“I thought up an ending for my book: ‘And he lived happily ever after, unto the end of his days.'”
Farewell to Sir Ian Holm, our dear and beloved Bilbo Baggins. May you thrive in the far green country and be at peace. Thank you for sharing your marvelous gifts with us and for bringing to life a character so dear to thousands, if not millions, of hearts. At 88 years old, you were a long-lived hobbit indeed.
Born on September 12, 1931, Holm was an accomplished actor for both stage and screen. Among his accolades are a Tony Award in 1967 for Homecoming and he was nominated for an Academy Award for Chariots of Fire. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1953. He was considered a star of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
As a voice actor, he played Frodo in the BBC’s 1981 adaptation of the Lord of the Rings and returned to Middle-earth to play Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Together with the rest of the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, he shared a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Holm reprised his role of “old” Bilbo in Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy.
He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren. Our hearts go out to his family and friends for their loss while we also celebrate the life of and work of a very gifted actor.
May the below score by Howard Shore warm your heart as we remember our dear Mr. Baggins.
