Lawrence Makoare

Lawrence Makoare (born 20 March 1968) is a New Zealand Māori actor. He is most known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings film series as several prominent antagonists, including Lurtz the Uruk-Hai and the Witch King of Angmar.

Lawrence Makoare
Makoare in 2003
Born (1968-03-20) 20 March 1968
Bastion Point, Auckland, New Zealand
OccupationActor
Known for

Career

Makoare was a road construction builder who drifted into acting after he accompanied a girlfriend to a drama class and was picked out by the teacher to perform because of his impressive height. He began his career performing as a stuntman.[1] Makoare is best known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. In The Fellowship of the Ring, he portrayed the Uruk-hai leader Lurtz, and in The Return of the King, he portrayed the Witch-king of Angmar as well as Gothmog, the Orc commander at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, he portrayed the Orc commander Bolg, son of Azog. Due to filming commitments on Marco Polo, Makoare was unavailable during the pick-ups shooting of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, in which Bolg is portrayed by John Tui instead.

Makoare is also popular among Xena: Warrior Princess fans, having played two memorable characters in the third season: a Barbarian leader in episode "The Quill Is Mightier..."; and Maecanus (a minion of Aphrodite) in episode "Fins, Femmes and Gems". In 2002, he portrayed Mr. Kil in the James Bond film Die Another Day. The director of The Dead Lands, Toa Fraser, was not enthusiastic about using Makoare as the warrior, but was won over by the way he managed, after a few directing hints, to turn in a performance that made him weep.[2]

Makoare with a fan cosplaying as Lurtz, his character from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994Rapa NuiAtta
1999What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?Grunt
Greenstone RamekaTV Series
2000The Feathers of Peace Pemako
The Price of MilkNephew
2001Crooked EarthKahu Bastion
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingLurtz
2002The Maori Merchant of VenicePirihina o Morako
(The Prince of Morocco)
Die Another DayMr Kil
2003The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingWitch-King of Angmar / Gothmog
2007The FerrymanSnake
2012L'oncle CharlesRatu
FundamentalJ.T.
2013The Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugBolg
2014Marco PoloZa BingTV Series
The Dead LandsThe Warrior
2021Occupation: RainfallGary

References

  1. Stephen Dowling, 'Taking a break with a Rings monster,'BBC News 17 September 2003
  2. Steohen Saito,'Interview: Toa Fraser on Bringing His Life to “The Dead Lands” ,' The Moveable Fest 11 December 2014.
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