Talk:John Rhys-Davies/Archive 1

Birthplace and name at birth
John was born in Ammanford although IMDB and many other places state that it was Salisbury. In South Wales Guardian, 30th April 2003, an interview with John said "My mother Phyllis was born in Coopers near Tycroes and my father Rhys was a local mechanical engineer from the area. I was born in Ammanford but when I was young we moved to Africa and I was educated in a private school in England. My childhood has influenced so much of my career because I have been fortunate enough to have experienced so many cultures. My parents moved back to Ammanford in the 1980s and I returned as often as possible."

Now if someone can contact John we can resolve this! or I could pop into their parents house and ask them!

Solapse 17:17, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

John was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, in Salisbury Infirmary!!! The birth was registered with reference "Dorchester 5a 592" and can be verified on Ancestry and other sites. His father was stationed at Salisbury Plain as an army mechanic. He returned to Ammanford as a child. The forthcoming series of "Coming Home" features John Rhys-Davies. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.185.165.21 (talk) 18:41, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

Giovane Toscanini, Il
I can't believe this isn't listed in his filmography and doesn't even have a page on Wikipedia. I think I can sum up the significance:
 * Elizabeth Taylor, in blackface, in 1988.
 * -Avitor (talk) 05:28, 1 October 2008 (UTC)

Wing Commander IV ?
He also appeared in the computer game Wing Commander IV during the long ending scene. Maybe this should be mentioned.
 * Also in Wing Commander III (as Paladin) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111727/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.228.138.131 (talk) 14:12, 24 March 2011 (UTC)

Why is Rhys-Davies' role in WC IV listed as "Voice" in the notes. He appears in-person on screen at multiple points throughout the game, which - if we're being technical - was actually promoted as an interactive movie, not a video game. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.165.12.61 (talk) 16:24, 29 June 2017 (UTC)

His height
Would someone please explain to me how he can possibly listed as 6'1?
 * Because that's how tall he is? --Ifrit 21:48, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Middle name
Is his middle name pronounced "Reese," like Jonathan Rhys-Meyers' is?
 * Yup GeeJo (t)⁄(c) &bull; 22:34, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
 * It's phonetic spelling but using the Welsh spelling system to pronounce "Rhys", not the English. -- Derek Ross &#124; Talk'' 05:28, 22 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Speaking of pronouncing his name, is "Davies" pronounced "day-veez" or "day-viss"? Best regardsTheBaron0530 (talk) 16:07, 28 March 2017 (UTC)theBaron0530

Fair use rationale for Image:Gimli With Axe.jpg
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BetacommandBot (talk) 23:42, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

The Hobbit
Will he have a part in the upcoming film version of the Hobbit, or its sequel? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.67.35.97 (talk) 19:36, 28 July 2008 (UTC)
 * I would doubt it, since the character Gimli does not play a part in that book. Tad Lincoln (talk) 09:16, 1 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Now that we have several characters from The Lord of the Rings now in The Hobbit, this is obviously not the case. Any recent ideas why he's not returning, since his character is a dwarf and The Hobbit heavily involves the dwarfs.  Geeky Randy (talk) 05:54, 14 October 2011 (UTC)

Doctor Who
Does anyone else think this guy would have made an awesome Doctor Who ? --Saverio222 (talk) 01:08, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
 * It's never too late

Weight
Wow, he's lost a LOT of weight. Does anyone know how he did it? I'd like to get on that diet! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.122.63.142 (talk) 14:41, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

Tattoo
"Rhys-Davies' stunt double got the tattoo instead, because Rhys-Davies' allergy to the prosthetics only allowed him to work once about every three days while in them." This sentence makes no sense. What do him being allergic to prosthetics have to do with him not getting the tattoo? Also, what prosthetics is this sentence talking about? Tad Lincoln (talk) 09:17, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

-- Presumably he means that the stunt double spent more time as Glimli, and therefore deserved it more than him. This would probably be a bit of sophistry, as in he had already rejected the idea and then found some way to rationalize what he already decided to not do. That being said, is it really significant enough to merit mention in a relatively short article on him something he did not do? I don't really think it is that relevant. Aapold (talk) 11:29, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

Robin of Sherwood
He appeared as King Richard the Lionheart in the tv series Robin of Sherwood, episode "The Kings Fool" 190.191.52.180 (talk) 04:46, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

How tall is John Rhys-Davies? How did they get him to be a dwarf in Lord of the Rings?
I really enjoy watching him in his films. It amazed me how the made him look so small in Lord of the Rings. How did they do that? Is he normally a person of petite stature? He seems rather tall in all of the other films I have seen him in. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.189.58.38 (talk) 07:02, 19 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Judging by his appearance in Sliders for example, he seems to be taller than average (perhaps 1.82m / 6ft). I believe the makers of Lord of the Rings used compositing,  CGI, clever camera angles, and even kneeling to make the characters appear to be different heights.  See Special effects of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy for more details.  Astronaut (talk) 17:25, 19 April 2009 (UTC)

