Actor John Rhys-Davies is known for his role as Gimli, the dwarf warrior in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The loud-mouthed elf hater is played to perfection by the Welsh actor in the fantasy-adventure films. Rhys-Davies was nominated along with the rest of the cast for the Screen Actors Guild Award and won for The Return of the King.
While the actor has played other roles in his career, he is also most well-known for playing Sallah, the Egyptian friend of Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones films. Rhys-Davies was reportedly not the first choice for the role and the description reportedly needed a much shorter person. However, Rhys-Davies’ remark reportedly led Spielberg to change the character to suit the actor.
John Rhys-Davies Was Not The First Choice To Play Sallah In Indiana Jones A still from Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones: Raiders of the...
While the actor has played other roles in his career, he is also most well-known for playing Sallah, the Egyptian friend of Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones films. Rhys-Davies was reportedly not the first choice for the role and the description reportedly needed a much shorter person. However, Rhys-Davies’ remark reportedly led Spielberg to change the character to suit the actor.
John Rhys-Davies Was Not The First Choice To Play Sallah In Indiana Jones A still from Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones: Raiders of the...
- 4/30/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
It used to be said that every movie, no matter how badly it did at the box office or critically, went to heaven. Heaven, of course, meant physical media. First, it was VHS, then it was Laserdisc, then DVD, Blu-ray, and now 4K Blu-rays; every movie would get some kind of physical media release. After all, rentals and sales were important to a film’s profitability. In fact, some movies that tanked theatrically did so well on DVD that they became perennials, such as Donnie Darko or The Transporter, with the DVD sales of that movie directly influencing the studio to greenlight a sequel and give Jason Statham a legit career as an action star. Yet, despite physical media making a comeback, it’s worth noting that some of the most popular movies in recent memory have never gotten a physical media release. And we’re not only talking about...
- 4/27/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: British award-winning writer and director Robert Icke has signed with CAA.
Icke, who has worked in theater, television, and film, won the Olivier Award in 2016 for his production and adaptation of Oresteia, making him the youngest person to ever win the award. He also won the Evening Standard Best Director Award for the production, and three years later again won that award for his productions of The Wild Duck and his adaptation of The Doctor.
Icke directed Hamlet, starring client Andrew Scott, at the Almeida and on the West End in 2017 and at New York’s Park Avenue Armory in 2022.
He is set to direct Sir Ian McKellen this spring in the West End’s Player Kings, Icke’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. McKellen will play Falstaff.
Icke also is set to direct a production of Oedipus, starring Mark Strong and Lesley Manville, in...
Icke, who has worked in theater, television, and film, won the Olivier Award in 2016 for his production and adaptation of Oresteia, making him the youngest person to ever win the award. He also won the Evening Standard Best Director Award for the production, and three years later again won that award for his productions of The Wild Duck and his adaptation of The Doctor.
Icke directed Hamlet, starring client Andrew Scott, at the Almeida and on the West End in 2017 and at New York’s Park Avenue Armory in 2022.
He is set to direct Sir Ian McKellen this spring in the West End’s Player Kings, Icke’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. McKellen will play Falstaff.
Icke also is set to direct a production of Oedipus, starring Mark Strong and Lesley Manville, in...
- 1/30/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Veteran British actor known for his many and varied film, TV and stage roles in a career that spanned more than 70 years
There was something grand, large, embracing about the actor Joss Ackland, who has died aged 95. He was a fixture in British films for several decades and a stalwart of the Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company – he played Falstaff in the opening RSC production of Henry IV, Parts One and Two, in the new Barbican Centre in 1982 – and the West End stage.
He appeared in more than 100 films, and countless TV plays and series, usually, in later years, white-haired and bearded, but always with energy and force, whether as the cuckolded husband, Jock Delves Broughton, in Michael Radford’s White Mischief (1987) with Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance, or as the drug-running heavy in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.
There was something grand, large, embracing about the actor Joss Ackland, who has died aged 95. He was a fixture in British films for several decades and a stalwart of the Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company – he played Falstaff in the opening RSC production of Henry IV, Parts One and Two, in the new Barbican Centre in 1982 – and the West End stage.
He appeared in more than 100 films, and countless TV plays and series, usually, in later years, white-haired and bearded, but always with energy and force, whether as the cuckolded husband, Jock Delves Broughton, in Michael Radford’s White Mischief (1987) with Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance, or as the drug-running heavy in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.
- 11/20/2023
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Joss Ackland, the British actor known for Lethal Weapon 2, Mighty Ducks and White Mischief, has died. He was 95.
