"Gandalf, my old friend, this will be a night to remember."
However Sir Ian Holm, who portrayed Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, left fans with more to remember than just the hobbit's 111th birthday.
The British actor, who died on Friday, June 19, at the age of 88, was a stalwart of both stage and screen.
With his uncanny ability to say so much with merely the flick of an eye or the tensing of the jaw, Holm was a decorated performer who received a Tony Award, Laurence Olivier Award and nomination for an Academy Award.
"I've always been a minimalist," he once said. "It was Bogart who once said, 'If you think the right thoughts, the camera will pick it up.' The most important thing in the face is the eyes, and if you can make the eyes talk, you're halfway there."
The actor, who had been battling with Parkinson's disease, was a cornerstone of British theatre and while he many tread the boards no more, you can still remember Holm – and marvel at his range – in a number of big-screen blockbusters.
Here, we round up seven of his most notable on-screen roles to watch in his memory.
'Chariots of Fire' (1981)
In his most critically acclaimed silver-screen role, Holm portrayed pioneering athletics coach Sam Mussabini, who trains Harold Abrahams to compete in the 1924 Olympics. The historical drama, based on a true story, netted Holm a Bafta and a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 1982 Oscars.
'Alien' (1979)
Holm played Ash, the science officer of the spaceship Nostromo, in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror. The role, in which Holm plays the film's android antagonist, helped the actor's star rise in the US as, prior to Alien, he was primarily known in the UK as a thespian.
'Ratatouille' (2007)
Holm voiced Chef Skinner in this Pixar classic, which tells the tale of Remy, a Parisian rat that dreams of becoming a celebrated chef. Skinner is a manipulative, interfering man who seeks to get his revenge on Remy, and his human friend Linguini, after the pair get him kicked out of his restaurant, and Holm nails the spiteful rage of the diminutive chef.
'The Fifth Element' (1997)
In Luc Besson's sci-fi action hit, Holm takes on the role of priest Vito Cornelius, alongside a cast that also includes Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman. In the apocalyptic film, Holm's Cornelius helps Willis's Dallas, a humble taxi driver, recover four stones that will help save Earth from destruction.
'The Madness of King George' (1994)
Holm plays Dr Francis Willis in this historical comedy-drama, adapted from Alan Bennett's play of the same name. Based on the true story of British King George III's deteriorating mental health, Holm plays the monarch's physician, who attempts to 'cure' the royal with forceful tactics.
'The Sweet Hereafter' (1997)
While Holm predominantly played character parts and supporting roles on screen, he took on the lead in Russell Banks’s drama. The actor portrayed lawyer Mitchell Stephens, who takes on a class-action suit filed by the survivors and victims' families of a bus crash.
'The Lord of the Rings' (2001-2003)
It would be remiss not to mention Holm's arguably most famous role, as that of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's fantasy trilogy. In a series of films that exposed Holm to a new generation, he plays the hobbit who stumbles upon a magic ring that belongs to the supposedly vanquished Sauron, before leaving it with his nephew, Frodo, to destroy for good.
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
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Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
More on Quran memorisation:
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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