They used camera trickery a lot, including splinching two sets of video together, one with Rhys-Davies and one with the others. With the hobbits however, Rhys-Davies was the perfect proportion, being a little bit taller than them, so they only had to make two camera passes instead of three (as he could stand with the hobbits perfectly). LCrepsley210 (talk) 12:45, 10 September 2011 (UTC)

Sliders
He player professor Arturo in the series Sliders, yet nothing about that here79.112.109.167 (talk) 18:24, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

What?
How can he be British of Welsh decent? And why does the info box say he was born in Wiltshire? >:( --Τασουλα (Shalom!) (talk) 16:46, 21 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I have made a few corrections. He wasn't born in Wales as was stated, but spent his childhood there. I have also removed ancestry from the lead because it doesn't belong there. I'm wondering if his nationality should be Welsh or British~Unless refs can be found to say he self-identifies as Welsh it should stay as British, considering his birthplace, political aliment, ect. --Τασουλα (Shalom!) (talk) 17:02, 21 November 2010 (UTC)
 * The article text says he was born in Salisbury and this is referenced to imdb, however the reference taken from the South Wales Guardian of 30/04/2003 titled "Putting Ammanford on the map" states that he was born in Ammanford. These are clearly different, which is correct, the newspaper or imdb? --89.168.150.229 (talk) 21:41, 29 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Good point; see WP:RS/IMDB, where it says "The use of the IMDb on Wikipedia for referencing is considered unacceptable and strongly discouraged.". In addition to the South Wales Guardian ref mentioned, I have found this from BBC Wales Arts. -- Red rose64 (talk) 14:41, 18 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Have also found this in the Daily Mail (love that tie!); and whilst this in the New York Times just says "Wales", that knocks Salisbury out the window. -- Red rose64 (talk) 16:34, 18 December 2010 (UTC)

Local MP?
"As a university student in the 1960s, he had been a radical leftist, but changed his views when he went to heckle a young local member of parliament, Margaret Thatcher."

JRD was a student at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich; Margaret Thatcher was MP for Finchley, in North London; a distance of over 100 miles. Is this a reference to his time at RADA (which is in London, but isn't a university)? Or was the "local" bit wrong? Matthau (talk) 14:13, 6 December 2010 (UTC)


 * And Mrs Thatcher was in her late 30s/early 40s during the 1960s. Not really that young. -- Derek Ross &#124; Talk'' 05:32, 22 July 2011 (UTC)

Controversial Statements
JRD has publically stated that the The Lord of the Rings films are analogous to the war on the evils of so-called Islamic extremism. He equates "the war on the East" (Mordor and Suaron) as a direct referrence to the clash of Western values with the Middle East and the Arabic world. It is a viewpoint which has been greatly ridiculed and held in complete contempt, as dangerous lunatic Right Wing "Western Supremacist" nonsense. That certainly needs a mention in the "Controversial Statements" section. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.148.33.92 (talk) 22:04, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Only if supported by reliable sources, see WP:BLP. -- Red rose64 (talk) 07:00, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
 * You need to cite a reliable source for his statement of such. Also your second and third sentences are an opinion about said unsourced statement, and not necessarily relevant to a BLP. Interpretations of statements should be backed by scholarly research on the subject at hand, not simply the opinion of the wiki editors writing the article. LilOwens (talk) 10:21, 1 December 2013 (UTC)

Edit request 29 November 2013
According to the BBC Wales production Coming Home on the subject of John Rhys-Davies he was actually born in Salisbury Wiltshire to Welsh parents, and was christened and spent his early life in the town of Ammanford, Carmarthenshire

Geoffthemog (talk) 19:54, 29 November 2013 (UTC)