Ackland died peacefully of old age, surrounded by his family Sunday morning, his longtime rep and friend Paul Pearson told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was lucid, erudite and mischievous to the end,” the rep added. “I loved him deeply, and, for me, he is the reason we have the word Magnificent in the dictionary.”
The actor was described as a “beloved father,” in a family statement obtained by BBC. It read, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
In addition to his film roles in Lethal Weapon 2, Mighty Ducks and White Mischief, Ackland was known for parts in The Hunt for Red October, Daisies in December...
Ackland died peacefully of old age, surrounded by his family Sunday morning, his longtime rep and friend Paul Pearson told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was lucid, erudite and mischievous to the end,” the rep added. “I loved him deeply, and, for me, he is the reason we have the word Magnificent in the dictionary.”
The actor was described as a “beloved father,” in a family statement obtained by BBC. It read, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
In addition to his film roles in Lethal Weapon 2, Mighty Ducks and White Mischief, Ackland was known for parts in The Hunt for Red October, Daisies in December...
- 11/20/2023
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If one were to broadly characterize each "Star Trek" show into a small handful of themes, one might say that the original "Star Trek" from 1966 is about bravery and balance. The characters are presented as bold — if not clumsy — frontiersman, frequently relying on their instincts and their brash confidence to escape difficult situations. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) often employs clever military tactics to outwit enemies. At the same time, he relies on the advice from his cold, emotionless first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) just as much as he relies on the passionate, angered responses of his very human medical officer Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley).
In contrast, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is about the power of intellect, the importance of management skills, and the eternal solution of diplomacy. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) often asks for input from his entire senior staff, stands somewhat aloof, and celebrates ancient literature. Only occasionally...
In contrast, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is about the power of intellect, the importance of management skills, and the eternal solution of diplomacy. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) often asks for input from his entire senior staff, stands somewhat aloof, and celebrates ancient literature. Only occasionally...
- 11/6/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Graphic: Images: IMDBCoriolanus (2014)
Caius Martius Coriolanus is a war hero, banished from his home, seeking to come back.
Rating: 8.5/10
Stars: Tom Hiddleston (Caius Martius Coriolanus), Rochenda Sandall (First Citizen), Mark Stanley (Second Citizen), Dwane Walcott (Third Citizen), Mark Gatiss (Menenius)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins.
Caius Martius Coriolanus is a war hero, banished from his home, seeking to come back.
Rating: 8.5/10
Stars: Tom Hiddleston (Caius Martius Coriolanus), Rochenda Sandall (First Citizen), Mark Stanley (Second Citizen), Dwane Walcott (Third Citizen), Mark Gatiss (Menenius)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins.
- 10/28/2023
- avclub.com
Although they both established themselves as leading summer-shed troubadours of the Seventies, Jimmy Buffett and James Taylor seemed to live in different parts of a harbor: Buffett the effusive showman, Taylor the introspective loner. In fact, the two had more in common than anyone would have expected. Both were sailors, and both (as Buffett joked in a recent tribute to Taylor) dealt with early fame, receding hairlines and getting healthy in later life. The two shared stages together and collaborated in the studio on a few of each other’s records.
- 9/3/2023
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
It's been said before, it'll be said again: so much of casting involves typecasting, where an actor lands a part not just for their ability but for their looks and overall vibe. Many's the occasion where a director has picked an actor for a role after just holding a general meeting with them or even after seeing them merely walk into an audition room.
Of course, for the actor, this can be a double-edged sword. Actors need to work, no doubt, yet they also want to be fulfilled by the work and not feel like they're doing the same thing over and over again. One such actor was the late Robbie Coltrane, who began his career proving his versatility on stage as well as in the alternative comedy series "The Comic Strip Presents." That versatility led to further roles in film and television, particularly as characters who were highly colorful; in other words,...
Of course, for the actor, this can be a double-edged sword. Actors need to work, no doubt, yet they also want to be fulfilled by the work and not feel like they're doing the same thing over and over again. One such actor was the late Robbie Coltrane, who began his career proving his versatility on stage as well as in the alternative comedy series "The Comic Strip Presents." That versatility led to further roles in film and television, particularly as characters who were highly colorful; in other words,...
- 8/27/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Michael Boyd, who revived the fortunes of the Royal Shakespeare Company as its artistic director, died today of cancer, his family announced. He was 68.
Boyd replaced RSC predecessor Adrian Noble in 2003, departing nine years later. In 2012, he was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honors for services to drama. Many felt that he was being rewarded for keeping the RSC intact.
Noble came under attack from all quarters for shifting the company from its London base and for revealing plans to have the RSC theater in Stratford-upon-Avon demolished.
