar Mandragora ( voice ) Episode : `` Ro 's Gift '' 2000 - 2002 SpongeBob SquarePants Man Ray ( voice ) 2 Episodes 2002 Fillmore ! Lenny ( voice ) Episode : `` Ingrid Third, Public Enemy # 1 '' 2003 Helen of Troy King Priam Miniseries Dragon Storm King Fastrad Television film 2005 Revelations ( Omnium Finis Imminet ) Professor Jonah Lampley Miniseries 2006 Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go ! Captain Proteus ( voice ) Episode : `` Demon of the Deep '' 2008 Anaconda 3 : Offspring J.D. Murdoch Television film 2008 Fire & Ice : The Dragon Chronicles Sangimel Television film 2009 Dark Days in Monkey City Narrator 3 episodes 2009 Anacondas : Trail of Blood J.D. Murdoch Television film 2009 Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire Grimshank 3 episodes Legend of the Seeker Horace Episode : `` Vengeance '' Three Wise Women Archangel Green 2012 Psych Museum Curator Season 6, episode 10 2014 Let The Season In Narrator Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert Special ( filmed 2013 ) 2014 Once Upon a Time Grand Pabbie Voice / Season 4, Episodes 1, 6, 7 2015 Killing Jesus Annas 2015 The Adventures of Puss in Boots Goodsword ( voice ) Episode : `` Sword '' 2016 The Shannara Chronicles Eventine Elessedil Regular 2016 The Lion Guard King Sokwe ( voice ) Season 1, episode 22 `` The Lost Gorillas '' Video games Year Title Role Notes 1993 Quest for Glory : Shadows of Darkness Narrator Voice 1994 Wing Commander III : Heart of the Tiger Gen. James ' Paladin ' Taggart / Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka Voice Wing Commander IV : The Price of Freedom Senator James ' Paladin ' Taggart Voice Ripper Vigo Haman Actor 1998 Dune 2000 Noree Moneo Actor 2003 Freelancer Richard Winston Tobias Voice 2015 Lego Dimensions Gimli Voice 2016 Star Citizen Graves Voice Audio books Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince The Trials of Saint Patrick The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty : In the Reign of Terror Affabel : Window of Eternity Rescued References Jump up ^ `` Hollywood actor John Rhys - Davies : ' I 'm very proud of being a Welshman ' ''. Wales Online. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Jump up ^ `` John Rhys - Davies Biography ( 1944 -- ) ''. filmreference.com. Retrieved 27 May 2009. Jump up ^ `` John Rhys - Davis ''. nTZ. Retrieved 27 May 2009. Jump up ^ `` The Privileged Planet : John Rhys - Davies, Lad Allen : Movies & TV ''. Amazon.com. Retrieved 30 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` BBC One -- Coming Home, Series 8, John Rhys - Davies ''. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Exclu : de nouvelles photos de la saison 2 de `` Metal Hurlant '' ( PHOTOS ) ``. AlloCiné. Retrieved 2 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Star Citizen features Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Mark Hamill ''. PC Gamer. Retrieved 30 November 2015. Jump up ^ Mackintosh, + Kieran. `` Video Shows How Star Citizen intends to Use Motion Capture ''. Load the Game. Retrieved 30 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` John Rhys - Davies celebrity ''. Mooviees. Retrieved 27 May 2009. Jump up ^ Fellowship of the Rings Extended Edition DVD Jump up ^ `` You think I 'm going to be tattooed by some drunken Maori with a dirty needle ? Think again. If I had a bloody tattoo for every film I 'd done, I 'd be a walking billboard ''. Metro.co.uk. Jump up ^ `` John Rhys - Davies Signs on as Narrator ''. Reclaiming the Blade. Retrieved 30 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` John Rhys - Davies in Star Wars Episode III : A Grievous Media Hoax ''. The Rubber Chicken. Archived from the original on 6 August 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009. Jump up ^ John Rhys - Davies, Narrator BreatheBible.com Retrieved September 19, 2017 Jump up ^ `` Van Canto : Audio Samples Of Entire ' Voices Of Fire ' Album ''. Blabbermouth.net. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016. Jump up ^ https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/john-rhys-davies-tells-familys-alzheimers-2101366 Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Archived 23 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : Ballinger, Lucy ( 18 January 2004 ). `` Welsh star in race row ''. Wales on Sunday. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2009. Jump up ^ BNP, Gimli battles for the West Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. ( ) Jump up ^ BNP, `` Stand, men of the West '' Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. ( ), `` BNP Leaflet '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 19. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ Camberly, Neil ( 7 January 2004 ). `` The Lord of the Rings ' GIMLI speaks up for the West ''. National Vanguard. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2009. Jump up ^ Leigh, Andrew. `` No Sean Penn ''. National Review. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009. Jump up ^ Beyond the Mask - Official Website, January 2015. Jump up ^ `` The King 's Fool ''. BFI Film Forever. British Film Institute. Retrieved 7 April 2014. Jump up ^ `` Marjorie and the Preacherman ( 1987 ) BFI ''. Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` YouTube ''. www.youtube.com. Jump up ^ `` Holdings : The Voyages of the Vikings - York University Libraries ''. www.library.yorku.ca. Jump up ^ `` IMDB ''. www.imdb.com. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Rhys - Davies. Wikiquote has quotations related to : John Rhys - Davies John Rhys - Davies on IMDb Article about controversial statements 18 January 2004 Andrew Leigh, `` No Sean Penn ''. National Review. 5 March 2004. BNE : XX1679181 BNF : cb139878011 ( data ) GND : 128957638 ISNI : 0000 0001 1773 3719 LCCN : nr96011677 SNAC : w6kp8xtz VIAF : 86479705 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Rhys-Davies&oldid=854384822 '' Categories : 20th - century Welsh male actors 21st - century Welsh male actors 1944 births People educated at Truro School Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Alumni of the University of East Anglia Living people Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Salisbury People from Carmarthenshire Welsh male film actors Welsh male television actors Welsh male stage actors Welsh male voice actors Welsh male video game actors People from Ammanford People from Watton, Norfolk Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Use British English from January 2014 Use dmy dates from December 2015 Biography with signature Infobox person using alma mater Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Български Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Қазақша Kreyòl ayisyen Кыргызча Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Українська 中文 29 more Edit links This page was last edited on 10 August 2018, at 23 : 27 ( UTC ). 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Question: who plays gimli in lord of the rings
Answer: John Rhys-Davies