 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: I haven't seen Coming Home, but the South Wales Guardian reference (footnote 2) quotes Rhys-Davies himself as saying "I was born in Ammanford" in so many words. --Stfg (talk) 22:27, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
 * See also above. -- Red rose64 (talk) 22:56, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
 * According to BBC One Wales "Coming Home" (broadcast 29 November 2013) John Rhys-Davies was born Henry John Davies in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England in 1944. He adopted John Rhys-Davies as a stage name in honour of his beloved father, Rhys Davies. The episode is temporarily viewable online in the UK at this address: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03kkf0w Sanddef (talk) 13:07, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * That he was christened Henry John Davies is on the short clip (at 2:16), but the place of birth isn't on the clip. Can you give a time point for that on the full video, please? Even given that, the fact remains that the South Wales Guardian and the sources identified by in the earlier thread say that he was born in Ammanford. (The above thread is strange, by the way, since obviously Welsh people are British). --Stfg (talk) 17:20, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * You have to have access to BBC iPlayer to watch the programme. The following quote is from the narrator of the programme 1 minute and 20 seconds in. "John Rhys-Davies was born in 1944 in Salisbury, Wiltshire to Welsh parents Rhys and Phyllis Davies. His early childhood was spent in Wales before his family later moved abroad. But for John, it's the town of Ammanford that's always felt like home." I should also note that the name of his mother on his parents' grave is given as simply Phyllis Davies (27 minutes and 15 seconds in) Sanddef (talk) 22:30, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Clearly, either the BBC got it wrong, or the South Wales Guardian did. Identity is a touchy subject so maybe Rhys-Davies himself willfully misinformed the SWG journalist. Who knows? Certainly not me. Who decides which source of information is the more reliable? Not me. I do think however that Rhys-Davies's birth name should be included, as that is not in dispute. I'd also remove the additional names given his mother unless they have more than one reliable source to back them up. Sanddef (talk) 03:43, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the template. Any of the auto-confirmed editors in the discussion can implement the consensus. Thanks, Celestra (talk) 02:41, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 4 February 2014
John Davies (later Rhys-Davies) was born in Salisbury. He told me so himself when I met him at the house of his mother-in-law (my great-aunt Margaret Wilkinson) in about 1968. Furthermore, that is where his birth was registered. He was baptized in Ammanford, but baptism is not the same as birth! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Weehugh (talk • contribs) 20:11, 4 February 2014 (UTC)
 * Personal knowledge fails both WP:V and WP:NOR; what we need is a reliable source that is available for others to check. Also please see several threads on this matter further up this page. -- Red rose64 (talk) 20:52, 4 February 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 7 April 2014
Please include in Television section: 1984- Robin of Sherwood- 1 Episode - King Richard

Source imdb.com

106.68.44.237 (talk) 14:44, 7 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Quite apart from the fact that you've not actually provided a link, just "imdb.com", see External links/Perennial websites. -- Red rose64 (talk) 14:53, 7 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Hi Redrose64. I hope that you are well. I have the DVDs as this is one of my favorite onscreen versions of the Robin Hood legend and J R-D does play RtL in ep six ("The Kings Fool") of season one broadcast in 1984. Does this one from BFI work. It is odd that BFI doesn't mention the series name but at least all of the actors are there in the cast list. If not I will try to find another one. Here Robin of Sherwood is the link to the article for the series where J R-D is mention. I know we can't use our article for the series as a ref so I am hoping that the BFI will work. I don't think it merits a mention in the body of the article but it should go in the TV section of the filmography. I would have been bold and entered it but I did want to get your thoughts first. Cheers. MarnetteD | Talk 17:25, 7 April 2014 (UTC)
 * PS In one of the episode commentaries one person (I think it is Clive Mantle but it has been awhile since I listened to them) mentions that one area that they filmed in is now a golf course and he has played a few rounds there :-) MarnetteD | Talk 17:25, 7 April 2014 (UTC)
 * OK, thankyou for that, Yes check.svg Done -- Red rose64 (talk) 18:38, 7 April 2014 (UTC)
 * You are welcome and thank you for adding the info to the article. MarnetteD | Talk 20:46, 7 April 2014 (UTC)

Place of Birth - clarlification required
It is pretty clear that throughout his life, John Rhys-Davies has stated in many interviews that what we would consider as WP:RS, that he was born in Wales. He has stated that place most often as Ammanford - the then residence of his grandmother, and birth place/marriage/burial location of his parents. But this interview with WalesOnline/Argus that sits alongside the November 2013 airing of BBC Wales "Coming Home" clarifies that in actual fact that he was born in Salisbury. A search also shows that other references point to Salisbury, though not as many as Ammanford.

It is quite common for people who clearly identify as X nationality, often when born else where, do create a cover story. This one ties together quite well, as soon after his birth his parents - who had intended to return home before the birth, but were affected by war-time restrictions - returned to Ammanford well before his first birthday.

Facts are facts, and in this case it would appear that a simple cover of "I'm Welsh, therefore..." has covered the actual fact in much of what we would consider WP:RS. Yet the interview with WOL (fuller than the details in "Coming Home") includes (1) a clear statement of fact, (2) information that collaborates to "Coming Home", and adds more Welsh-national identity corelation.

As John Rhys-Davies states in the interview, he 100% considers himself Welsh - he's also Welsh speaking, as were his parents. So we should not categorise him as English. But the place of birth - and why many WP:RS point elsewhere - should at least be clearly questioned in the article, if not - in agreement with others - changed.

Rgds, --Trident13 (talk) 22:27, 12 May 2014 (UTC)


 * It hasn't been changed even though you are on the ball with your information. Being born in England doesn't make you an Englishman - example: I was born in Ireland to a mother who is one quarter Irish, one quarter English and the other half Chinese - my father is a Han Chinese originally from Yunnan province who went with his parents to Ireland at the age of 5 or 6. I spent my childhood going back and forth between Ireland and China and sometimes England and Wales - but I have always felt 100% Chinese, and I now live in China and hold residency there. I never feel truly at home in Ireland when I occasionally visit these days. I was about 14 when I realized and accepted that I wasn't Irish. Rhys-Davis is clearly Welsh and should be described as such, even if he was born in England. I despise these nationalist arguments to there core! --Shannon Dal (talk) 07:11, 14 March 2015 (UTC)