Of all thecreatures in the fantastical realm of Middle-earth, hobbits are easily the most unassuming. Short of stature and kind of heart, hobbits are peaceful folk who live simple pastoral lives. Hobbits love to eat (up to six meals a day), drink and be merry (or Pippin). But strange and dangerous times darken doorways even in the Shire and propel hobbits on adventures worthy of legend.
These tales have been adapted many timessinceJ.R.R. TolkienpennedThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy. Most well-known and beloved arePeter Jackson’stwo trilogies of films, which lovingly brought to life the lands and people of Middle-earth. Jackson’s films cemented the modern imagining of Tolkien’s creations and continued the legacy of adapting the rich source material for the silver screen.In every adaptation, hobbits have always played pivotal roles and become the unlikely heroes that viewers love.
10Rosie Cotton
Played by Sarah Mcleod
Rosie Cotton, played bySarah McLeod, lives in the shire along with the more familiar hobbits. Rosie makes only a few brief appearances in the Jackson trilogy, a symptom of the overalllack of female charactersin the source material. She is shown to work as a barmaid in the extended edition ofThe Fellowship of the Ring, but is most notable for her role as Sam’s love interest.
While her appearances may be far and few between,Rosie is a shining example of a hobbit.Her cheery demeanor and joyous dancing at Bilbo’s birthday party show the viewer the way of life that is at stake when the Ring brings danger to the Shire. Rosie may not be given much to say in the films, but her presence alone is more nerve-wracking for Sam thanfacing down the giant spider, Shelob.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
9Farmer Maggot
Played by Cameron Rhodes
Farmer Maggot, played byCameron Rhodes, is shown in one scene directing a Black Rider to Hobbiton and can be heard chasing after Merry and Pippin as they steal his crops. In the book, Maggot is a friendly fellow, and he and his wife help the hobbits on their journey;Maggot is even held in high regard by the mysterious Tom Bombadil.
His character and role aregreatly diminished in the film compared to the books,but eagle-eyed fans will recognize him by his faithful hounds. His portrayal in the film does not do him justice, but he still gets a nod from Jackson and readers of the book will appreciate his bit of screen time.
8Bilbo Baggins
Played by Martin Freeman
There is undeniably no hobbit more iconic than Bilbo Baggins. He is the titular hobbit fromThe Hobbit, after all. Bilbo has hadmore adventures than most hobbits, or elves or dwarvescould dream of. This set Bilbo apart from the other Shire-folk. A result, they believed, of his Tookish side.It was Bilbo who discovered the One Ring in Gollum’s cavewhile adventuring in the Misty Mountains with the dwarves. This single event cascaded into the War of the Ring.
Martin Freemanplays Bilbo inThe Hobbittrilogy. Freeman shows viewers Bilbo’s younger days, from his reluctant answer to the call to adventure to his triumphant return to the shire as a changed hobbit. Bilbo’s adventures set the stage for the events that unfold inThe Lord of the Ringswhile on a captivating journey on their own.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
7Peregrin Took
Played by Billy Boyd
Peregrin Took, played byBilly Boyd, is better known by Pippin (orFool of a Took, depending on who you ask). Pippin is the youngest of the hobbits in the fellowship and Merry’s cousin. He often gets himself and others into trouble with his Took-ish antics, but over the course of the trilogy,Pippin matures and becomes a hero in his own right.
From stealing carrots in farmer Maggot’s field and fireworks on Billbo’s birthday to defending Gondor and assaulting the Black Gate of Mordor, Pippin has his own hero’s journey throughout the films. Pippin also delivers a haunting rendition of a song composed of lines from Tolkien’s poetry in an unforgettable scene with Denethor, played byJohn Noble.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
6Bilbo Baggins
Played by Ian Holm
Two of the films inThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy show viewers an older, more reflective Bilbo, played byIan Holm. One who is ready to share his adventures with the world through his book,There and Back Again. This older Bilbo is the one who passes the Ring onto Frodo and begins the greatest adventure of all.