During his tenure, however, Boyd led the organization’s successful transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford, a $179.3 million project that won a 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects award and was shortlisted for the Riba Stirling Prize.
But it was in a rehearsal room with actors where Boyd made his mark.
Working with Toby Stephens, who was playing the title role in Hamlet,...
Boyd replaced RSC predecessor Adrian Noble in 2003, departing nine years later. In 2012, he was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honors for services to drama. Many felt that he was being rewarded for keeping the RSC intact.
Noble came under attack from all quarters for shifting the company from its London base and for revealing plans to have the RSC theater in Stratford-upon-Avon demolished.
During his tenure, however, Boyd led the organization’s successful transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford, a $179.3 million project that won a 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects award and was shortlisted for the Riba Stirling Prize.
But it was in a rehearsal room with actors where Boyd made his mark.
Working with Toby Stephens, who was playing the title role in Hamlet,...
- 8/4/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Icy rejection in Welles’s Chimes at Midnight, Chalamet stripped to the waist, a swaggering Chris Hemsworth – which will Charles channel on Saturday?
On the morning of Saturday 6 May, King Charles III will waken to the realisation that this is the day which he has anticipated, or perhaps dreaded, all his life. Yet there is no reason to suppose he will be nervous. He is a veteran of royal occasions by the thousand and, specifically, his own two weddings which he experienced at the ages of 32 and then 56; perhaps he once imagined his coronation would happen sometime between these two. Now he is 74 and, if anything will cloud the experience for him, it might be the memories of his parents’ recent (and comparably momentous) funerals.
But how do we imagine he will feel about his role in this sumptuous ritual which is in its way a survival from Britain’s pre-Reformation Catholic past?...
On the morning of Saturday 6 May, King Charles III will waken to the realisation that this is the day which he has anticipated, or perhaps dreaded, all his life. Yet there is no reason to suppose he will be nervous. He is a veteran of royal occasions by the thousand and, specifically, his own two weddings which he experienced at the ages of 32 and then 56; perhaps he once imagined his coronation would happen sometime between these two. Now he is 74 and, if anything will cloud the experience for him, it might be the memories of his parents’ recent (and comparably momentous) funerals.
But how do we imagine he will feel about his role in this sumptuous ritual which is in its way a survival from Britain’s pre-Reformation Catholic past?...
- 5/4/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
This post contains spoilers for "Succession" season 4 up to episode 3, "Connor's Wedding."
There aren't a lot of characters as powerful, compelling, and morally complex as Logan Roy. The Murdoch-like media mogul has left a gaping hole at the head of the table in the fourth and final season of "Succession," and the loss has made Logan's incomparable nature all the more clear. To find other men like Logan Roy, one has to delve into the works of another unparalleled figure: William Shakespeare. Critics have not shied away from comparing the American titan to formidable kings from classic literature, and neither does Brian Cox, whose portrayal of Logan has twice been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Cox got his start in the theater and has both starred in and directed Shakespeare's plays (he even wrote a book about it). He has a knack for playing tragic villains, from Macbeth to King Lear,...
There aren't a lot of characters as powerful, compelling, and morally complex as Logan Roy. The Murdoch-like media mogul has left a gaping hole at the head of the table in the fourth and final season of "Succession," and the loss has made Logan's incomparable nature all the more clear. To find other men like Logan Roy, one has to delve into the works of another unparalleled figure: William Shakespeare. Critics have not shied away from comparing the American titan to formidable kings from classic literature, and neither does Brian Cox, whose portrayal of Logan has twice been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Cox got his start in the theater and has both starred in and directed Shakespeare's plays (he even wrote a book about it). He has a knack for playing tragic villains, from Macbeth to King Lear,...
- 4/16/2023
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
When Samuel D. Hunter met Darren Aronofsky to talk about the possibility of turning his Off-Broadway play “The Whale” into a movie, he found himself face-to-face with Russell Crowe…kind of. Aronofsky, you see, was deep into the editing of “Noah,” his 2014 biblical epic, when he first broached the idea of collaborating with the playwright.
“It was a little intimidating to have Russell Crowe staring down at me from this giant screen,” Hunter remembers. “It was kind of hard to play attention.”
The two projects could not have been different in size and scope. One was a massive studio production featuring fantastical settings, the other is a low-budget affair that unfolds entirely in a two-bedroom apartment. But Aronofsky thought there was something cinematic about the story of Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a morbidly obese man who makes a living teaching online college courses and who desperately wants to reconnect with his...
“It was a little intimidating to have Russell Crowe staring down at me from this giant screen,” Hunter remembers. “It was kind of hard to play attention.”
