John Rhys-Davies gives supporting parts a deep, rough voice and a firm physical presence. We value what he brings to an ensemble, but recognition alone is a poor reason to bring him back.
Fi1m perspective
The deep, raspy voice makes John Rhys-Davies easy to pick out in a crowded cast. As Gimli in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), he gives the company a solid, reassuring presence. We rate him most highly when a director allows him time to become part of the group. He has the physical weight to remain noticeable without being the centre of every scene. The danger comes when a film asks for nothing beyond our recognising him.
The film breakthrough was Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), in which he played Sallah. Television offered a larger part in Sliders (1995), as Professor Maximillian Arturo. Jackson then gave him both Gimli and the voice of Treebeard across The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03). Treebeard in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) is a useful reminder of how much character he can supply through his voice alone. That work deserves attention alongside the familiar supporting appearances.
Jackson’s films also show how much a supporting actor can contribute while leaving the most moving scenes to others. We were moved by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), because Elijah Wood and Sean Astin keep the vast battles from taking over. Rhys-Davies belongs in that ensemble without being asked to carry its deepest feeling. We would still trim several stretches of the finale, and the fighting in The Fellowship of the Ring sometimes crowds out the people. Giving these actors space matters more than finding another battle for them.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) barely gives his returning Sallah time to register. James Mangold gets a fine, weary performance from Harrison Ford, but Rhys-Davies is there for little longer than it takes to recognise him. We cannot fault an actor for being given too little to do. A film running for 155 minutes, with so many of them devoted to chases, has less excuse for neglecting him. For Rhys-Davies with a proper place in an ensemble, start with The Fellowship of the Ring.
Biography
John Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor. Born on 5 May 1944 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, he was raised partly in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and Ammanford, Wales. He studied at the University of East Anglia, where he co-founded the dramatic society, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1969.
He is known for playing Sallah in the Indiana Jones films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), and Gimli (and voicing Treebeard) in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003). Other roles include Professor Maximillian Arturo in the television series Sliders (1995–1997), Macro in I, Claudius (1976) and General Leonid Pushkin in The Living Daylights (1987). He has also worked extensively in voice acting for animation and video games.
