EVERY PETER JACKSON CAMEO IN LOTR AND THE HOBBIT

Many filmmakers have made cameo appearances in their own movies, the most famous being Alfred Hitchcock, who appeared in at least forty films. Similarly, director Peter Jackson also has a long history of including himself in his movies, and his adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are no exception. Each of Peter Jackson's six movies set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth features one brief appearance from the fun-loving New Zealand director. Some of these cameos last for only a split-second, but a couple of his characters actually contribute to the plot, even if only in a small way.

That said, Jackson didn't stop at including only himself in these movies. There are also a good number of appearances from the filmmaker's relatives, friends, and crew members. Notably, his children, Katie and Billy, have had small roles in his films, both related to Middle-earth and otherwise. Celebrity Tolkien fans have been featured as well. For example, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug includes an appearance by well-known Tolkienite Stephen Colbert, who plays an eye patch-sporting spy for the Master in Lake-town. However, in this article, we're focusing only on the Peter Jackson cameos in LOTR and The Hobbit.

Updated on April 26, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: Fans love cameo appearances by celebrities, like when Tom Cruise came on screen in Tropic Thunder or Bill Murray's unexpected role in Zombieland. Directors may not get as much attention, but the Tolkien fandom absolutely loved trying to recognize every Peter Jackson cameo in all six Middle-earth movies. As such, we've updated this feature with some more information.

The Fellowship Of The Ring: Albert Dreary, Drunken Man Of Bree

The closest village to the Shire with human inhabitants was Bree, which could be found in the region of Eriador. It plays a major role in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, as Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin take refuge there from the pursuing Ringwraiths. Barliman Butterbur is the only notable character from Bree in the books, played in the trilogy by actor David Weatherly. Butterbur owns The Prancing Pony, the inn where the four Hobbits meet Aragorn for the first time.

That said, Peter Jackson also makes a fan-favorite and non-canonical cameo as a Man named Albert Dreary. He can be seen as the Hobbits enter the dark, rain-soaked town, chewing roughly on a carrot and letting out a loud burp. Albert was originally supposed to be smoking a pipe, but Jackson became sick after several takes, leading him to switch to the carrot. This Peter Jackson cameo is so well-known that he actually reprised the role in one of The Hobbit films as an Easter egg.

The Two Towers: A Rohirrim Warrior At The Battle Of Helm's Deep

The Rohirrim, or people of Rohan, are widely renowned for their horsemanship. Their ancestors were originally from the Great Anduin River Valley, but later moved to the plains of Rohan after supporting the armies of Gondor against an Easterling attack. Several warriors from this realm would take part in the Battle of Helm's Deep, arguably one of the most important conflicts in the War of the Ring. The Rohirrim also fought during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, as well as the Battle of the Black Gate

As there were countless extras included in the respective movies' plotlines, Peter Jackson decided to inject himself into the scene. Near the end of The Lord of the Rings' second installment, The Two Towers, Peter Jackson cameos as one of the Rohirrim soldiers fighting at Helm's Deep. Clad in chain mail, he fiercely throws a spear at the attacking Uruk-hai from atop the Deeping Wall. He even successfully hits a target and brings him down.

The Return Of The King: A Corsair Of Umbar On The Black Ships

The Corsairs of Umbar were presumably descended from the Black Númenóreans, a group of people who eventually fall prey to Sauron's malevolent charisma. Over the course of thousands of years following the Fall of Númenór, they became Corsairs, or pirates who spent their lives raiding the Gondor coasts. Although they are similar to the Easterlings in terms of cultural attitude, the Corsairs of Umbar have a completely different lineage. The Corsairs played a small but notable role in Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy.

A little over halfway through The Lord of the Rings finale, The Return of the King, Peter Jackson has a fleeting role as one of the Corsair pirates aboard the Black Ships. He appears in a couple of shots, waving his weapon and standing directly behind his ship's bosun. Aragorn instructs Legolas to fire a warning shot past the bosun's ear — but, unfortunately for Jackson's cameo, Gimli throws the shot off, sending the arrow flying straight into the Corsair's chest.

An Unexpected Journey: A Lonely Mountain Dwarf Fleeing Smaug

Dwarves tend to live underground and rarely make their way to the surface, explaining why most people don't see or hear much of them during the late Third Age. Due to their conflicts with Elves and Men, they prefer to stay within their territories and mind their own mining businesses. That said, Dwarves have played a major role in both Jackson trilogies. The first Hobbit film, An Unexpected Journey, opens with a prologue that depicts Smaug's attack on Erebor and Thranduil's refusal to help the fleeing victims.

The Dwarves of Erebor were characteristically courageous, and would have never fled their home unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, many of them had grown comfortable in their luxury, and simply didn't have the strength and knowledge to defeat a literal dragon. As such, if viewers squint closely, they may notice that one of the Dwarves running away from Smaug's attack is none other than a Peter Jackson cameo. It's difficult to tell at first, as his nose has been augmented with a bulbous prosthetic, accompanied by the requisite bushy Dwarven beard and eyebrows.

The Desolation Of Smaug: Albert Dreary, Again

As mentioned earlier, the carrot-munching Man of Bree returns in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and he's as waterlogged and grumpy-looking as ever. More interestingly, Albert Dreary is once again caught taking a bite out of a carrot. Fans can only imagine what message the director was trying to send through this particular vegetable.

It's unclear how this Peter Jackson cameo could have shown up in both settings, given the 77-year time gap between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but perhaps he's an older brother or uncle of the original Albert Dreary. He appears in the film's prologue, a flashback that depicts a dejected Thorin's fateful meeting with Gandalf at the Prancing Pony Inn in Bree. It was this meeting that would later lead to the rediscovery of the One Ring and, eventually, the absolute destruction of Sauron.

The Battle Of The Five Armies: A Portrait Of Bilbo's Father

The last of the Peter Jackson cameos takes place at the very end of The Hobbit trilogy. However, he doesn't exactly appear in person. After Bilbo returns to the Shire in The Battle of the Five Armies, he comes home to a Bag End that has been looted and left in total disarray. As he starts to pick up the pieces, one of the first things he puts to right is a set of oval-shaped portraits of his parents. Jackson's likeness is used for the painting of Bungo Baggins, Bilbo's father.

Not much is known about this character, except that Bungo went on to marry Belladonna Took and to construct Bag End, the most palatial Hobbit-hole in all of Hobbiton. That said, the Bagginses were widely considered to be model Hobbits, earning the respect of the other clans. The family's lineage can be seen in other LOTR characters, including Frodo, Merry, and Pippin. An offshoot, known as the Sackville-Baggins family, appears in the Lord of the Rings.

2023-01-11T19:15:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd