Jed Brophy is an actor from New Zealand who has had many stand out roles in his home country and internationally. He is most well-known for his appearances in several Peter Jackson films, including The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, The Hobbit films, King Kong, Heavenly Creatures and Braindead. His other notable projects include District 9, The Warrior’s Way and the innovative short film Blue Moon, filmed almost completely on an iPhone.
Brophy fell into acting almost by accident whilst he was training as a PE teacher, and began to act on stage in the late 1980s. He made his big screen debut in Small War on the Edge of Town (1988) before appearing in television drama Married and landing the role of Robert Powell’s brother in Chunuk Bair. Braindead was the first of his roles with legendary director Peter Jackson with Brophy sitting in makeup for hours to become a zombie. He then went on to appear Heavenly Creatures, blockbuster King Kong and the iconic Lord of the Rings trilogy, before playing dwarf Nori in Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy.
On stage Brophy has played Picasso in Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Begbie in Trainspotting. His appearances in short films have earned him critical acclaim, including an award nomination for his role in Room Tone. When he isn’t appearing on stage or in major movies, Brophy teaches acting students and has taught at Whitireia’s College of Performing Arts and Toi Whakaari.