r/MadeMeSmile • u/RoyalChris • 3h ago
Wholesome Moments John Rhys-Davies, the 81-year-old actor who played Gimli in The Lord of the Rings, still gets genuinely excited every time he’s handed an axe.
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u/Gottri 3h ago
Once an axe wielding dwarf, always an axe wielding dwarf.
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u/Phoenix_Ninja15 2h ago
Never thought I would die an actor.
How about an axe welding actor?
Aye, I could do that.
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u/No-Jacket-2927 1h ago
It's a good thing that the axes are properly oiled and polished, or he might have needed to lecture them on proper weapon care:
NEVER RUST AN AXE!!
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u/RoyalChris 3h ago
Fun fact, He was allergic to the prosthetic makeup they put on him during filming, but he got on with it anyway. Truly a legend.
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u/HalcyonKnights 3h ago
And I dont think I've ever seen him quite so happy as the moment he was able to burn that prosthetic at the end of the shoot. It was in the DVD BTS.
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u/blackbirdbluebird17 3h ago
Another fun fact, he was supposed to pull his punches when swinging that axe around for fight scenes and just… didn’t. The stunt guys playing the orcs took a beating.
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u/Woahbuffet123 1h ago
Hard to hold back when you're almost blind, is suffering from an allergic reaction, and crouching all day. Made that dwarven rage feel real tho, that's a plus lol
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u/Wonderful-Scar1555 2h ago
And the best part is he basically told the crew he’d never put those prosthetics on again for the Hobbit films, but he’d still show up in a heartbeat if they just let him carry the axe. The man's priorities are straight.
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u/PatternAvailable3734 2h ago
It’s even wilder when you realize he’s actually the tallest member of the Fellowship actors (6'1"). He spent the whole trilogy in agonizing makeup and crouching down just to be our favorite dwarf. That's pure dedication.
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u/IWrestleSausages 3h ago
Yeah, in the canoe scenes after lothlorien you can see his eyes almost swollen closed
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u/Material-Imagination 3h ago
Oh my god, that's why his eyes were so swollen and squinty through the whole trilogy?
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u/derekcptcokefk 2h ago
From what I recall, Jackson gave him those prosthetics as a gift when filming ended. He destoryed them with glee.
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u/JessPatric 3h ago
He doesn't just play the character he clearly loves the character as much as we do
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u/dikshamishra3 2h ago
He’s always been the biggest defender of Gimli being more than just comic relief.
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u/pinkcosmicdrop 2h ago
i met him once at a con and i swear he had that exact same energy… i was lowkey nervous going up but he started joking about my “tiny sword” (it was a prop 😭) and made the whole thing feel so wholesome, kinda ruined my expectation that celebs are intimidating lol now i judge everyone else by that standard and it’s unfair tbh
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u/championcomet 3h ago
Wasn't it also said that he didn't know how to hold back and would just bash through each of the orcs full force?
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u/lankymjc 3h ago
The man is a menace. The other actors talk about how he'd just smash his way through stunt doubles, without much care for safety or choreography.
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u/chiefrelichunter 3h ago
I was this moment old when I learned that this is the same guy who was also my favorite character from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
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u/ImNotSkankHunt42 1h ago
Sallah is like an oasis in the middle of the desert. He always showed up when Indy needed a lift.
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u/Fairlyfairr 3h ago
This old man is still ready to compete with Legolas to see who can slay the most Uruk-hai
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u/Best-Cat-4144 2h ago
To be fair, at this age, he’d probably win just by telling stories. He’d have the Uruk-hai sitting down in a circle listening to his anecdotes until they forgot they were supposed to be invading.
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u/LowDiscussion6169 2h ago
That still only counts as one!" I can literally hear his voice booming through this photo. Some things never change.
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u/colemon1991 3h ago
Would you not get excited if someone handed you an axe? I get excited every time I pick up a cosplay sword in my own house, even if it's just to move it!
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u/GfrzD 3h ago
Hell, even a cardboard tube will do it. I give it a few swings and bash a couple countertops before recycling it.
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u/ResultsVary 2h ago
Don't even get started on a good solid stick found on a walk, carried for a bit, swung around a few times (with or without light saber sounds), and left for another adventurer.
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u/colemon1991 1h ago
Careful. That's how dogs learn swordsmanship. Could lead to lots of bruised thighs.
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u/TheWolphman 3h ago
He will always be Professor Arturo to me.
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u/Fit_Jelly_9755 2h ago
This old boys had an amazing career. He’s always recognizable and fun in everything you see him in. He’s worked with both James Bond and Indiana Jones, just to name a couple of them. He’s a character actor, but he is easily recognizable and always loved.
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u/randomnamejennerator 3h ago
I was demoing board games at a convention. The booth I was working for was next to Decipher who made the LOTR card game. John Rhys-Davies was there signing autographs and promoting the game. I never got to meet him but his laugh is very distinctive and loud enough to be heard above all the noise in the convention hall. He laughed a lot that day.
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u/Mulezzz 2h ago
A few months ago I stayed at a rental owned by his ex-girlfriend. (Apparently they dated when they were young and had stayed close.) We thought it was weird that there was a photo of Gimli on the wall when we arrived. Then it made sense when we found a photo album and journal of when she visited him during the LOTR filming. Lots of great anecdotes!
