Lord Of The Rings actor David Weatherley died in Auckland on Thursday. His obituary was shared in The New Zealand Herald
Lord Of The Rings actor David Weatherley has died aged 85 after suffering a long illness.
The New Zealand actor died in Auckland on Thursday. His obituary was shared in The New Zealand Herald, reading: “Weatherley, David John. 1 March 1939 – 12 December 2024. David, father to Richard and Marion, former husband of Anita, and brother to Christine and Jane, passed away on 12 December 2024.
“Born in London, David served in the Canadian military before an acclaimed career in New Zealand’s performing arts. David captivated audiences across theatre, radio, film, and television, earning international recognition. A celebration of his life will be held at 4pm, Thursday 19 December 2024, at The Good Home, Birkenhead.”
David was known for his role as Barliman Butterbur in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Xena: Warrior Princess. He also had roles in Other Halves, Second Time Lucky, Death Warmed Up, Counter Measures, Beyond Gravity, The Girl Who Came Late, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, and Under the Mountain.
The actor was born in London and moved to Canada in 1956 for his military career. He served five years in the Canadian Army and later moved to New Zealand in the early 1960s to start his theatre acting career, where he was best known for his long association with the Mercury Theatre, Auckland.
He even lived in Australia in the late 80s and appeared in the likes of Home and Away and A Country Practice. He also voiced a character in the popular 2004 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II.
David worked in radio drama, theatre, television and film. As a theatre actor, he appeared in a range of productions including Henry V and Evita. Back in 2016, the actor was presented with a Scroll of Honour from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand for his services to the entertainment industry.
His final role was for the 2019 NZ animated movie Mosley, alongside Lucy Lawless and Temuera Morrison. David is survived by his ex-wife Anita and their two children, Richard and Marion.
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