John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor known for portraying Sallah in the Indiana Jones franchise and Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He has received three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, with one win, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
For the priest, see John Rhys Davies (priest).
John Rhys-Davies
5 May 1944
Actor
1964–present
Lisa Manning (2004–present)
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Rhys-Davies is also known for his performances in the films Victor/Victoria (1982), The Living Daylights (1987), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), Aquaman (2018) and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). He is also known for his extensive voice work including Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), Gargoyles (1995–1996), and SpongeBob SquarePants (2000–2002).
He also gained acclaim for his television roles as Macro in I, Claudius (1976), Vasco Rodrigues in Shōgun (1980), and Michael Malone in The Untouchables (1993). From 1995 to 1997 he portrayed Professor Maximillian Arturo in Sliders.
Early life[edit]
John Rhys-Davies was born in Salisbury on 5 May 1944,[1] the son of Welsh parents. His mother, Phyllis Jones, was a nurse, while his father, Rhys Davies, was a mechanical engineer and colonial officer.[2]
Due to his father's work as a colonial police officer, he was raised in Tanganyika (today part of Tanzania) before his family moved to the Welsh town of Ammanford.[1] While in Tanganyika, his family lived in places such as Dar es Salaam, Kongwa, Moshi, and Mwanza. He was educated at independent Truro School in Cornwall and then at the University of East Anglia, where he was one of the first 105 students admitted and became a co-founder of its drama club. After a stint teaching at a secondary school in Watton, Norfolk, he won a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
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