Before They Were Hobbits Quiz | Celebrities

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The main protagonist in the trilogy, Frodo Baggins, was played by Elijah Wood. His very first film role came in part two of which other film trilogy?

Answer: Back to the Future

Wood was born in Iowa in 1981. He played the part of a small boy in "Back to the Future II" in 1989. In this film, Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) and Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd) travel back and forth between 1955, 1985 and 2015 in a DeLorean, trying to alter the McFly family future by tampering with its past.

2. The wizard Gandalf was portrayed by Ian McKellen. A prominent stage actor as well as a film star, he received his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of James Whale in which 1998 film?

Answer: Gods and Monsters

McKellen was born in Burnley, Lancashire, in 1939. He came to prominence as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1970s. His early film roles included the title character in the 1966 adaptation of Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield". "Gods and Monsters" is a story of the later life of "Frankenstein" director James Whale, focusing especially on his homosexuality.

3. Samwise Gamgee was a hobbit portrayed by Sean Astin. He played the part of Richard Moore in which 1990 World War II film?

Answer: Memphis Belle

Astin was born in California in 1971. His movie debut came in the 1985 film "The Goonies". In 1990, he played the part of ball-turret gunner Sgt. Richard "Rascal" Moore in "Memphis Belle". This movie tells the story of an American B-17 bomber which survived 25 combat missions during World War II.

While there was indeed an aircraft by this name that flew all those missions, and survived the war, the screenplay, written by Monte Merrick, is almost entirley fictitious.

4. Arwen, an elven princess and daughter of Elrond, was portrayed by Liv Tyler. In which 1998 blockbuster did she play the part of Grace Stamper?

Answer: Armageddon

Liv Tyler is the daughter of Aerosmith singer, Steven Tyler. Born in New York in 1977, she made her film debut in 1994 in "Silent Fall". In "Armageddon" she played the part of the daughter of the main protagonist, Bruce Willis. In this movie, Harry Stamper (Willis) is charged with implanting a nuclear device on an asteroid to stop it colliding with Earth.

5. Ian Holm played the part of Bilbo Baggins, uncle of Frodo. He played an android called Ash in which 1979 Sci-Fi film?

Answer: Alien

Holm was born in London, in 1931 and, like Ian McKellen, came to prominence as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He had already played the part of Bilbo Baggins in 1981 in a BBC radio adaptation of the Tolkein classic. In 1979, he portrayed a treacherous android called Ash in the Ridley Scott blockbuster "Alien".

This classic space drama, that spawned a number of sequels, tells the story of the crew of the Nostromo who unwittingly bring an alien creature onboard after, a foetus breaks out of an egg and attaches itself to the face of one of the crew (John Hurt), which results in a creature subsequently bursting forth from his stomach.

The creature proceeds to hunt down and kill the crew, save for Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver.

6. John Rhys-Davies portrayed a warrior dwarf called Gimli. In which "James Bond" film had he earlier played the part of KGB general, Leonid Pushkin?

Answer: The Living Daylights

John Rhys-Davies was born in Wales in 1944. His first major acting role came in the 1970's BBC TV series, "I, Claudius", in which he played the part of Naevius Sutorius Macro. He portrayed Pushkin in the 1987 "James Bond" movie "The Living Daylights" before playing the part of Sallah in the "Indiana Jones" series of films.

This particular "Bond" film, starring Timothy Dalton as 007, has the usual twists and turns with Pushkin, thought to be a villain, turning out to be a good guy. Joe Don Baker plays a renegade American arms dealer, and Maryam d'Abo plays Bond's love interest.

7. The role of Galadriel, an elf and co-ruler of Lothlorien, was played by Cate Blanchett. She received her first Oscar nomination in 1998 for her portrayal of which queen?

Answer: Elizabeth I

Blanchett was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1969. Her first major role was as Lucinda Leplastrier in the 1997 film "Oscar and Lucinda". The following year, she played the title character in the Shekhar Kapur film "Elizabeth". This film deals with the early years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First of England, including plots to have her killed, and her rejection of various suitors. Blanchett would reprise this role in the 2007 film "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" which covers the latter part of her reign.

8. One of the lesser known actors who sprang to fame during this series was Andy Serkis, who voiced the part of Gollum/Smeagol. His early roles included the part of Greville in which ITV series of the 1990s?

Answer: The Darling Buds of May

Serkis was born in London in 1964. After a few years as a stage perfomer, he appeared in "The Darling Buds of May" alongside actors such as David Jason and Catherine Zeta Jones. This was a TV series broadcast by ITV in the early 1990s. A comedy-drama, it follows the fortunes of the Larkin family in 1950s Kent.

They live in a large country property, and live a comfortable life and get by without ever paying their bills. The series follows the lives, loves and adventures of various generations of this large family.

It was based on the novel of the same name by H.E. Bates. Andy Serkis remained relatively unknown outside the UK until he landed the role of Gollum.

9. Viggo Mortensen played the part of Aragorn/Strider. His very first film role involved portraying the character Moses Hochleitner in which 1985 film?

Answer: Witness

Mortensen was born in New York in 1958. He was a stage performer for a number of years before landing the role of an Amish farmer in "Witness". This Peter Weir movie starred Harrison Ford as a police detective who realises that corrupt colleagues have been involved in a murder, the only witness to which is a young Amish boy.

They try to kill Ford, but he survives, and travels with the boy and his mother back to their community in rural Pennsylvania. The bad guys eventually track them down, but Ford kills one and the other gives himself up.

10. Sean Bean portrayed Boromir, a prince of the Stewards of Gondor. He found fame playing which eponymous character on British television?

Answer: Sharpe

Bean was born in Sheffield, England, in 1959. He made his debut as the Napoleonic Wars soldier Richard Sharpe in the 1993 drama "Sharpe's Rifles". He would play this part in a number of sequels until the finale, "Sharpe's Waterloo", in 1997. He begins the series as a mere Private in the British army and ends up a Lieutenant-Colonel.

He takes part in various battles throughout the Napoleonic Wars, and his expert swordsmanship and marksmanship mean he always survives to fight another day. The character Sharpe first appeared in a series of novels by Bernard Cornwell

Source: Author Dizart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
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Before They Were Hobbits Trivia Quiz

The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy featured some famous actors, and some not so famous ones. Here is a quiz about what they did before they were hobbits (or dwarves or wizards...).

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