The Lord Of The Rings: What The King Of The Dead Looks Like In Real Life
The Army of the Dead from "The Lord of the Rings" is a terrifying group of ghoulish allies led by a spine-chilling king who only owes his allegiance to one man — the heir of Isildur. While the erstwhile ruler may look gruesome on screen, though, what does he look like in real life? Who is the actor behind the green, two-layered CGI monstrosity? The answer is Paul Norell.
Norell is a British actor who was born in 1952 in London. While he appeared in 2003 as the King of the Dead, this was a later act in an already busy Hollywood career that includes multiple cult classic television series. Norell played (among other roles in the Herc-Xenaverse) the traveling merchant Falafel in both "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." He also frequented the Power Rangers franchise, playing Supreme Commander Fowler Birdy in four episodes of "Power Rangers S.P.D" and making a brief appearance as "Delegate #2" in "Power Rangers Ninja Storm." He most recently played King John in the Netflix romcom "The Royal Treatment."
During his time in Middle-earth, Norell did more than play the King of the Dead. He also has an uncredited role as an Easterling who fights for Sauron's armies during the War of the Ring. These are the soldiers who hail from the far eastern portions of Tolkien's Middle-earth continent called Rhûn (the people of Rhûn will likely figure prominently in "The Rings of Power" Season 2). While he plays the King of the Dead in "The Return of the King," Norell's role as an Easterling is credited to "The Two Towers," which makes sense, as Frodo, Sam, and Gollum see a group of Easterlings up close and personal during that movie when the soldiers enter Mordor through the Black Gate.
Who Is the King of the Dead?
As far as Paul Norell's LotR character is concerned, the King of the Dead and his ghostly minions play a much bigger role in Peter Jackson's films (especially the extended editions of "The Lord of the Rings") than they do in the source material. In the movie, we see Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) brandish his sword, Andúril, as he confronts Norell's character and brings the group to heel. The Ranger then unleashes the green army of terror at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, easily overpowering everything in sight and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
In the books, the role of the cursed enclave is much smaller (though still critical). Aragorn does go on the Paths of the Dead and recruits the dead warriors to his cause, but he never faces the king directly. Instead, as the ghosts surround Aragorn and his companions, dimly visible in the distance, the Ranger calls on them to follow him and fulfill their oath. Ironically, one of the two references to the "King of the Dead" comes from the local people calling Aragorn by that title as he leads the ghastly host to war.
When Aragorn summons the Army of the Dead, a voice does respond to him, but it doesn't say who is speaking. The only time Norell's character specifically shows up is when Aragorn dismisses the army, at which point "The Return of the King" book says, "And thereupon the King of the Dead stood out before the host and broke his spear and cast it down. Then he bowed low and turned away; and swiftly the whole grey host drew off and vanished like a mist that is driven back by a sudden wind."