Peter Jackson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Peter Jackson ONZ KNZM
Jackson at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Peter Robert Jackson (1961-10-31) 31 October 1961 (age 63) Pukerua Bay, New Zealand
Occupation	Director producer writer
Years active	1976–present
Partner(s)	Fran Walsh (1987–present)
Children	2

Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a famous New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known for directing, writing, and producing the amazing Lord of the Rings movies (2001–2003) and The Hobbit movies (2012–2014). Both trilogies are based on the popular books by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Peter Jackson has also made other well-known films. These include the drama Heavenly Creatures (1994), the horror comedy The Frighteners (1996), and the giant monster movie King Kong (2005). He also directed the World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) and The Beatles: Get Back (2021). His movies have earned over $6.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-earning film directors ever.

Jackson started his career with funny horror films like Bad Taste (1987) and Braindead (1992). He became well-known in the film industry after Heavenly Creatures, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He has won three Academy Awards for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), including Best Picture and Best Director. He has also won many other awards, like BAFTAs and a Golden Globe. His film company is called WingNut Films. Peter Jackson was made a Knight in 2010 for his work in film. In 2014, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Growing Up: Peter Jackson's Early Life

Peter Jackson was born on October 31, 1961, in Wellington, New Zealand. He grew up in a place called Pukerua Bay. His parents, Joan and William "Bill" Jackson, moved to New Zealand from England.

As a kid, Peter loved movies. He was a big fan of films by Ray Harryhausen, who was famous for stop-motion animation. He also enjoyed TV shows like Thunderbirds. When a family friend gave them a Super 8 camera, Peter started making short films with his friends.

How Peter Jackson Started Making Movies

Peter Jackson has always said that King Kong (the 1933 movie) is his favorite film. When he was about nine years old, he tried to remake it using his own stop-motion models. He also made a World War II movie called The Dwarf Patrol and a James Bond parody called Coldfinger. One of his short films, The Valley, even won a special prize!

Peter went to Kāpiti College but wasn't interested in sports. He learned about filmmaking, special effects, and makeup by trying things out himself. He didn't go to film school. When he was 16, he left school and worked as a photo-engraver for a newspaper. He saved money for seven years to buy film equipment. After two years, he bought a 16mm camera and started making the film that would become Bad Taste.

What Inspired Peter Jackson's Films

Peter Jackson often talks about the movies that inspired him. As mentioned, King Kong is his all-time favorite and was a big inspiration when he was young. He even tried to remake it as a child.

Directors and Special Effects That Influenced Peter Jackson

At a Comic-Con event in 2009, Peter Jackson said that certain films gave him a "kick." He mentioned crime movies like Goodfellas and Casino by Martin Scorsese. He admired how Scorsese moved the camera around fearlessly. Other people who influenced him include directors like George A. Romero, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Raimi. He also loved the special effects created by Ray Harryhausen.

Peter Jackson's Film Career

Early Films: The "Splatter" Phase

Peter Jackson's first full-length movie was Bad Taste. It was a funny horror film that took years to make. Many of his friends acted and worked on it for free, mostly on weekends. The movie is about aliens who come to Earth to turn humans into food. Peter Jackson even played two characters in the film, including a scene where he fights himself! The film got funding from the New Zealand Film Commission and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987.

Around this time, Peter started writing scripts with his partner Fran Walsh and other writers. His next film was Meet the Feebles (1989), a dark comedy with puppets. Then came the zombie comedy Braindead (1992).

Heavenly Creatures and Forgotten Silver

In 1994, Peter Jackson made Heavenly Creatures, which was a big change in style. This drama was based on a real-life murder case from the 1950s in New Zealand. Two teenage girls murdered one of their mothers. Fran Walsh convinced Peter that this story would make a great movie. The film starred Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet as the two girls. Heavenly Creatures was highly praised and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

The next year, Peter Jackson co-directed a fake documentary called Forgotten Silver (1995) with Costa Botes. It told the story of a made-up New Zealand film pioneer who supposedly invented color film and "talkies." Many viewers believed the story, showing how good Jackson and Botes were at making it seem real.

