J.R.R. Tolkien

Born: 1892-01-03

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high-fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. He served as the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1925 to 1945 and Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton College, Oxford from 1945 to 1959. He was at one time a close friend of C. S. Lewis - they were both members of the informal literary discussion group known as the Inklings. Tolkien was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972. After Tolkien's death, his son Christopher published a series of works based on his father's extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including The Silmarillion. These, together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about a fantasy world called Arda, and Middle-earth within it. Between 1951 and 1955, Tolkien applied the term legendarium to the larger part of these writings.   While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the great success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings led directly to a popular resurgence of the genre. This has caused Tolkien to be popularly identified as the "father" of modern fantasy literature - or, more precisely, of high fantasy. In 2008, The Times ranked him sixth on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". Forbes ranked him the 5th top-earning "dead celebrity" in 2009. - Wikipedia


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J.R.R.T. : A Study of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, 1892-1973

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1992-01-01

J.R.R.T.: A Study of J.R.R. Tolkien is a 1992 documentary, narrated by Judi Dench, produced to...

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Tolkien in Oxford

as Himself
Released: 1968-03-30

John Izzard meets with J. R. R. Tolkien at his home, walking with him through the Oxford...

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J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings - The Definitive Guide to the World of the Rings

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2002-07-16

Discover why J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings has become an icon of the 20th century culture....

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Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Return of the King

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2003-12-23

Documentary about the writing of the final part of the Lord of the Rings

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Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2003-11-18

The documentary Inside Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring traces the journey taken by the...

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Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Two Towers

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2003-01-01

This well-received British series, hosted by Grant McTavish, digs deep into the second volume of...

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Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Hobbit

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2003-12-02

Explores Tolkien's classic fantasy/adventure novel The Hobbit and examines the story behind its...

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