Peter Jackson
Director/Producer/Writer


            


Name: Peter Robert Jackson

Birthplace: Pukerua Bay, North Island, New Zealand

Birthdate: 31st October, 1961

Marital status: Married to Fran Walsh. They have two children, Billy (born 1995) and Katie (born 1996)





Trivia:

  • Began making short films at the age of eight, when a family friend bought him an 8mm camera

  • His first film, Bad Taste (1987) was filmed with a $250 camera, featured friends and local people, and as well as starring in it as several characters, he produced, wrote and directed as well. It took four years to complete

  • After the success of his first professional film Braindead (1992), he gave up his job at a local photographers shop to concentrate on making horror movies

  • Is often featured in his films in a cameo role, so far has appeared eight times, including an appearance in all three Lord of the Rings films

  • Owns three production companies; WingNut Films, Three Foot Six and Weta Limited

  • His parents Joan and William were immigrants from England

  • Collects models of World War I airplanes

  • His favourite film is King Kong and says that it inspired him to start film making. He first saw it when he was 9 years old

  • Loves 1960’s music and names The Beatles as being his favourite band

  • Left school at 17 to work at a Wellington newspaper

  • Meet the Feebles (1989) was the first film in which he worked with Richard Taylor and Tania Roger who have since created the special effects on all his films

  • Along with Fran Walsh, received an honorary doctorate from “Massey University” in 2001

  • He and Fran Walsh were awarded in 2002 “Companion of the Order of New Zealand Merit” for their services to the film industry

  • Began writing the screenplay for King Kong (2005) in 1996

  • Both his parents died before they saw The Fellowship of the Ring completed

  • Met Fran Walsh during production of Bad Taste

  • Three generations of the Astin family has appeared in his films. John Astin (the Frighteners), son Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Sean’s daughter Alexandra (The Return of the King)

  • Cut up his mother’s fur coat as a child to make a model of King Kong

  • The copies of “The Lord of the Rings” that he referred to constantly during filming were bought in 1978 after he saw the animated version of The Lord of the Rings (1978). The cover art was designed by Ralph Bakshi
  • His total earnings from the trilogy is estimated at $125 million

  • Is one of only seven directors who have won the Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay Oscar for the same film. He won all three for The Return of the King in 2004

  • He lost 50lbs during filming of King Kong and also had laser eye surgery so no longer needs to wear glasses

  • In the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in 2010 he was awarded the “Knight Companion of the Order of New Zealand” for services to the film industry. He now can be called “Sir Peter”

  • Read “The Lord of the Rings” when he was 18, and couldn’t wait for it to made into a film

  • Considers The Lord of the Rings to be a film of a lifetime

  • Is a fan of Star Wars

  • Spent $5 million to purchase land in New Zealand which contains a mansion, private lake, tunnel and the interior from Bag End used in The Lord of the Rings

  • Owns a company called The Vintage Aviator which restores and manufactures aircraft. It is dedicated to World War I and World War II fighter planes as well as other planes from the 1920’s and 1930’s

  • In 2009, he purchased a Gulfstream G550 jet

  • He bought a church in Wellington for $10 million saving it from demolition
  • Is a perfectionist film maker, often spending days shooting one scene and uses the phrase “one more for luck” when requesting additional takes

  • Has filmed the majority of his movies in New Zealand, using New Zealand resources and casting New Zealanders whenever he can

  • Always wore shorts when filming The Lord of the Rings and hardly ever wore shoes

  • Along with Richard Taylor, is a keen collector of model kits but admits he has many boxes unopened and many more unpainted

  • First read the LotR trilogy at 18, and immediately decided he couldn't wait until someone made it into a movie

    Notable Projects:

  • Meet the Feebles (1989)
  • Braindead (1992)
  • Heavenly Creatures (1994)
  • The Frighteners (1996)
  • King Kong (2005
  • The Lovely Bones (2009)

    Current Projects:

  • The Hobbit: Part 1 (2012)
  • The Hobbit: Part 2 (2013)

    Selected Awards:

  • 2005: Grammy for Best Song Written for Motion Picture (Into the West; The Return of the King)
  • 2004: Academy Award for Best Picture (The Return of the King)
  • 2004: Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song (Into the West; The Return of the King)
  • 2004: Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (The Return of the King)
  • 2004: BAFTA for Best Film (The Return of the King)
  • 2004: BAFTA for Best Screenplay, Adapted (The Return of the King)
  • 2004: Golden Globe for Best Original Song (Into the West; The Return of the King)
  • 2004: Nebula Award for Best Script (The Two Towers)
  • 2004: Saturn Award for Best Writing (The Return of the King)
  • 2003: Nebula Award for Best Script (The Fellowship of the Ring)
  • 2002: AFI Film of the Year (The Fellowship of the Ring)