Lord of the Rings
The Characters and the Stars
Celebrated author J.R.R. Tolkien published his novel The Hobbit in Britain in 1937. He spent the next 17 years working on a sequel; The Lord of the Rings was published in three parts from 1954-56. For the next five decades the trilogy attracted a devoted cult of readers and fans.
In December 2001 director Peter Jackson released The Fellowship of the Ring, the first in a trilogy of films based onThe Lord of the Rings. The second and third films, The Two Towers and The Return of the King were released in December 2002 and December 2003. The final film made Academy Award history by collecting 11 Oscars (including best picture), tying it with Titanic (1997) and Ben-Hur (1959) for the most Oscars ever.
Here are some of the best-known figures from Tolkien's books, along with the actors who star in Jackson's films.