The original Lord of the Rings trilogy still stands out as one of the greatest fantasy franchises of all time, with Peter Jackson’s interpretation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original story still regarded as a peak example of faithful book-to-screen adaptation. Over twenty years after Return of the King, the franchise is officially making a comeback, with new spinoffs in development that will expand the world of Middle-earth and include the return of several iconic characters from the original films. Ahead of the animated War of the Rohirrim‘s release in December, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have officially announced the development of a series of spinoffs, beginning with The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in 2026.

One of the best things about The Lord of the Rings is its stellar cast, which brings out the nuanced and lovable characters from Tolkien’s books. Certain actors, such as Viggo Mortensen and Sir Ian McKellan, have become synonymous with their roles based on the brilliance of their performances. However, not every actor in Lord of the Rings gets the full credit they deserve. Most fans don’t realize that Craig Parker, a native New Zealand actor who would later be known for roles in series like Spartacus and Legend of the Seeker, played three separate characters in the original series.

Craig Parker Played Haldir in The Lord of the Rings

Haldir is an Elf Whom the Fellowship Encounters on Its Journey

The first and most prominent character portrayed by Craig Parker in The Lord of the Rings is Haldir. Haldir was an Elf living in Lothlórien during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Serving Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, Haldir led a squad of Elves in protecting the realm’s northernmost border, especially as darkness continued to rise in the South. He first encounters the Fellowship of the Ring after they escape from the Mines of Moria, losing their companion, Gandalf the Grey, the Balrog known as Durin’s Bane in the process. Haldir sneaks up on the Fellowship as they enter the forests of Lothlórien, then ushers them to meet the lord and lady of the forest. He memorably gets off on the wrong foot with Gimli, insulting the Fellowship’s Dwarf companion. In the books, this leads to a sour confrontation in which Haldir insists that Gimli wear a blindfold as he travels through the forest since no Dwarf has ever been permitted to lay eyes on the sacred leaves of Lothlórien before. To keep the peace, Aragorn insists that the entire Fellowship wear blindfolds, as is seen in the film adaptation.

Upcoming Lord of the Rings Spinoffs

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – December 13, 2024
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum – 2026

After the Fellowship leaves the realm of Galadriel and Celeborn, they have one more encounter with the good Elf Haldir. As Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli prepare to fight to defend Rohan in the Battle of Helm’s Deep, Haldir arrives with a troop of Elves. This moment, which was not included in the original books, provided a stronger bond between the Men and Elves of Middle-earth, who often mistrusted one another and had a tenuous peace between them. Haldir and his Elves are key in holding off Saruman’s Orcs from breaching the wall at the beginning of the battle. However, even they cannot hold the Orcs off for the entire night. The dark creatures eventually reach the top of the wall, where Haldir and his Elves engage them in hand-to-hand combat. After taking out several Orcs, Haldir is stabbed from behind by one of his enemies, perishing on the battlefield as Aragorn watches in dismay. Though his role was very small, Haldir is remembered as one of the most heroic Elves in The Lord of the Rings, even if his story ended in tragedy.

Craig Parker Played Gothmog in The Lord of the Rings

Gothmog Was a Commander Who Fought in the Battle of Pelennor Fields

Interestingly, despite Haldir’s death in The Two Towers, Craig Parker returns in Return of the King, this time as a very different character. Parker provides the voice of Gothmog, a lieutenant of the dark forces who lay siege to Minas Tirith as the city waits for aid. Though he resembles the Orcs in Sauron’s army, Gothmog’s race is never specified in the books, and he looks as though he may have once been human, though this too is only speculation. Gothmog is only briefly mentioned in the books, leaving very few details about the character for audiences to piece together his backstory. Strangely, Gothmog shares his name with one of the few known Balrogs of Middle-earth and was perhaps deliberately named after the creature. but plays a pivotal role in the film, as he is shown to be one of the top-ranking commanders in the Orc army during the siege of Minas Tirith. The character was played in body by Lawrence Makoare, but Parker gives the character a snarly, villainous voice that helps elevate the character to become one of the more memorable villains in the franchise.

Gothmog Trivia

Many Lord of the Rings fans believe that Gothmog was designed to look like now-infamous New Line Cinemas producer Harvey Weinstein, with whom Peter Jackson allegedly clashed. This has never been explicitly confirmed, but the resemblance is difficult to deny.
Lawrence Makoare, who provided Gothmog’s body, also played three roles in the Lord of the Rings movies. In addition to Gothmog, Makoare provided the physical appearance of the Orc Lurtz and the Witch-king of Angmar.

Gothmog reports directly to the Witch-king of Angmar, who takes over command of Sauron’s forces during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. However, after the Witch-king is defeated by Lady Eowyn (with help from the Hobbit Merry), Gothmog attempts to avenge his fallen superior. He charges at Eowyn but is swiftly dispatched by Aragorn and Gimli, who chop off his arm and send him plummeting to the ground. Once he is disarmed and fallen, Aragorn ensures that he will not rise again by plunging his sword into Gothmog’s back, killing him. Although Gothmog’s role is even smaller than that of Haldir, it allowed Craig Parker to try out a very different kind of performance.

Craig Parker Played Guritz in The Return of the King

Guritz Was an Orc Who Fought in the Battle of Pelennor Fields

The third and final role that Craig Parker played in Return of the King was that of Guritz. Similar to his portrayal of Gothmog, Parker only provides the voice of Guritz, while Joel Tobeck provides the character’s physical appearance. Guritz was an Orc who served Gothmog during the siege of Minas Tirith and the subsequent Battle of Pelennor Fields. He is distinct for wearing a skull atop his head, strapping the cranium to the top of his helmet for his scenes in Return of the King. This strange costume choice led Guritz to be nicknamed “Skully” by the other Orcs in his legion. Interestingly, Guritz is not a character who appears in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original Lord of the Rings books but was added specifically for the movie.

Guritz fights at the beginning of the Battle of Pelennor Fields and gets a front-row view of the Ride of the Rohirrim as King Théoden leads his horsemen into battle to reinforce the armies of Minas Tirith. Guritz and several other Orcs attempt to flee the charging Rohirrim by boarding the nearby Corsairs, which they mistakenly believe are arriving to help them. Instead, they are greeted by Aragorn, who leads an army of the dead against the remaining Orc army. Guritz perishes in the stampede of Aragorn’s ghostly army.

While most fans know him as Haldir, Craig Parker appears as multiple characters in The Lord of the Rings. Portraying Elves, Orcs, and mysterious servants of Sauron, Parker is a little-known but extremely important influence in Peter Jackson’s iconic trilogy.