Working with Hollywood and Weta Workshop

The success of Heavenly Creatures led Peter Jackson to direct his first big Hollywood movie, The Frighteners, in 1996. It starred Michael J. Fox. Even though it was a Hollywood film, Jackson was allowed to make it entirely in New Zealand. This was an important time for Jackson and Weta Workshop, the special effects company he helped create.

Weta Workshop grew quickly during this time, handling digital effects, physical effects, makeup, and costumes. However, The Frighteners didn't do very well at the box office.

The Epic Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Peter Jackson at the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in Wellington, 2003.

In 1997, Peter Jackson got the rights to make movies based on J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books. He originally planned for two films, but eventually, New Line Cinema decided to make it a trilogy.

Filming for the trilogy took place from October 1999 to December 2000, with many scenes shot in New Zealand. The movies were a huge success and made Peter Jackson incredibly popular. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won all eleven Academy Awards it was nominated for in 2004, including Best Picture and Best Director. It was the first fantasy film to win Best Picture.

Remaking King Kong

After The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson directed a remake of his favorite film, King Kong, in 2005. The movie was released on December 14, 2005, and was praised by critics. It earned about $562 million worldwide. He also worked with game designer Michel Ancel to create a successful video game based on the film.

The Lovely Bones and Tintin Adventures

In 2009, Jackson directed The Lovely Bones, a film based on a popular book. He said it was a nice break from his bigger, epic movies.

Peter Jackson also helped produce The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011), directed by Steven Spielberg. Jackson helped Spielberg direct parts of the film before he started working on The Hobbit. The movie was well-received and earned $374 million. A sequel is planned, with Jackson set to direct it.

Bringing The Hobbit to the Big Screen

Peter Jackson's journey to make a film version of The Hobbit was a long one. For a while, it looked like he wouldn't direct it due to legal issues. However, in 2007, an agreement was reached to make two prequel films based on The Hobbit, with Jackson as a writer and executive producer. Guillermo del Toro was initially set to direct.

In 2010, del Toro left the project, and Peter Jackson stepped in to direct The Hobbit films. Filming began on March 20, 2011. In 2012, Jackson announced that the two planned Hobbit movies would become a trilogy. The third film would expand the story using extra material from the Lord of the Rings books.

Documentaries: They Shall Not Grow Old and The Beatles: Get Back

On October 16, 2018, Peter Jackson's documentary about World War I, called They Shall Not Grow Old, premiered. The film used original footage from the Imperial War Museum, much of it never seen before. Jackson used modern techniques to colorize the footage, convert it to 3D, and make it look incredibly clear. He also used lip-readers to figure out what the soldiers were saying and added their voices.

Peter Jackson said the film wasn't a history lesson but rather "the memories of the men who fought." Critics praised the film, saying it brought the soldiers "to an eerie, hyperreal kind of life." The film was shown on BBC Two on November 11, 2018.

In 2019, Jackson announced his next documentary, The Beatles: Get Back. It's about the making of the Beatles' final album, Let It Be. Like They Shall Not Grow Old, this documentary used hours of never-before-seen footage and audio. It aims to show a new side of the band during a time often seen as full of conflict. The project had the full support of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the two living Beatles, and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison. The documentary series was released on Disney+ in November 2021 and received positive reviews.

New Lord of the Rings Films

In May 2024, it was announced that Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens would be producing a new Lord of the Rings film. The movie has the working title The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and is expected to be released in 2026. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, will direct the film. This new movie is part of a new series of Lord of the Rings live-action films being developed by Warner Bros.

Peter Jackson's Other Interests

Video Games and Aviation

Peter Jackson was once going to make games with Microsoft Game Studios, including one set in the Halo universe. However, that game was later put on hold.

