Lord of the Rings star David Weatherley dies, aged 85

The ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ star died in Auckland following ongoing health issues

David Weatherley, a distinguished actor known best for his performance as Barliman Butterbur in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship, has died aged 85.

Weatherley, who was born in London in 1939 and began his career as an actor after moving to New Zealand in 1961, died in Auckland on Thursday, 12 December, following a long illness.

The news of the star’s death was confirmed in an obituary shared in The New Zealand Herald. “David captivated audiences across theatre, radio, film and television, earning international recognition,” it read.

Before auditioning for performing arts roles in Auckland, Weatherley served in the Canadian military in the late Fifties.

After moving to New Zealand, Weatherley started out in the acting industry with roles in community theatre productions before venturing into voiceover work.

Weatherley was part of the show business industry for almost half a century and launched his professional career in the drama series The Mackenzie Affair, alongside James Cosmo, in 1975.

The late star went on to appear in numerous high profile productions, including Hercules: Legendary Journeys in 1995 and Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive in 2007.

‘Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship’ actor David Weatherley has died aged 85 (New Line Cinema)

While briefly living in Australia in the late Eighties, Weatherley also appeared in Home and Away and A Country Practice.

He also had roles in Other Halves, Second Time Lucky,Death Warmed Up, Counter Measures, Beyond Gravity, The Girl Who Came Late and Under the Mountain.

Most fans will recognise the actor from his role in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship and Xena: Warrior Princess. He also voiced a character in the hit 2004 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II.

David Weatherley had a number of roles in stage and screen over an illustrious career (YouTube/Freemasons New Zealand)

Weatherley acted alongside huge stars, including Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom throughout his career. Back in 2016, the star 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 New Zealand animated movie Mosley, alongside Lucy Lawless and Temuera Morrison.

David is survived by his ex-wife Anita and their two children, Richard and Marion.