Happy 59th Birthday, Peter Jackson! Born today in 1961, this New Zealand screenwriter, film producer and film director is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit trilogy, both of which are adapted from the novels of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Jackson was later raised at the nearby coastal town of Pukerua Bay. His parents were emigrants from England.
As a child, Jackson was a keen film fan, growing up on Ray Harryhausen films.
This was also finding inspiration in the British science-fiction television series Thunderbirds (1965–1966) and the British surreal sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974).
After a family friend gave the Jacksons a Super 8 cine-camera with Peter in mind, he began making short films with his friends.
Jackson has long cited the 1933 American pre-Code black and white monster adventure film 'King Kong' as his favorite film. At around the age of nine, Jackson attempted to remake it using his own stop-motion models.
Also, as a child Jackson made a WWII epic called 'The Dwarf Patrol', seen on the 'Bad Taste' bonus disc which featured his first special effect of poking pinholes in the film for gun shots.
This also includes a spoof on the fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond named 'Coldfinger'.
Most notable though was the twenty-minute 1976 short called 'The Valley'. Made by a then fifteen-year-old Jackson with his friends, it was filmed silent on a Super 8 camera.
It was later shown on the New Zealand children's television program Spot On (1973–1988). The short later won Jackson a special prize because of the shots that he used.
In school, Jackson expressed no interest in sports. His classmates remember him wearing a duffle coat with "an obsession verging on religious".
Jackson also had no formal training in filmmaking, but instead learned about editing, special effects and make-up largely through his own trial and error.
As a young adult, Jackson discovered the work of Tolkien. This was after watching American director of animated and live-action films Ralph Bakshi's 1978 American/British/Spanish animated dark fantasy adventure film 'The Lord of the Rings'. This was a film that was a part-adaptation of Tolkien's fantasy trilogy.
When Jackson was sixteen years old, he left school and began working full-time as a photo-engraver for a Wellington newspaper, The Evening Post.
For the seven years that he worked there, Jackson lived at home with his parents so that he could save as much money as possible to spend on film equipment.
Jackson has long cited several films as influences. It is well known that Jackson has a passion for King Kong, often citing it as his favorite film.
He also cited it as the film that inspired him early in his life. Jackson recalls attempting to remake 'King Kong' when he was twelve.
Jackson has said that the epic 1970 Italian/Soviet period war/drama film 'Waterloo' inspired him in his youth.
Other influences include George A. Romero ('Night of the Living Dead', 'Dawn of the Dead'), Sam Raimi ('The Evil Dead') and Harryhausen.
The movie that gave him the love for splatter is Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead' (1978). After seeing it, he felt a bit sick but amazed as well.
Originally a master of gross-out splatter films, Jackson is the man behind some of the goriest footage ever captured on celluloid.
After two years of work, Jackson bought a 16 mm camera and began shooting a film that later became the independent 1987 New Zealand horror/sci-fi comedy splatter film 'Bad Taste'.
It was begun as any other Jackson film, in an amateur style, at a low budget and using friends and local people to star in his film.
Jackson himself did nearly everything in the movie; he directed, produced, filmed and starred in it, in a number of roles, amongst them that of the hero, "Derek".
For 'Bad Taste', Jackson made the latex models in his mother's kitchen oven, often forcing the family to have sausages for dinner because they couldn't use the oven.
Jackson did all of the special effects, the make-up effects and built exact replicas of the weapons for 'Bad Taste'. The stuff in the bowl was yoghurt, muesli and green food coloring.
For the film, everything was shot on a second-hand, $250 camera. It took Jackson and his friends four years to complete the feature. What had started as a joke in a group of friends, then later became a cult classic.
A friend of Jackson of whom was working in the film industry convinced him that the film had commercial prospects.
He had arranged for it to be shown at the 40th Cannes Film Festival in May of that same year, where it won a lot of acclaim, as well as a number of prizes.
The film soon became a hit because of its bizarre humor and overdose of special effects, some realistic, some comedically amateur.
After the success of 'Bad Taste', Jackson became recognized as a director and the door to fame and fortune was opened.
During post-production for the gross-out cult classic, Jackson New Zealand screenwriter, film producer and lyricist Fran Walsh. They were married later that same year.
Jackson has been referred to by Walsh as being a hobbit himself, due to his physical stature, his tendency to go barefoot, and the fact that he is swarthy (in Walsh's words, "furry").
