Summary

• The Lord of the Rings films use camera tricks and different perspectives to change the appearance of the actors' heights, making average-sized actors seem as small as hobbits or as tall as elves.
• Some of the tallest actors in the Lord of the Rings cast include Christopher Lee (Saruman) at 6'4.5", Hugo Weaving (Elrond) at 6'2", and Sala Baker (Sauron) at 6'1".
• On the other hand, some of the shortest actors in the Lord of the Rings cast include Sean Astin (Sam) at 5'6.25", Billy Boyd (Pippin) at 5'5.5", and Ian Holm (Bilbo) at 5'5". Frodo, played by Elijah Wood, is the smallest member of the Fellowship at 5'5" and is portrayed as a small and vulnerable hero.

Given the diminutive nature of the hobbits in Lord of the Rings, there is an interesting question about how tall Elijah Wood is compared to Frodo in real life. Peter Jackson's trilogy adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy series incorporates a lot of different races of beings who inhabit Middle-earth, from humans to elves to hobbits to dwarfs. Just looking at the heroic Fellowship of the Ring shows the wide variety in sizes among the characters. It adds to the wondrous nature of these adventures, but also makes it hard to determine the actual heights of the Lord of the Rings actors.

While Jackson and his team get a lot of deserving praise for bringing the massive battle sequences of the Lord of the Rings trilogy to life, some of the most impressive filmmaking techniques revolve around the heights of the characters. The films use tricks of the camera and different perspectives to change actors' appearance, making an average-sized actor as small as a hobbit, or as tall as an elf lord. While Gimli and the hobbits like Frodo are the shortest characters, the heights of the Lord of the Rings cast don't correlate to who they play.

The Tallest Actors In The Lord Of The Rings

Christopher Lee (Saruman) 6'4.5"

As one of the most powerful wizards in The Lord of the Rings, Saruman the White wasn't just known for his magical abilities; his physically imposing presence indicated his authority and commanded respect. Standing just under six-and-a-half feet tall, Sir Christopher Lee was both intimidating and awe-inspiring. Despite being nearly ninety when filming began, Lee's height — like his performance — was never diminished. Towering over even Gandalf, Saruman made even the greatest of warriors involved with destroying the ring seem diminutive. Lee's height, as well as his stentorian voice, also served to make him a very memorable character.

Hugo Weaving (Elrond) 6'2"

In Middle-earth, elves are known for being tall, graceful, and fair. Therefore, it made sense to cast a tall and lithe actor like Hugo Weaving to embody these qualities as the Lord of Rivendell, one of the most powerful Elves in Middle-earth. Elves are frequently the tallest characters on-screen, even among the most physically imposing from the race of Men. It was Elrond's height that added to the drama of his solemn conversations with Gandalf and Aragorn, and to the comicality involved with his chastising of several hobbits who happened to crash the secret council meeting.

Sala Baker (Sauron) 6'1"

As a powerful metamorph, Sauron's movie appearance was brief with him operating mostly as an unseen threat. When he did appear, it was of a tall menacing Warlord of Darkness. Walking into battle, he parted oceans of soldiers with his huge strides and his mighty mace. At six feet and one inch tall, Sala Baker had enough height to make Sauron actually seem like a threat, especially with all of his armor on.

In Tolkien's novels, that version of Sauron was not described in great detail, which is odd given how much description he devoted to other characters. In the movies, having Sauron appear as a hulking warrior gave him menace — unlike a giant lidless eye.

Martin Csokas (Celeborn) 6'1"

Celeborn didn't have many lines of dialogue in The Fellowship of the Ring, but he made an impression thanks to his willowy frame and serene composure. At six feet and one inch tall, Martin Csokas captured the serenity of the Lord of Lorien, who has seen much come to pass in Middle-earth over the centuries and has safeguarded his domain.