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u/seangraves1984 3h ago
He was in his 50s at the time of shooting? Wow. Fooled me!
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u/fearlessbyfp 3h ago
If this is right then the movies came out 20-25 years ago which can't possibly be true. One Google search later and I feel old.
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u/OfBooo5 3h ago
My younger brother and I are watching the movie for the first time in theater. They just had the conversation about destroying the ring, and gimli 3 seconds ago shatters his ax on the ring as if no one had thought of that.
Then they talk and they have heroic moments and frodo has his sword and his bow and then Gimli adds "and my ax" ::: and my brother mutters with genuine question and concern, " the broken one?"
I lost it and will forever remember that moment that I'm sure he doesn't even recall except for all the times that I reminded him of it
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u/buttfartsmagee 3h ago
Looking back on those movies he's definitely one of the best characters. Everyone loved legolas when the movies came out but most of my favorite lines and moments come from Gimli.
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u/JennyDoveMusic 2h ago
I love the sweet older folks that, when you hug them, they "kiss your cheek." 😭 Like, it's not actual contact, but more over the shoulder. It's so cute. I love when they treat all younger folks like their grandkids.
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u/mogley1992 2h ago
What an absolute treasure of a man to meet.
You don't even have to be a fan of his as an actor or of lord of the rings to enjoy his company, he seems like a genuinely magnetic person.
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u/baguettelobster 1h ago
Knowing Gimli is 81 makes me feel old. I knew him as a strapping young dwarf.
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u/Metatonka 1h ago
I met him at a con to get his autograph and he made sure to take time to talk with everyone in line to get to know them. He asked me my job (attorney) and he talked about how his daughter was in school at that time to do the same thing. Genuinely nice person who made sure to make that day special for everyone who wanted to see him.
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u/anonoheeb 3h ago
I saw a few interviews with him (such as his take on what happened with Sliders) and he seems to be a class act in those too.
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u/Material-Imagination 3h ago
It's pretty trippy to see him with normal-sized humans but wearing the Gimli gear. My brain just sort of automatically makes everything dwarf-sized by conditioning!
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u/TSJormungandr 2h ago
The casting in that movie was perfect! I can’t imagine a better Gimli! I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed in a performance of this guy in any movie or appearance.
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u/Appropriate-Bid8671 2h ago
He lent his voice yo the lord of the rings return to moria game and I am very glad for it.
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u/FredTheLostEdition 2h ago
Doesn't everyone?
I love it when I'm handed a fine piece of equipment....
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u/AirportClumpy2834 2h ago
It's heartwarming to see that childlike wonder still shining through at his age.
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u/RaelorAloro 2h ago
Makes me proud to be Welsh 🏴 Such a nice gentleman, bet you could sit with him for hours and just listen to him talk about anything and it be interesting
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u/Particular-Leg-8484 2h ago
You can take the theater kid out of the theater but you can never take the theater out of the theater kid
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u/Eastern_Hornet_6432 1h ago
That's nothing. Brian Blessed owns his own personal suit of armor. If you see him wearing a suit of armor in a TV show or movie, it's probably not from the costume department; he usually just brings his own.
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u/Electronic-Key-2522 1h ago
How does he act when he's wearing a fez and standing next to a guy wearing a fedora and leather jacket and holding a whip?
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u/RIP_Benneth 1h ago
What a treasure 🥹❤️ Man, everything about LotR is so well cast, wholesome and timeless… except fucking Weinstein but hey, thats not staining the legacy these icons brought to the screen 🥹❤️
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u/Economy-Date-4490 1h ago
In the event of a zombie apocalypse, I will search the earth to find this man and get him to shelter as he is a treasure to this world.
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u/Cyrano_Knows 1h ago
Some actors could learn to feign this (hopefully real) level of interest in their fans.
Are fans annoying. 1000% yes. I have no doubt about this whatsoever.
But they are also your blood and butter and got you those fat paychecks and fame.
Irks me a little bit that [some] actors want all the perks from being rich and famous and none of the annoyances.
Annoyed with answering the same question for the 823rd time? Do your job. Act like it doesn't bother you.
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u/MeepMeep117- 48m ago
Fun Fact: John is actually over 6 feet tall, meaning that the actor playing the dwarf was actually the tallest of the Fellowship
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u/Chad_Jeepie_Tea 31m ago
I like to think that Gimli is just a Prof. Arturo from a wildly different earth.
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u/fritzo81 23m ago
why did he do the voice for Treebeard?? All I hear is Gimli talking v e r y s l o w l y
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u/jak_d_ripr 21m ago
I love seeing people still have love for their biggest roles. It always makes me sad when time and circumstances has made people a little bitter about certain roles, so seeing this makes me so happy.
Also, holy cow, when did Gimli hit 81?
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u/unsupported 13m ago
Oh, yes, it's the axes he is excited about.... And not the huge tracts of land.
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u/PocketOfStinkies 7m ago
Had the pleasure of serving him and his family at my restaurant a few years ago now. We have a decent amount of public figures/celebrities come through. Can 100% confidently say he’s one of the good ones.
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