The Tolkien family has a complicated history with adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s stories. Its members have been very protective of The Lord of the Rings and have rarely permitted it to be adapted into other mediums. Many of the Tolkiens were quite critical of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. J. R. R.’s son, Christopher, thought that the films focused too much on action and comedy, failing to do justice to the philosophical side of his father’s work. Christopher’s son, Simon, had a more positive outlook on the films, but he still criticized Jackson’s work. Simon went on to serve as a consultant for Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, with which Jackson had no involvement.

But one member of the Tolkien family was entirely on board with Jackson’s adaptations, namely Royd Tolkien, J. R. R.’s great-grandson. Royd was born Royd Baker since his mother, Joanna Tolkien, took her husband’s surname, but Royd changed his surname to Tolkien as a way of honoring his great-grandfather’s legacy. Unlike most of the Tolkiens, Royd was enthusiastic about the prospect of The Lord of the Rings becoming a live-action film series. During filming, Royd traveled to New Zealand and visited Jackson on set. When Jackson asked if he wanted a cameo in the film, he excitedly agreed. Royd therefore ended up playing a small part in The Lord of the Rings, and a decade later, he did so again in Jackson’s next Middle-earth film trilogy, The Hobbit.

Royd Tolkien’s Characters Fought the Forces of Sauron

Royd first appeared in one of the earliest scenes from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. He portrayed a Ranger of the South who helped defend Osgiliath against the invading Orc army. The film focused on him briefly, right after Faramir realized that the Orcs were not coming from the north as he had expected. Royd’s unnamed Ranger handed out spears to some of the other Gondorian soldiers and ushered them to their positions. The film did not indicate whether he survived the assault, but given the devastating losses at Osgiliath, the odds were not in his favor. Even viewers who did not recognize Royd may have thought that this character looked familiar, as Royd donned one of the same wigs that Viggo Mortensen wore to portray Aragorn.

Royd’s cameo in The Hobbit trilogy was even easier to miss, as it only appeared in the extended edition of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. During a conversation with Beorn, Gandalf thought back to what Galadriel had told him regarding the Witch-king of the Angmar in the previous film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. She said, “When Angmar fell, the Men of the North took his body and all that he possessed and sealed it within the High ­Fells of Rhudaur. Deep within the rock, they buried him, in a tomb so dark it would never come to light.” As Gandalf ruminates on these words in The Desolation of Smaug, the film cuts to a scene of the Witch-king’s burial. Royd portrayed a Northman who carried the Witch-king’s sword and threw it on his corpse before the tomb was sealed.

Royd Tolkien Made a Surprising Appearance in Another Franchise

The members of the metal band Mastodon also cameoed in “Hardhome.”

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are not the only adaptations of popular fantasy novels in which Royd has cameoed. Though many of George R. R. Martin’s ideas about fantasy stand in stark opposition to Tolkien’s, Royd is a fan of Game of Thrones, and he made an appearance in the Season 5 episode “Hardhome.” Royd portrayed one of the Wildlings who came under attack by the Night King and his army of White Walkers. Unlike The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the Game of Thrones episode did not linger on Royd’s cameo; he remained hidden in the background, and fans might never have noticed his presence had he not discussed it on social media.

Understandably, the Tolkiens would be protective of J. R. R.’s work, as they knew the author. They have a better perspective than anyone else regarding what J. R. R. would have wanted out of an adaptation of his writing. Before The Lord of the Rings was a pop culture sensation, it was the passion project of their relative. They want the story to be treated with respect, especially since J. R. R. was a noted perfectionist. It is therefore nice to know that some members of the Tolkien family, like Royd, have given Jackson’s beloved trilogy their seal of approval. Even if the films were not entirely accurate to Tolkien’s novel, it is clear that Jackson and his team loved the source material.