Though Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has made some allusions to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, it takes place in a separate continuity and is not officially connected to Jackson’s version of Middle-earth. As such, it has not carried over any actors from the films, instead recasting characters like Galadriel, Elrond, and Isildur. That does not mean that no actors from Jackson’s films were involved in The Rings of Power — they simply played different roles. For example, the three Númenórean workers who brawled with Halbrand in the episode “Adar” were portrayed by Jason Hood, Mana Hira Davis, and Winham Hammond, who served as extras and stunt doubles in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But when it comes to live-action adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work, one actor is more prolific than any other: Jed Brophy.

Brophy bears the unique distinction of having appeared in all three The Lord of the Rings films, all three The Hobbit films, and The Rings of Power, often playing multiple parts in each. Brophy and Jackson are long-time collaborators. Before The Lord of the Rings, he was in Braindead and Heavenly Creatures, and afterward, he was in Jackson’s version of King Kong. Additionally, Brophy has a penchant for the fantasy genre, having played roles in Xena: Warrior Princess, The Legend of the Seeker, and The Shannara Chronicles. Between his love for the genre and his friendship with Jackson, it is fitting that he has been a part of every major live-action adaptation of Tolkien’s legendarium. Though most famous among Middle-earth fans as Nori the Dwarf from The Hobbit trilogy, Brophy has assumed a wide range of identities across the six films and the streaming series, ranging from Elves to Orcs and just about everything in between.

Jed Brophy Started With Small Roles in The Lord of the Rings

Actor Name
Jed Brophy

Birthdate
October 29, 1963

First Acting Role
Shark in the Park (1991)

Jed Brophy portrayed many characters in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, his roles were all quite minor. He was one of the unnamed hobbits at Bilbo’s 111th birthday party, and he was one of the unnamed Elves whom Frodo and Sam saw traveling to the Grey Havens in the extended edition. His most prominent role in the first film was one of the nine Nazgûl who hunted for Frodo on his journey from Bree to Rivendell. Brophy’s characters spoke no dialogue in The Fellowship of the Ring, but that changed in the following film. In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Brophy portrayed an unnamed Rohirrim soldier, but he also played a couple of Orcs with names and memorable lines.

The first was Snaga, an Orc in Uglúk’s company. After one of the Uruk-hai complained about having “nothin’ but maggoty bread for three stinkin’ days,” Snaga suggested eating the captive hobbits, Merry and Pippin: “Yeah, why can’t we have some meats? What about them? They’re fresh!” Uglúk insisted that the hobbits were to be delivered to Saruman unharmed, and when Snaga tried to eat them anyway, Uglúk decapitated him and proclaimed, “Looks like meat’s back on the menu, boys!” Snaga’s fellow Orcs then devoured him, making for a gruesome and ironic end. The second notable Orc whom Brophy played in The Two Towers was Sharku, the leader of the Warg-riders who attacked the Rohirrim on their way to Minas Tirith. After the fight, Gimli and Legolas were unable to find Aragorn, so they questioned the nearly-dead Sharku, who taunted, “He’s dead. He took a little tumble off the cliff.” Though he was not lying about Aragorn’s fall, he was wrong in his assumption that it had killed him. Aragorn survived and reunited with the Rohirrim in time for the Battle of Helm’s Deep later in the film. Sharku was not a character in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novel, but his name came from sharkû, meaning “old man” in an Orcish language.

Jed Brophy Was a Star of The Hobbit Trilogy

In addition to acting, Brophy helped train horses for The Lord of the Rings films; he rode a horse named Seb for his roles as Rohirrim and Gondorian soldiers.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Brophy’s characters once again went unnamed, but like in The Two Towers, they had some lines of dialogue. He continued the tradition of playing Orcs, including the one who helped the Witch-king of Angmar gear up before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the one who called for an inspection of the marching Orc army in the extended edition. Brophy was also among the Elves who joined Arwen on her journey to the Grey Havens and the Gondorian soldiers who fought during the Siege of Gondor. Jed was not the only Brophy with a part in The Return of the King, as his son, Sadwyn, also played a role. He portrayed Eldarion, the future child of Arwen and Aragorn. Arwen’s vision of Eldarion prompted her to abandon the journey to the Grey Havens and surrender her immortality so that she could spend the rest of her days with Aragorn.

After so many cameos and bit parts in The Lord of the Rings films, The Hobbit trilogy finally gave Jed Brophy a major role to play: Nori, one of the 13 Dwarves who made up Thorin’s Company. Along with Bilbo and Gandalf, they went on a quest to reclaim their ancient homeland of Erebor from the great dragon Smaug. Nori stood out from the pack thanks to his star-shaped hair and three-pronged braided beard. Unfortunately, the films did not give Nori much attention, so his personality and role within the group were not as clear as some of his companions, but some moments shed light on the type of Dwarf he was. He was a thief, evidenced by his pocketing the Elves’ silverware when he was in Rivendell. This lines up with information from interviews and press releases, which described him as a less-than-scrupulous Dwarf who often found himself on the wrong side of the law. Nori was also shown to be good with tools; he carried many knives and even a shovel, and when searching for the secret door to Erebor, he used a device to listen for hollow spots in the mountainside while tapping at the stone with a metal spoon. Though Nori was Brophy’s most important Middle-earth role, it was not his last.

Jed Brophy Returned to Middle-earth Almost a Decade Later

One of the other Orcs whom Brophy played in The Rings of Power had long hair and was affectionately nicknamed Fabio.

Other actors appeared in all six of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, such as Sir Ian McKellen, but Brophy was unique in that he also appeared in The Rings of Power. Though he played characters from each of Middle-earth’s major races in the films, he had an affinity for Orcs, and they were the only type of character he portrayed in The Rings of Power. In the first season, he brought several Orcs to life, the most prominent being Vrath. First appearing in the episode “Adar,” Vrath was easily recognizable due to his light blue eyes and his unique, jagged helmet. After Magrot’s death, Vrath took charge of Adar’s Orcs.

Vrath led several raids in the Southlands in search of the ancient sword hilt that could activate Mount Doom. In the episode “The Great Wave,” Vrath attacked and captured Theo, but Arondir later rescued him and killed Vrath. In the second season, Glûg seemingly inherited Vrath’s position, as it was he who generally spoke to Adar on the Orcs’ behalf. Brophy did not have any credited appearances in The Rings of Power‘s second season, but he may return in the future, especially if the series continues to place such an emphasis on Orcs. Given his pedigree, it would not be surprising if he turned up in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim or The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as well, especially since Jackson is involved in both. Like many of The Lord of the Rings‘ actors, Brophy has a deep love for the world of Middle-earth, and that passion resonates with viewers, even if they usually cannot see his face.