The two projects could not have been different in size and scope. One was a massive studio production featuring fantastical settings, the other is a low-budget affair that unfolds entirely in a two-bedroom apartment. But Aronofsky thought there was something cinematic about the story of Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a morbidly obese man who makes a living teaching online college courses and who desperately wants to reconnect with his...
- 1/17/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Gregory Itzin, who played the U.S. president in Fox’s hit series 24, died today due to complications during an emergency surgery. He was 74.
His death was announced by his son, the actor Wilke Itzin.
According to a family statement, Itzin suffered a major heart attack while onstage performing Shakespeare, as Falstaff, in 2015, and “came back only to continue to thrive in theatre, film and tv.”
“It is with an incredibly heavy heart to announce that my father Gregory Martin Itzin has passed on,” Wilke Itzin wrote on Instagram. (See the full post below).
“My friend Greg Itzin passed away today,” Cassar wrote on Twitter. “He was one of the most talented actors I had the honor to work with but more than that he was an all around great guy. He’ll be missed by his 24 family who had nothing but love & respect for him. You made your mark,...
His death was announced by his son, the actor Wilke Itzin.
According to a family statement, Itzin suffered a major heart attack while onstage performing Shakespeare, as Falstaff, in 2015, and “came back only to continue to thrive in theatre, film and tv.”
“It is with an incredibly heavy heart to announce that my father Gregory Martin Itzin has passed on,” Wilke Itzin wrote on Instagram. (See the full post below).
“My friend Greg Itzin passed away today,” Cassar wrote on Twitter. “He was one of the most talented actors I had the honor to work with but more than that he was an all around great guy. He’ll be missed by his 24 family who had nothing but love & respect for him. You made your mark,...
- 7/8/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
With electrifying performances from Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker, Baz Luhrmann’s whirlwind biopic is cinematic dynamite
From an opening that cheekily evokes the dropped snow globe of Citizen Kane to an Unchained Melody finale that had me crying in the chapel, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is a turned-up-to-11 treat. This blistering pop biopic combines the kinetic musical madness of Moulin Rouge! with the turbo-charged irreverence of The Great Gatsby, the Shakespearian tragedy of Romeo+Juliet (with an added touch of Falstaff and Prince Hal) and the “what-all-of-it!?” ambition of Australia. It’s a riotously audacious work, a kaleidoscopic portrait of the king of rock’n’roll and his puppet-master promoter, the latter of whom narrates the story (like Salieri in Amadeus) and who tells his money-spinning client: “We are the same, you and I – two odd, lonely children, reaching for eternity.”
“Without me there would be no Elvis Presley,...
From an opening that cheekily evokes the dropped snow globe of Citizen Kane to an Unchained Melody finale that had me crying in the chapel, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is a turned-up-to-11 treat. This blistering pop biopic combines the kinetic musical madness of Moulin Rouge! with the turbo-charged irreverence of The Great Gatsby, the Shakespearian tragedy of Romeo+Juliet (with an added touch of Falstaff and Prince Hal) and the “what-all-of-it!?” ambition of Australia. It’s a riotously audacious work, a kaleidoscopic portrait of the king of rock’n’roll and his puppet-master promoter, the latter of whom narrates the story (like Salieri in Amadeus) and who tells his money-spinning client: “We are the same, you and I – two odd, lonely children, reaching for eternity.”
“Without me there would be no Elvis Presley,...
- 6/26/2022
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Tom Hanks Says Baz Luhrmann Pitched ‘Elvis’ as Shakespeare with ‘Millions of Dollars Thrown Into It’
Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” is sure to be one of the more polarizing music biopics ever, with its flashy trailers generating plenty of discourse in recent months. While much of the discussion has centered around the Australian director’s famously maximalist style, much attention has also been paid to Tom Hanks. The “Forrest Gump” star dons a fat suit and utilizes an unfamiliar accent to play Elvis Presley’s infamous manager, Colonel Tom Parker, prompting plenty of strong opinions about his performance.
In a new interview with EW, Hanks opened up about the research he did about the shadowy power broker and what ultimately convinced him to make the movie. The actor said that he was interested in the codependent role that the two men had, and the way their intense business relationship ultimately shaped American culture.
“Baz said, ‘There would’ve been no Colonel Tom Parker without Elvis. And...
In a new interview with EW, Hanks opened up about the research he did about the shadowy power broker and what ultimately convinced him to make the movie. The actor said that he was interested in the codependent role that the two men had, and the way their intense business relationship ultimately shaped American culture.
“Baz said, ‘There would’ve been no Colonel Tom Parker without Elvis. And...
- 6/25/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
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