Celeborn was often overshadowed by Galadriel, who was given a ring of power to use to protect Lothlorien and keep peace in the time after Isildur first stole the One Ring from Sauron. Celeborn was often said to be the wisest of the elves in the Third Age. He didn't take the ship to sail West with Galadriel, perhaps because he wasn't burdened by the loss of the One Ring.

John-Rhys Davies (Gimli) 6'.5"

Though Gimli might seem like he's a hobbit actor's height, the dwarf was played by an actor who was taller than either Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) or Boromir (Sean Bean), and even Legolas (Orlando Bloom), with whom he shared an amusingly competitive friendship. John-Rhys Davies stands 6 ft and 1/2 inch tall and is the tallest member of the Fellowship.

Gimli never let his height diminish his ferocity in battle, and he never saw it as a disadvantage, because he was at the right height to chop Uruk-hai off at the knees. Many unique camera angles and stunt doubles were necessary to hide Davies' great height.

The Shortest Actors In The Lord Of The Rings

Sean Astin (Sam) 5'6.25"

Sometimes, great courage and heroism come in the smallest packages. Samwise Gamgee ended up being one of the bravest members of the Fellowship, and he never let his hobbit height get in the way of doing extraordinary things. The same could be said of actor Sean Astin, who stands shorter-than-average five feet and six inches tall.

For much of the trilogy, Sam and Frodo spend most of their time together, making Sam's stature less noticeable. Given Sam's big personality, it's easy to forget just how small he is. Yet his size lends to the way people underestimate Sam as he gradually proves himself to be the hero of the story.

Billy Boyd (Pippin) 5'5.5"

Hobbits are known for being short and appear only as children in the eyes of bigger folk, while their playful and immature attitude often doesn't help their status. As the youngest member of the fellowship, Pippin was all those things and often found himself to be a very small hobbit in a very big world. Seeing that Billy Boyd is five feet five and a half inches tall, he fits nicely into this sort of dynamic.

Though all the hobbits were small, Pippin often seems smaller than the rest because of his childish pranks, sense of humor, and naivety. In a deleted scene in The Two Towers, he grows several inches after drinking some special water in Fangorn forest, but it doesn't make him act any more respectable.

Ian Holm (Bilbo) 5'5"

One of the most famous hobbits who ever lived, Bilbo Baggins often preferred a fine meal, a roaring fire, and his pipe to grand adventures. However, when called upon by Gandalf, Bilbo rallied to Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves of Erebor, an adventure that led to him finding the One Ring through an interaction with Gollum.

Standing five feet five inches, Sir Ian Holm was the perfect actor to bring Bilbo to life in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and his scenes with Gandalf (Ian McKellen, five feet eleven inches) show the dramatic difference between Bilbo and the wizard even without Peter Jackson's camera trickery.

Elijah Wood (Frodo) 5'5"

Though he was hailed as a hero for destroying the One Ring, there were many times when Frodo wished the ring had never come to him. The journey to Mordor and Mount Doom was perilous, and ultimately the ring robbed him of his former carefree personality and made him a pitiable figure.

At 5 ft and 5 inches, Elijah Wood is the smallest member of the Fellowship. Much pressure rode on Frodo to carry the Ring to Mount Doom, and the fact that the fate of Middle-earth lies in the hands of such a small being is part of the theme of Peter Jackson's trilogy. Wood does a great job in selling Frodo as the small and vulnerable hero along with his scale-double, Kiran Shah, who stands at a height of four feet and two inches.

Miranda Otto (Eowyn) 5'4.75"

First appearing in The Two Towers, Eowyn was King Theoden's niece and didn't like to be told she couldn't defend the kingdom of Rohan like the rest of the men. Though Miranda Otto only stands five feet, four and three-quarter inches tall, she made Eowyn seem just as capable and brave as every Rohirrim around her.

Like hobbits, Eowyn knew what it felt like to be underestimated. For this reason, she became a close friend of Merry's, who also proved his valor by fighting by Eowyn's side. The pair entered the Battle of the Black Gate together when Eowyn struck down the Witch-king, a foe much taller than her.