Sir Peter Robert Jackson ONZ KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the director and producer of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, both of which are adapted from the novels of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. Other notable films include Heavenly Creatures, Forgotten Silver, The Frighteners, King Kong and The Lovely Bones. He also produced District 9, The Adventures of Tintin and the documentary West of Memphis. Jackson began his career with the "splatstick" horror comedy Bad Taste and the black comedy Meet the Feebles before filming Braindead. He shared an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination with his partner Fran Walsh for the film Heavenly Creatures, which brought him to mainstream prominence in the film industry. Jackson has been awarded three Academy Awards in his career, including the award for Best Director in 2003, and has been nominated for nine Academy Awards overall. He has also received a Golden Globe, four Saturn Awards and three BAFTAs amongst others. His production company is Wingnut Films, and his most regular collaborators are co-writers and producers Walsh and Philippa Boyens. [More at Wikipedia]

October 31st, 1961 in Wellington (Age 63)