DIRECTOR · BORN 1961
Peter Jackson
- Born
- 31 October 1961, Pukerua Bay, North Island, New Zealand
- Known for
- King Kong (2005), Bad Taste (1987), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), District 9 (2009)
22 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Peter Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a producer best known for King Kong, Bad Taste and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Peter Jackson over the years
22 Interesting Facts About Peter Jackson
Interesting Facts (1)
- #001
He is a huge fan of Doctor Who (1963) and has used the screen name Xoanon, taken from the serial The Face of Evil: Part One (1977).
Production Story (3)
- #002
He described the production of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as "laying the tracks down in front of the train" as it was moving forward.
- #003
To acquaint actors who had not read the books with the story, he used the BBC Radio version of The Lord of the Rings, which starred Ian Holm. He ended up using Holm as Bilbo in the films.
- #004
Three of his collaborators have had connections to the material being filmed outside the context of the film being made. Ian Holm, whom he cast as Bilbo in "The Lord of the Rings", was cast because he had played Frodo in the BBC radio adaptation. That adaptation was written by Brian Sibley, who is a cousin of his wife, Fran Walsh. In Heavenly Creatures (1994), Kate Winslet plays Juliet Hulme, who would later be known as real-life mystery novelist Anne Perry. Winslet has a sister, Anna Winslet, who appears as Dora in The Cater Street Hangman (1998), which was based on one of Perry's novels.
Behind the Scenes (7)
- #005
The copies of the Lord of the Rings books that he referred to during filming are the ones that he bought after seeing The Lord of the Rings (1978). The books have cover art by Ralph Bakshi.
- #006
He made the latex models for Bad Taste (1987) in his mother's kitchen oven, often forcing the family to have sausages for dinner because they couldn't use the oven.
- #007
During filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), he used the same pair of shoes and only two T-shirts.
- #008
For his first movie, Bad Taste (1987), he did all the special effects, the make-up effects and built exact replicas of the weapons.
- #009
The stuff in the bowl in his first movie, Bad Taste (1987), was yoghurt, muesli and green food colouring.
- #010
Lost 70 lbs. during the production of King Kong (2005).
- #011
On 27 January 2011, Peter Jackson underwent emergency surgery to repair a perforated ulcer and began his recovery at a hospital in Wellington. This health problem arose as a result of his intense work pace. Jackson recovered quickly after the surgery and returned to work. This event served as a warning reminding him that he needed to pay attention to his health.
Characters & Cast (1)
- #012
Fran Walsh has referred to him as being a hobbit himself, due to his physical stature, his tendency to go barefoot, and the fact that he is swarthy (in Walsh's words, "furry").
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #013
For one shot in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), it is Jackson's arm that comes into frame when Sam confronts Shelob, not Sean Astin's. Jackson has also worked with a third Samwise. He and Bill Nighy both appeared in Hot Fuzz (2007), though they shared no scenes.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #014
He credits his favorite movie, King Kong (1933), as his biggest inspiration in filmmaking. He said that he cried when King Kong fell off the Empire State Building.
Career & Awards (1)
- #015
One of few directors to be offered the chance of writing and directing sequels to many famous horror franchises. He was offered Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990), Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) and Child's Play 3 (1991).
Life & Family (7)
- #016
The movie that gave him a love for splatter is George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978). After seeing it, he felt a bit sick but amazed too.
- #017
He purchased the original car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) in 2011 for $805,000. Jackson has since used the vehicle to raise money for charities in various capacities. The car is kept in New Zealand, where it is registered as GEN 1I, because the original Gen 11 plate was already taken.
- #018
The London Daily Mail reported on December 5, 2003, that Jackson was so fond of King Kong (1933) that he once cut up his mother's old fur coat and used it to make a model of the great ape; it also reported that he consulted with Andy Serkis on the script of his version of the movie.
- #019
He owns the rubber and steel-skeletonized triceratops puppet made and used by the animators of the original King Kong (1933), his favorite movie. Before the 2005 DVD release of that film, Jackson had the model x-rayed at a hospital radiology lab to study the structure of the skeleton inside. The rubber skin on the model, having deteriorated over the decades, was thought to be too fragile to remove completely for a closer examination. The model was then entirely rebuilt from scratch, along with several other creatures from the film, at WETA studios for an authentic stop-motion recreation of the famous lost spider-pit sequence of the 1933 film, which was included in the bonus features of the 2005 DVD version.
- #020
His father died in 1998, before production began, and his mother died three days before the release of the first film.
- #021
After his parents, Bill and Joan, passed away, Jackson inherited the modest Pukerua Bay house where he grew up.
- #022
Peter Jackson reportedly offered Harry Jay Knowles, founder of the website Aint-it-cool, 150,000 dollars to buy the original poster for King Kong (1933). The offer shows how far Jackson's passion for the classic film goes. It is not known whether Knowles accepted the offer, but the episode lays bare Jackson's passion for collecting and his admiration.
Related pages
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople — Peter Jackson comes up in the facts on that page
- What We Do in the Shadows — Peter Jackson comes up in the facts on that page
- The Frighteners — Peter Jackson comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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