A familiar ring
Huntington native Brad Dourif has part in The Two Towers movie
By ROBERT McCUNE - The Herald-Dispatch
Middle Earth isnt such a long way from Huntington.
Just ask Grima Wormtongue, the corrupted counselor to King Theoden and slithering spy of Saruman played by Huntington's own Brad Dourif in "The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers," in theaters this week.
Sure, it's a big step from community theater to a role in the big-screen adaptation of author J.R.R. Tolkien's three-book series, the classic good-vs.-evil tale believed by many to be the Bible of fantasy fiction.
But, for Dourif, it's been a steady journey to stardom. A journey, not unlike the Hobbit Frodo's mission to Mordor, that's had its share of exciting adventures -- on stage and screen, big and small, good and evil.
It doesn't take long to figure out which side, good or evil, Wormtongue's on. There's nothing warm and fuzzy or in the least bit cute about the character. But, he's not so difficult to relate to, says Dourif.
"What got me excited to do Grima Wormtongue is when I was young, I went through a period in boarding school where I was picked on a lot. And there is something about Grima, he has been picked on as a kid. He is so distrustful. He is so easily corrupted," says Dourif in an interview on TheOneRing.net, an Internet site devoted to Tolkien fans.
"He is so ugly -- and he wants to love somebody, and he can't because nobody will have him. But he is so smart and resourceful."
Dourif's made a name for himself playing the creepy and conflicted. His resume includes providing the voice for the criminally possessed doll in the "Child's Play" series and a slew of other horror/suspense flicks, including "The Exorcist III," and appearances in TV shows like "The X-Files" and "Star Trek: Voyager."
But, it was his standout performance as the gentle, stuttering mental patient opposite Jack Nicholson in 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" that garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
"It certainly changed my career and my life enormously," Dourif told The Herald-Dispatch in 1999. "It was a dream come true to work with Jack Nicholson. I would have given my right eye teeth to do it."
He didn't have to.
"Cuckoo" Director Milos Forman discovered Dourif in an off-Broadway production of "When You Comin' Back, Red Rider?" and offered him the role of Billy Bibbit.
But, it all started here in Huntington, where Dourif's father owned a dye factory and he attended Marshall University while performing with the Huntington Community Players.
Dourif's interest in acting began, he believes, as a reaction to his father's death when he was 3 (his mother, Joan Bradford Dourif, has since remarried to Huntington insurance executive and internationally known golfer William C. Campbell). The tragedy sent the youngster into flights of fantasy. Acting became a way to reconnect with the world.
"My way of dealing with his death was by going into a bit of a dream world," he says. "I was the kid in school who always vegged out. I did terribly in school, and I struggled a lot as a kid. I had trouble concentrating on anything."
It was a different dream world than the one envisioned by author J.R.R. Tolkien. He hadn't read "The Lord of The Rings" before being cast in the movie. "Which is amazing, because I was a hippie in the hippie era, and it was required reading," says Dourif.
Instead, he turned to the dark imagery of Edgar Allen Poe.
"I was very, very into Halloween," Dourif says on TheOneRing.Net. "I loved Edgar Allan Poe when I was a kid. I knew all his stories. Science fiction not so much, but horror, yes. I liked the scary, the unknown. And didn't you have the big house down the block that was abandoned, where the axe murder took place when you were a kid? There were a couple on my block."
Of course, you don't have to fear the bogeyman -- if you are the bogeyman.
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Brad Dourif on the Web
The Huntington native has established quite a fan following on the World Wide Web. Here are just a couple of sites that are mad about Brad:
* Dourif.com -- arguably the most complete online guide to the actor, it's got a biography, filmography, news articles, downloads, a photo gallery and, coming soon, a "Don't Hang Brad" game. But, what really makes it stand out is a selection of fan fiction, where Brad Dourif is the star of a handful of amateur authors' literary dreams. There's even a "Brad Poll." The current question: Would you enjoy seeing Brad in more TV roles or just seeing him more often in films?
* A "Chucky" fans forum, devoted to the role Dourif voiced in the "Child's Play" films. Among topics: "I just met Brad today," and "Brad's hair."
* TheOneRing.Net -- primarily a Web site for the Tolkien faithful, this Web site has an interview with Dourif, biography information and photos.
* www.imdb.com -- The Internet Movie Database has photos, a detailed biography and links to information about every movie/TV show the actor has appeared in.
