Читать книгу An A-Z of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit - Sarah Oliver - Страница 7

 Name: Balin

 Alias: Balin, Lord of Moria; Balin, Son of Fundin

 Race: Dwarf of the House of Durin

 Played by: Ken Stott

 Character description: Balin wears a red hood and looks very old. The brother of Dwalin, he is the second oldest dwarf on the quest. He was also the second dwarf to arrive at Bilbo’s home and is the dwarf usually given the job of lookout.

The actor chosen to play Balin was Ken Stott. Ken was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to his Sicilian mother, Antonia Sansica, and Scottish father. His dad was assistant head at the school that Ken was to attend. While growing up, Ken loved both music and acting and was a member of a band called Keyhole. Years after they split, his former bandmates formed the Bay City Rollers.

Ken trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, but this hindered him when he tried to get acting jobs in Scotland. Struggling to earn enough money to live on, he supplemented his acting income with a second job as a double glazing salesman. He might have struggled at the beginning of his career but he is now one of the most-loved Scottish actors. Ken is best known for playing Detective Chief Inspector Red Metcalfe in Messiah, Detective Inspector Pat Chappel in The Vice and Adolf Hitler in Uncle Adolf.