The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King - Cast

Cast

Like the preceding films in the trilogy, The Return of the King has an ensemble cast, and some of the cast and their respective characters include:

• Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: The Hobbit who continues his quest to destroy the Ring, which continues to torture him.
• Ian McKellen as Gandalf the White: The Wizard who travels to aid the Men of Gondor, acting as a general at the Siege of Gondor
• Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee: Better known as Sam, he is Frodo's loyal Hobbit companion.
• Andy Serkis voices and provides motion capture for Sméagol/Gollum: The treacherous creature, once one of the River-folk (a race akin to Hobbits), who guides Frodo and Sam into Mordor. The first scene in the film portrays him in his former life as Sméagol, his murder of his relative Deagol for possession of the Ring, as well as his degeneration into Gollum.
• Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn: Aragorn must finally face his destiny as King of Gondor.
• Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc Brandybuck: Better known as Merry, the Hobbit who becomes an esquire of Rohan.
• Billy Boyd as Peregrin Took: Better known as Pippin, a Hobbit who looks into the palantír and later becomes an esquire of Gondor.
• John Rhys-Davies as Gimli: The warrior Dwarf who continues his friendly rivalry over Orc kills with Legolas; a companion to Aragorn along with Legolas. Rhys-Davies also voices Treebeard the Ent leader.
• Orlando Bloom as Legolas: An Elven prince and skilled archer who aids Aragorn in his quest to reclaim the throne.
• Liv Tyler as Arwen, daughter of Elrond, and Aragorn's lover. She gives up her immortal life for Aragorn.
• Bernard Hill as Théoden: King of Rohan. After triumphing at Helm's Deep, he is preparing his troops for the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. He is the uncle of Éomer and Éowyn.
• Miranda Otto as Éowyn: Théoden's niece, who wishes to prove herself in battle. She also starts to fall in love with Aragorn, who does not return her love. In the extended and regular version, she finds love with Faramir when they are both residing in the Houses of Healing.
• Karl Urban as Éomer: Éowyn's brother, and Chief Marshal of the Riders of Rohan. Nephew to King Théoden.
• David Wenham as Faramir: The head of the Gondorian Rangers defending Osgiliath. Second-born son to Denethor, he seeks his father's love in vain.
• John Noble as Denethor: Steward of Gondor and father to Faramir, as well as the slain Boromir. Due to grief over Boromir's death, and despair over Mordor's superior numbers, he falls into madness during the Siege of Gondor.
• Hugo Weaving as Elrond: The Elven lord of Rivendell who must convince Aragorn to take up the throne.
• Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins: Frodo's elderly uncle, who has rapidly aged after giving away the Ring.
• Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: Elven lady of Lórien. She is aware the time of the Elves is at an end.
• Marton Csokas as Lord Celeborn: Elven lord of Lórien.
• Bruce Hopkins as Gamling: Right-hand man of Théoden and a skilled member of the Royal Guard of Rohan.
• Paul Norell as The King of the Dead: The cursed leader of the Dead Men at Dunharrow, from whom Aragorn must seek help.
• Lawrence Makoare plays the Witch-king of Angmar, the Lord of the Nazgûl . He leads Mordor's assault on Minas Tirith. He also plays Gothmog, an Orc commander, voiced by Craig Parker.
• Sarah McLeod as Rosie Cotton: The girl of Sam's dreams. When Sam returns to The Shire, she marries him and has a family.
• Thomas Robins as Déagol, Sméagol's cousin.
• Sean Bean as Boromir: Faramir's brother, in a flashback to his death at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and in the extended cut when Denethor has a hallucination.

The following appear only in the Extended Edition

• Christopher Lee as Saruman the White: A wizard, former Head of the White Council, now trapped by Treebeard. He is seen being killed by his servant, Gríma.
• Brad Dourif as Gríma Wormtongue: Saruman's sycophantic, treacherous servant. He is shot by Legolas after stabbing Saruman.
• Bruce Spence as The Mouth of Sauron: Sauron's ambassador at the Black Gate.

There are also cameos from Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, Gino Acevedo, Rick Porras and Andrew Lesnie on the Corsair ship, although all of them but Jackson appear only in the Extended Edition. Jackson also has another unofficial cameo, as Sam's hand stepping into view when he confronts Shelob. Sean Astin's daughter played Sam and Rosie's older daughter Elanor in the last scene of the film; in the same scene, Sarah McLeod's daughter plays their younger daughter. Jackson's children also cameo as Gondorian extras, while Christian Rivers played a Gondorian soldier guarding the Beacon Pippin lights, and is later seen wounded. Royd Tolkien cameos as a Ranger in Osgiliath, while in the Extended Edition Howard Shore appears as a celebrating soldier at Edoras. Additionally, four of the designers of The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game are featured as Rohirrim at the Pelennor. At the end of the film, during the closing credits, each cast member gets a sketched portrait morphed with the real photograph beside their name, which were sketched by Alan Lee, an idea suggested by Ian McKellen.