Jackson is also a big fan of World War I aviation. He chairs the 14–18 Aviation Heritage Trust. He even donated his time and provided replica aircraft for a display at the Australian War Memorial in 2008. He owns a company called The Vintage Aviator, which restores and builds World War I and World War II fighter planes. He also owns a company called Wingnut Wings that makes detailed scale models of World War I aircraft.

Charitable Work

Peter Jackson has given a lot to charity. In 2006, he donated NZ$500,000 to embryonic stem cell research. He also bought a church in Wellington to save it from being torn down. He helps with 48HOURS, a New Zealand filmmaking competition, by choosing special "Wildcards" for the final round. In 2011, he and Fran Walsh bought the building for BATS Theatre in Wellington, helping to secure its future.

Peter Jackson's Filmmaking Style

Peter Jackson is known for paying close attention to details. He often shoots scenes from many different angles, which gives him more choices when editing. He also has a unique sense of humor and a playful approach to filmmaking.

Peter Jackson's Cameo Appearances in His Films

Like director Alfred Hitchcock, Peter Jackson often makes small appearances, called cameos, in his own movies.

• In Bad Taste, he plays two characters, Derek and Robert, and even has them fight each other!
• In Meet the Feebles, he's an audience member wearing a mask from Bad Taste.
• In Braindead, he's the mortician's assistant.
• In Heavenly Creatures, he's a tramp who gets kissed.
• In The Frighteners, he's a biker.
• In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, he's a carrot-eating citizen of Bree.
• In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, he's a Rohan warrior throwing a spear.
• In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, he's a pirate who gets accidentally shot by Legolas. His hands also appear as Sam's hands in the scene with Shelob.
• In his 2005 King Kong, he's a gunner in a biplane attacking Kong in New York City.
• In The Lovely Bones, he's a customer in a camera store.
• In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, he's a dwarf escaping from Erebor.
• In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, he reprises his carrot-eating role.
• In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, he and Fran Walsh appear as paintings of Bilbo's parents.

He has also made cameos in films he didn't direct, like playing a crazy Father Christmas in Hot Fuzz (2007).

Family Cameos in Peter Jackson's Films

Peter Jackson's children, Billy and Katie, have also made cameo appearances in many of his films, including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, and The Hobbit trilogy. His partner, Fran Walsh, also had a short cameo in The Frighteners.

Peter Jackson's Personal Life

Peter Jackson and his partner, Dame Fran Walsh, have two children. Fran Walsh is a talented screenwriter, film producer, and lyricist. She has worked on all of Peter Jackson's films since 1989, helping to write and produce them. She won three Academy Awards in 2003 for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, including Best Picture.

Peter Jackson is a big fan of aviation and owns a collection of over 40 working World War I-era planes. He also owns the famous "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" car from the movie! He is interested in building scale models and has a company that makes models of World War I aircraft.

Awards and Honours for Peter Jackson

Major Awards and Nominations

Peter Jackson's films have won many awards. Since 1994, almost all of his directed films have received nominations and wins. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most awarded film series ever. The Return of the King won all 11 Academy Awards it was nominated for in 2004, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Jackson's films are also known for winning awards in technical categories, like Best Visual Effects.

Awards for Directing Films

Special Honours

In 2002, Peter Jackson was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for his contributions to film. In 2010, he was promoted to Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM), which means he can be called "Sir Peter Jackson."

In 2012, he received New Zealand's highest civilian honor, becoming an Additional Member of the Order of New Zealand (ONZ). This was for his outstanding service to New Zealand. In 2016, he was added to the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.

Peter Jackson's Filmography

Feature Films Directed, Written, or Produced

Acting Roles in Films

Short Films

Documentary Films

Television Work

Acting Roles in Television

Music Videos

Images for kids

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  Jackson at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con

See Also

• Peter Jackson's unrealized projects
• Cinema of New Zealand
• List of New Zealand film makers
• Park Road Post