Bilbo is Frodo’s uncle and role model.It is this wisened Bilbo that gives Frodo the gifts that save him on his quest: the Mithril shirt andthe elven blade, Sting. The Return of the King shows an aged Bilbo, no longer in possession of the life-extending One Ring, passing to the West with the elves, heading on his final adventure. It is this Bilbo that delivers one of the most iconic generation-scarring scenes in the films with “scary Bilbo,” too.
5Meriadoc Brandybuck
Played by Dominic Monaghan
Meriadoc Brandybuck, played byDominic Monaghan, is the other half ofthe trouble-making duo Merry and Pippin. Like his cousin, his antics are relatively harmless, and he is certainly the more responsible out of the two. Merry, along with Pippin, is used more for comic relief in the film series than in the book, where he is a shrewd and brave hobbit.
Even still, his cunning nature and stout heart are played out on screen, as Merry is never one to shy away from battle, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Merry goes on to be an esquire ofKing Théoden of Rohan, played byBernard Hill, and rides to the battle of Pelenor Fields. It is here thathe stabs the Witch-king with his Barrow-blade, allowing this powerful foe to be slain by Éowyn, played byMirada Otto.
4Frodo Baggins
Played by Elijah Wood
Frodo Baggins, played byElijah Wood, serves asthe protagonist inThe Lord of the Ringsand is the viewer’s window into the power and corruption of the One Ring. Frodo, like his uncle Bilbo, is fascinated by the world outside the Shire. But he never would have expected what was to come.
Frodo is tasked with a great and terrible quest — to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom. Aside from the perilous and likely deadly journey, Frodo must carry an all-powerful, sentient, corrupting artifact right to the doorstep of its master, which could usher in an age of darkness across all lands.Frodo and his quest are the benchmark by which heroes’ journeys are to be measured.
Played by Andy Serkis
Smeagol, played byAndy Serkis, was once a hobbit but is now better known as the creature Gollum. Having carried the One Ring for years before having it stolen by Bilbo, his mind and body have twisted under its corruption. Despite his tragic transformation into Gollum, a part of Smeagol still lives on in his new form, making himone of the most fascinating characters in the films.
Viewers see Gollum’s internal struggle ashe wrestles with his ultimate desire to be reunited with the One Ring, which he calls “his precious,” and his loyalty to Frodo, who has shown him kindness for the first time in ages. Serkis’ performance breathes a stunning amount of life into an animated character and lets the viewer sympathize with a rather villainous figure.
2Frodo Baggins
Voiced by Christopher Guard
The lesser-known but cult classicRalph Bakshifilm from 1978,The Lord of the Rings, is an important piece of Middle-earth media history. An ambitious project for the time, this film was the first feature-length adaption ofThe Lord of the Ringsnovels. However, due to a canceled sequel, the film ends after the battle of Helm’s Deep. While it never achieved the success of the Jackson Trilogy, Bakshi’s work laid the foundation upon which that success would be built.
This film’s portrayal of Frodo, voiced byChristopher Gaurd, is lauded as beingmore in line with the Frodo who appears in the novels. This Frodo is more confident and competent than the Frodo that appears in the Jackson trilogy. To many fans,this Frodo better reflects the more mature Hobbit from the bookswho volunteers for the perilous quest to destroy the Ring.
1Samwise Gamgee
Played by Sean Astin
Samwise Gamgee, played bySean Astin, is the gardener at Bag End, where Bilbo and Frodo live. Though the films portray him as a close friend to Frodo, he is also Frodo’s servant. Sam is the quintessential everyman. He is working class, honest, stalwart, and, in many respects, the true hero of the tale. Sam’s acts of heroism are too numerous to recount, but it suffices to say that he saves Frodo from certain death many times and thatthe quest to destroy the Ring would have never been completed without Sam.
Sam remains hopeful to the very end and is the only one who stays with Frodo all the way from the Shire to the center of Mount Doom, going as far as to carry Frodo up the rocky slopes when Frodo can no longer walk. Sam even takes the Ring when he believes Frodo to be killed by Shelob and freely gives it back when Frodo awakens,making him one of only two ring-bearers to ever do so.
