Many happy returns to John Rhys-Davies who turns 80 today. That fine RADA-trained Welsh actor of the booming voice, formidable presence and prolific career on screens big and small is still in demand and working constantly. Some years ago we found ourselves waiting a very long time for a very long flight out of LAX. A baby began to cry and nerves were jangling among the hundred or so people hanging around for hours. Thankfully that creature was so exhausted by the time the flight was called it fell asleep. Yours truly on the other hand was completely enervated and enchanted by the fact that one of the other passengers in the lounge was our beloved Sallah, the man we first encountered in Raiders of the Lost Ark (the greatest film ever made – fact). Rhys-Davies – for it was he – was a picture of patience. We didn’t bother him, despite a desperate longing to get his signature on something vaguely cinematic – like the latest edition of Premiere. We exercised manful restraint, to be honest. Regrets? We have a few, perhaps, now and then, but the flight took off, nobody cried and actually we found ourselves chatting to someone who knew Natalie Wood’s babysitter, so you know, swings, etc. And Mr JR-D was unbothered and unruffled. Happy Birthday John Rhys-Davies! Long live Sallah! (And Gimli!)
mondomovies 