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Brad Dourif as Grima Wormtongue
* Where you've seen him: The West Virginia native, 52, was an Oscar nominee for his role as the stuttering Billy Bibbit in 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Since then, he has gone to the dark side, specializing in twisted souls in "Ragtime," "Dune," "Blue Velvet," "Exorcist III" and most notoriously as the voice of Chucky the doll in the "Child's Play" series.
* On his "Rings" role: "Saruman (Christopher Lee) got to him because he was ugly and was close to a family he couldn't belong to."
* What was it like to have his eyebrows shaved for the part? "I had tons of qualms about it, and my girlfriend really didn't like it. It took a good six weeks before they looked normal. But it's part of Wormtongue's look. You see the veins under his skin, and there are scabs in the wig."
* On the fan fellowship of the "Rings": "I went to an "X-Files" convention (he guest-starred as a psychic serial killer), and I think "X-Files" was about as huge as anything I've seen. But then I went to another convention (to promote "Rings") and got a standing ovation for Wormtongue, and no one had even seen it yet."
* What is Christopher Lee like? "This guy knows everyone on planet Earth, and he won World War II, and he is the best swordsman, and it's all true. He is a genuinely remarkable human being."
The last two slots in the film were filled by Rupert Evans, in the role of FBI agent John Myers, HELLBOY's partner; and Victoria Smurfit, as Ilsa. Ron Perlman stars in the eponymous lead role.
SPOILERS: WaT 1/16 episode
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A Pregnant Woman Disappears From the Hospital "WITHOUT A TRACE" on CBS (1/16/03)
MALONE AND THE TEAM SEARCH FOR A PREGNANT WOMAN WITH MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS WHO MAY HAVE SOUGHT SHELTER AT AN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FOR ABUSED WOMEN, ON "WITHOUT A TRACE," THURSDAY, JAN. 16
"Underground Railroad" -- Malone and the team search for a pregnant woman after she disappears from a hospital before being told that she has serious complications, on WITHOUT A TRACE, Thursday, Jan. 16 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Tom McLoughlin directed the episode from a script by Executive Producer and series creator Hank Steinberg.
Kathy Dobson's seemingly happy life doesn't hold up under the team's investigation as they race against the clock to try to find her. She's eight and a half months pregnant and, under her husband Paul's tight control, has withdrawn from her family and friends. Paul's brother, Ritchie, has been following Kathy and has gives Paul a list of addresses that she's recently visited. On the list is a woman who may be connected to an underground railroad, but when the team finds her, they learn that even though she, too, has been assaulted by Paul, she still refuses to lead them to Kathy.
Taken gets Golden Globe nod
The SCI FI Channel's original miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken got a nod for best miniseries, the channel's first Golden Globe nomination.
The awards will be presented Jan. 19, 2003, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The ceremony will be broadcast live on NBC at 8 p.m. ET.
An alien force lifts Sci-Fi Channel
During the past two weeks, the cable miniseries "Taken" on Sci-Fi Channel topped rival shows on both UPN/Ch.9 and WB/Ch.11 in the ratings. The 20-hour Steven Spielberg production averaged nearly 5 million viewers from 9 to 11 p.m. for 10 weeknights from Dec. 2-13, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The WB averaged 3.7 million viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. - prime time at that network - for Dec. 2-13, said Nielsen. UPN had about 3.3 million viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. for the same period, according to Nielsen. The WB and UPN aired a mix of new and repeat programming on those nights.
"I think we successfully did something the broadcast channels can't do," said Bonnie Hammer, president of Sci-Fi. "We let 'Taken' take over our prime-time, late night and evening hours, and it performed well beyond our expectations."
Sci-Fi carried repeats of each "Taken" episode in late-night and early evening time slots, for viewers who might have missed the initial shows.
Yesterday, Hammer estimated that 31 million viewers watched at least part of the miniseries. The show followed three American families over four generations and explored their experiences with, and belief in, extraterrestrials.
"Taken" is expected to generate more funds for program development at Sci-Fi Channel and its sister channel, USA Network.
Michael Jackson, chairman of the Universal Television Group, which oversees Sci-Fi and USA Network, said his company will invest up to $400 million to develop programs on both networks during the next three years.
Hammer would like to use the money on a possible sequel, "Taken 2," or develop up to four long-form projects. The cable channel already has announced plans to replay "Taken" next year.
"I wouldn't rule out a sequel, but I think inventing something new is the way to go," she added. "The only challenge is to find something equally well-done."