After 'Bad Taste' Jackson gave up his job at a local photographer's shop and became a well-known director of horror-movies, after the success of his first professionally made film.
This was the 1992 New Zealand slapstick zombie horror/comedy film 'Braindead' (also known as 'Dead Alive' in the United States).
Today, Jackson is also one of the few horror directors to have earned widespread mainstream critical respect.
Two years later, he co-wrote, co-produced and directed the first film of which he is best known.
This was the 1994 New Zealand psychological thriller/drama film 'Heavenly Creatures'.
The events of the film span the period from their meeting in 1952 to a murder in 1954.
The film tells of wealthy and precocious teenager Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet in her film debut) of whom transfers from England to Christchurch, New Zealand, with her family.
It is here where she forms a bond with the quiet, brooding Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey) through their shared love of handsome big screen tenor Mario Lanza and games of make believe.
But when their parents begin to suspect that their increasingly intense friendship is becoming unhealthy, the girls decide to run away to the United States, hatching a dark plan for those who threaten to keep them apart.
The film is a pathologically autobiographical fairy tale. Most New Zealanders are familiar with the real story behind 'Heavenly Creatures'.
In the 1950s, schoolgirls Juliet and Pauline were brought up before the Christchurch authorities for the murder of Pauline's mother Honora.
The film opened in September 1994 at the 51st Venice Film Festival, where it won the Silver Lion, and became one of the best-received films of the year.
Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, with particular attention given to the performances by the previously unknown Winslet and Lynskey, as well as for Jackson's directing.
The following year, 'Heavenly Creatures' won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. This occurred at the 67th Academy Awards in late March 1995.
Six years later, Jackson co-wrote, co-produced and directed the second film of which he is best known. This was the epic 2001 New Zealand fantasy/adventure film 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'.
On a budget of $93 million, the film grossed $887.9 million at the box office. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made.
The film had been based on Tolkien's epic 1954 novel The Lord of the Rings. Part 1: The Fellowship of the Ring.
The following year, 'Fellowship of the Ring' received numerous accolades. Most notably, it was nominated for thirteen awards but won four for Best Music (Original Score) (Howard Shore), Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects.
This occurred at the 74th Academy Awards in late March 2002.
In December of that same year, Jackson co-wrote, co-produced and directed the third film of which he is best known.
This was the epic 2002 New Zealand/American fantasy/adventure film 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'. On a budget of $94 million, 'The Two Towers' grossed $951.2 million at the box office.
The film had been based on Tolkein's epic 1954 novel The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings.
'The Two Towers' is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. It received numerous accolades; and was nominated for six awards.
However, it only won two for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing. This occurred at the 75th Academy Awards in late March 2003.
In December of that same year, Jackson co-wrote, co-produced and directed the fourth and final film of which he is best known.
This was the epic 2003 New Zealand/American fantasy/adventure film 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'. On a budget of $94 million, the film grossed $1.142 billion at the box office.
The film had been based on Tolkien's epic 1995 novel The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, Part 3).
'The Return of the King' is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. Upon release, it received numerous accolades.
Most notably, it won all eleven awards for which it was nominated, therefore tying the record for the most Oscars won by a single film and holding the record for the highest clean sweep at the event. This occurred at the 76th Academy Awards in late February 2004.
Roger Ebert wrote: “At last the full arc is visible, and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy comes into final focus.
I admire it more as a whole than in its parts. The second film was inconclusive, and lost its way in the midst of spectacle.
But "Return of the King" dispatches its characters to their destinies with a grand and eloquent confidence.
This is the best of the three, redeems the earlier meandering, and certifies the "Ring" trilogy as a work of bold ambition at a time of cinematic timidity.”
'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' is one of only three films in cinematic history to win all eleven Oscars. The other two include William Wyler's 'Ben-Hur' (1959) and James Cameron's 'Titanic' (1997).
Jackson is ranked at #6 in Premiere magazine's 2004 annual Power 100 List. In 2003, he had ranked #20. He is the second-highest rated director on the list, behind only Steven Spielberg.
In 2005, Jackson was crowned the most powerful man in Hollywood by ranking #1 on Premiere magazine's Power 50 List. It is his first #1 ranking. The previous year, he had ranked #6.
Also, in 2005, Jackson was ranked #7 in Empire magazine's "The Greatest directors ever!"
