Although Sir Ian Holm was short, he had a long… career! The 5’5” performer began acting on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company. After winning a Tony for The Homecoming (1967), he moved on to movies. Immediately, Ian revealed his… range in the drama The Fixer (1968) and the comedy Oh! What a Lovely War (1969). The busy bloke then popped up in the period pieces Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Young Winston (1972), Robin and Marian (1976), S.O.S. Titanic (1979), and Chariots of Fire (1981) for which he scored an Oscar nomination! Mr. Holm also worked with Ridley Scott on Alien (1979); Terry Gilliam on Time Bandits (1981) and Brazil (1985); Woody Allen on Another Woman (1988); Kenneth Branagh on Henry V (1989), Hamlet (1990) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994); Danny Boyle on A Life Less Ordinary; and Martin Scorsese on The Aviator (2004). Yet he’s best known for playing Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2003) and The Hobbit (2012, 2014) movies. However, Mr. Man prefers Mr. Holm’s topless turn in the Jack the Ripper flick From Hell (2001). Better yet was the crime film The Advocate (1993) which features the skintastic actor’s naked T&A! If that’s not erotic enough, Ian flashes his flesh in Joe Gould’s Secret (2000) and The Hour of the Pig (1993). Speaking of animals, Ian voiced Skinner in the animated movie Ratatouille (2007). It seemed there was no end to his skills. Alas, the thespian faced his end in 2020. RIP.
