Summary
- Director Peter Jackson has a tradition of including himself in his films, and he has made cameos in all six of his Middle-earth movies.
- Jackson's cameos vary in length and significance, with some lasting only a split-second and others actually contributing to the plot.
- The director not only includes himself in his movies, but also features his relatives, friends, and crew members in various roles.
Many filmmakers have made cameo appearances in their own movies, the most famous being Alfred Hitchcock. Similarly, director Peter Jackson also has a long history of including himself in his films, and his adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are no exception. Each of his 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 October 9, 2023, by Ajay Aravind: Fans love cameo appearances by celebrities, like when Tom Cruise came on screen in Tropic Thunder. 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. Although Barliman Butterbur is the only notable character from Bree in the books, Peter Jackson 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: Rohirrim Warrior
The Rohirrim, or people of Rohan, are widely renowned for their horsemanship. 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. As there were countless extras included in the respective movie plotline, the director 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: Corsair On The Black Ships
The Corsairs of Umbar are 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. The Corsairs would play 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, the director has a fleeting role as one of the 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: Lonely Mountain Dwarf
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. 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.
The Battle Of The Five Armies: 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 constructed Bag End, the most palatial Hobbit-hole in all of Hobbiton.