Later that same year, Jackson directed the epic 2005 New Zealand/American/German monster adventure/fantasy film 'King Kong'. On a budget of $207 million, the film grossed $562.3 million at the box office.
Pre-production, Jackson approached Fay Wray to appear in a small cameo. She met with Naomi Watts, of whom was to play the role of Ann Darrow.
However, Wray politely declined the cameo, and claimed that the original "Kong" was the true "King." Before the filming of the remake commenced, Wray passed in her sleep of natural causes on August 8, 2004. She was 96.
One year after the release of Jackson's 'King Kong', the film won three Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. This occurred at the 78th Academy Awards in early March 2006.
In 2006, Jackson ranked #11 on Premiere magazine's Power 50" list. The previous year, he had ranked #1.
In 2007, Jackson was ranked #16 on Entertainment Weekly magazine's "The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood".
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International, while being interviewed alongside James Cameron, Jackson said that certain films gave him a "kick".
He mentioned Martin Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' (1990) and 'Casino' (1995), remarking on "something about those particular movies and the way Martin Scorsese just fearlessly rockets his camera around and has shot those films that I can watch those movies and feel inspired."
From 2012–2014, Jackson directed The Hobbit film series. It consisted of three high fantasy adventure films.
Each of the films are based on Tolkien's epic 1937 high fantasy children's literature fiction novel The Hobbit, with large portions of the trilogy inspired by the appendices to Tolkien's 'The Return of the King'.
This was to expand on the story told in The Hobbit, as well as new material and characters written especially for the films.
Together, the trilogy acts as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
The films are subtitled An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). On a budget of $745 million altogether, the trilogy grossed a total of $2.935 at the box office.
Despite critics considering the series inferior to its predecessor The Lord of the Rings, it was successful financially.
The Hobbit trilogy is one of the highest-grossing film series of all time. It was later nominated for various awards and won several, although not as many as the original trilogy.
On December 8, 2014, Jackson was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
In 2015, Jackson was considered to direct 'Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens'. However, the position went to J.J. Abrams.
Jackson's favorite films include 'The General' (1926), 'King Kong' (1933), 'Jaws' (1975), 'Dawn of the Dead' (1978), and 'Goodfellas' (1990).
Jackson likes 1960s music. His favorite group are The Beatles (he paid homage to them in 'Bad Taste').
His upcoming film is the 2021 British/New Zealand/American documentary/music film 'The Beatles: Get Back'.
In the film, Jackson presents restored, never-before-seen footage of The Beatles during their recording sessions of the album "Let It Be."
According to Jackson's trademarks, these include frequently setting his films in Wellington, New Zealand, always writing his scripts with his real-life partner Walsh and concluding a film with a bloodbath.
Jackson frequently casts Andy Serkis and New Zealand film actor Jed Brophy and also frequently wears shorts, even in freezing cold weather.
Other trademarks include frequently using axes, filming in close-ups and wide angles, more often than not sporting a beard, uses darkly humorous scenes of violence and uses enormous visual scope with emphasis on landscape.
Jackson is well known on-set for insisting on lots of coverage (filming the scene from many different angles). His attention to detail, and being a bit of a perfectionist, especially on the Lord of the Rings films, where he would spend days shooting a single scene.
Among his credits, Jackson is also known for directing 'Meet the Feebles' (1989), 'The Lovely Bones' (2009) and 'They Shall Not Grow Old' (2018).
As a producer, Jackson is known for co-producing South African film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator Neill Blomkamp's 'District 9' (2009) and Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn' (2011).
Jackson is the third director (after Cameron and Christopher Nolan) to have released two films that have grossed $1 billion worldwide during their run.
Jackson is the owner of the production companies WingNut Films, Weta Limited and Three Foot Six. He is the third-highest-grossing director by worldwide box office ($6.5 billion).
Known for his boundless imagination and flare for the fantastic, Jackson was also keenly in tune with the humanity inherent in every tale, making him one of cinema's most gifted and passionate storytellers.
Nicknamed PJ and Pete, Jackson has been active from 1976–present.
#borntodirect
#WingnutFilms
@PeterJacksonNZ
@ReaPeterJackson
@lordoftheringstrilogy
@weta_digital
@WetaWorkshop
@NZStuff
@nzonscreen
@NZCommissh
@RogerEbert
@ScreenRant
@theguardian
@forbes
@empiremagazine
@entertainmentweekly
@PremiereMagazine.NEA
@Britannica
@getFANDOM
If Jackson was a chef...
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