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Peter Jackson

arts Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Sir Peter Jackson is a famous filmmaker from New Zealand.

Peter Jackson01
Peter Jackson01

He is best known for directing grand stories like the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy. These movies were based on the books written by J. R. R. Tolkien. Jackson is a very successful director. His films have made over $6.5 billion at movie theaters around the world. This makes him the fourth-highest-grossing director of all time. He has won many big awards, including three Academy Awards for The Return of the King.

Peter Jackson SDCC 2014
Peter Jackson SDCC 2014

Jackson loved movies from a very young age. He grew up watching films with special effects by Ray Harryhausen. When he was only nine years old, he tried to remake the movie King Kong. He used his own stop-motion models to make the characters move. As a boy, he also made a World War II story called The Dwarf Patrol. He even made a short film called The Valley that won a special prize. He did not go to a special school for film. Instead, he learned how to do makeup and special effects by trying things himself.

To pay for his dream, Jackson worked hard as a young man. He worked at a newspaper called The Evening Post in Wellington. He did this for seven years to save money. He lived at home with his parents to save every bit he could. He used that money to buy film equipment like a 16 mm camera. His early movies were often funny or scary, like Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles. These early films were often made with his friends helping him for free.

Peter Jackson SDCC 2014
Peter Jackson SDCC 2014

Jackson's career changed when he made the drama Heavenly Creatures in 1994. This movie was based on a real story from the 1950s. It helped him become famous in the main film industry. After that, he worked on bigger Hollywood movies. He helped start a company called Weta Workshop. This company makes amazing costumes and visual effects. He also worked with people like Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. They are his regular partners for writing and producing movies.

Peter Jackson01
Peter Jackson01

Today, people all over the world know his name. In 2010, he was made a knight in a ceremony in Wellington. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014. Jackson continues to make many different kinds of films. He has made horror comedies, monster movies, and even documentaries. For example, he made a documentary about the Beatles called Get Back. He also made a documentary about World War I called They Shall Not Grow Old.

Peter Jackson SDCC 2014
Peter Jackson SDCC 2014
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