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Bilbo Baggins ~ Sir Ian
Holm.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Sir Ian Holm was invited to play
Frodo's Uncle Bilbo in the film version of The Lord Of The Rings.
Two decades earlier, he starred in the BBC radio serialization of the story
On his hobbit feet, "I keep tripping over them and nearly falling on my face! I think my feet are bigger than anybody else's. I don't know why - I suppose because I'm Bilbo Baggins!" Originally, it was Bilbo who was slated to be the main character in The Lord of the Rings. The story was to be a continuation of The Hobbit and another adventure story for Bilbo to satisfy popular demand. But the story that Tolkien was writing became more serious than The Hobbit and didn't fit in with Bilbo's prankster character. Feeling that Bilbo may not let his own flesh and blood son face the perils ahead in the story, Tolkien decided to make the lead character his cousin (with the official status of nephew) Frodo.
Sir Ian Link: The Adventures of Sir Ian Holm
I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen, of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been; Of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were, with morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair. I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will be when winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see. For still there are so many things that I have never seen: in every wood in every spring there is a different green. I sit beside the fire and think of people long ago, and people who will see a world that I shall never know. But all the while I sit and think of times there were before, I listen for returning feet and voices at the door. ~Bilbo's Song.
Some cameo appearances: Peter Jackson's two children are among the hobbit children listening to Bilbo's story, and Peter Jackson himself briefly appears as the belching peasant in Bree. The eighth of the human kings that receives a ring of power is played by Lord of the Rings Illustrator, Alan Lee. It is said that the members of the Fellowship got a small tattoo of the Elvish symbol for "9" to commemorate the experience of the movie. Apparently Elijah Wood's tattoo is on his lower stomach. Two of the other hobbits have the tattoo on their ankles, Orlando Bloom has his on his forearm, and Ian McKellen's is on his shoulder. After the New Zealand premiere, Peter Jackson joined the cast members in getting a commemorative tattoo as well. Jackson received an Elvish "10". When the shoot was finished, Peter Jackson gave the One Ring used in the movies to Elijah Wood.
When winter first begins to bite and stones crack in the frosty night, when pools are black and trees are bare, 'tis evil in the Wild to fare.
Please continue for Wizards or return Home for other characters.
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playing
Frodo. "Everything I've ever done in my entire career it seems, pales
into insignificance beside the fact I'm going to be in this one film!"
~Sir Ian Holm discussing his son's excitement over him being in
the film.
