John Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor, born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. His mother was a nurse and his father a mechanical engineer and colonial police officer. He grew up in the territory of Tanganyika, now Tanzania, located in East Africa. Rhys-Davies received his formal education in England from the Truro School and the University of East Angila. He belonged to a class of 105 students in the latter school, where he established its drama club as co-founder. He taught at a secondary school for a time before pursuing acting with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Rhys-Davies has an ancient air to his performances. Watching him is an expedition as he guides the viewer like a mountain guru. His television appearances were frequent and varied throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He played the Marvel villain Kingpin in the made-for-TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, Agent Michael Malone in the crime drama remake of The Untouchables, and Professor Maximillian Arturo in the science fiction and fantasy series Sliders. Rhys-Davies is an eclectic and erudite actor with characters that represent himself.
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8 The Medallion (2003)
TriStar Pictures
Interpol director and commander Hammerstock-Smythe works for the international crime control organization Interpol. He is met by Hong Kong police inspector Eddie Yang (Jackie Chan) who seeks information on the crime lord Snakehead (Julian Sands). They work together to bring him down and rescue a boy held hostage for his superhuman healing medallion. Rhys-Davis becomes his father in this role, a nice case of art imitating life and life imitating art.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Waxwork (1988)
Vestron Pictures
Rhys-Davies plays a werewolf in Waxwork. A group of well-to-do teenagers are invited to an exhibit at a wax museum. Inside, they find displays of monsters and creatures from the horror genre. Count Dracula, the Phantom of the Opera, the mummy, and their ilk come to life when the teens cross over the opposite side of their barrier ropes. Reality is lost and replaced with each display’s macabre existence. Rhys-Davies transformation and homage to the Wolf Man is worth every second in this anthology film.
6 The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
Buena Vista Pictures
Rhys-Davies plays a wonderfully articulate curmudgeon in the Disney sequel to The Princess Diaries. He plays Member of Parliament Viscount Mabrey who plots to steal the crown of Princess Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway). His character is flamboyantly self-centered, pompous, and deriding. At one point, he disparages a group of orphans. Having a worldly position and exaggerating the ugly truth of global politics through caricature, Viscount Mabrey was one of Rhys-Davies’ more fun roles.
5 Saul: The Journey to Damascus (2014)
Entertainment One
In this biblical drama, Caiphas is a Jewish high priest who forms a plot to kill Jesus Christ. According to the gospels of the New Testament, Caiphas oversaw the first trial of Jesus after His arrest in Jerusalem and before His trial, persecution, and crucifixion with Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Meanwhile, Saul of Tarsus is condemning the teachings of Jesus when an ironic turn of fate blinds him and converts him to Christianity. Rhys-Davies is an advocate of Christianity which informs his discerning yet skeptical portrayal of a historical figure.
4 Prisoners of the Sun (2013)
Miromar Entertainment
Professor Hayden Masterton is joined by a team of archeologists and researchers on an excavation trip in Egypt. During their exploration, they discover supernatural happenings and find themselves in peril of the mythologized “sleepers” and gods. A prophecy for the end of the world is enacted by the mummy Al Khem Ayut (Cedric Proust) and Masterton must help his team escape and reverse the doomsday scenario. Rhys-Davies delivers an impassioned voice of reason and urgency in this pseudo Indiana Jones adventure.
3 The Living Daylights (1987)
MGM/UA
General Leonid Pushkin takes charge of the KGB, who reinstates the old wartime policy, Smiert Sponiam, meaning “Death to Spies.” Meanwhile, James Bond (Timothy Dalton) smuggles an ex-KGB agent across the Western border, raising tensions between the Soviet Union and the West. The Russian defect goes missing, so Bond suspects Pushkin is at play and goes on a manhunt for the KGB leader. Among the espionage and double-dealing, Rhys-Davies’ entry into the world of the MI6 agent was clever and harrowing.
2 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
New Line Cinema
Almost unrecognizable in his role of Gimli, the Dwarf warrior and member of the Fellowship of the Ring, Rhys-Davis brings a Stoic presence and stalwart performance in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. On top of his booming, raspy voice, the actor wore prosthetic makeup that his skin reacted poorly to, causing swelling around the eyes and turning his sight into tunnel vision. He was forced to fight brutally and fast as a consequence in the epic fantasy.
1 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Paramount Pictures
Sallah is the most trusted friend Indiana Jones has. An avid historian himself, Sallah helps Indy evade the Nazis and find the location of the religious artifact, the Ark of the Covenant. He aims to protect history and to make sure its stories are told for all to hear. Rhys-Davies was born to play the learned man from Cairo, and his return in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be a touching reunion.
