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The Birth of Peter Jackson
Born Peter Jackson on October 31st, 1961 to English immigrants, Joan, a homemaker and Bill, a local authority employee, in a coastal town, Pukerua Bay, North Island in New Zealand.
[Biography] https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/peter-jackson -
Introduced to the World of Television
Jackson’s family bought a television when he was 5 years old and was introduced to the world of television. A futuristic English Sci-Fi show, Thunderbirds (1965-66) captured his imagination.
[Biography] https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/peter-jackson -
Jackson’s Obsession with Films Begins
Peter Jackson watched the original King Kong at the age of 9 and his obsession with films Began. The same year his parents received a Super 8 movie camera and Jackson would create short films of his spaceships and models.
[Biography] https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/peter-jackson -
Created Short Films as A Teen
Jackson was using his friends as actors, his parents' house as a set and whatever he could concoct in the kitchen for special effects. Jackson set out to make original movies.
[Britannica] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Peter-Jackson-New-Zealand-director -
Dropped Out of School To Pursue Filmmaking
Jackson dropped out of Kapiti College, a state-run secondary school, at the age of 16 so that he could get a job as a photographic lithographer at a local newspaper to finance his film hobby. He worked six days a week while living at home in order to save as much money as possible to purchase a state-of-the-art camera. Once he had purchased equipment, Jackson set out to create a film.
[Youtube] https://youtu.be/ZfrngOa917g?si=Qe4yha97m7c0lpd9 -
Bad Taste
Begins filming Bad Taste, his first feature-length movie, on weekends with friends. -
Bad Taste Premieres
Bad Taste premieres at the Cannes Film Festival and gains a cult following. -
Meet The Feebles
Releases Meet the Feebles, a dark puppet comedy satirizing show business. -
Braindead (Dead Alive in the U.S)
Releases Braindead (Dead Alive in the U.S.), considered one of the goriest films ever.
[Encyclopedia of World Biography] https://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ge-La/Jackson-Peter.html -
Heavenly Creatures
Releases Heavenly Creatures, which earns an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. -
Wingnut Films
Jackson forms Wingnut Films, his own production company. -
The Frighteners
Peter directs The Frighteners, his first Hollywood film, starring Michael J. Fox. -
The Lord of the Rings
Begins developing The Lord of the Rings film adaptation with New Line Cinema. -
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is released and becomes a massive critical and box office success. -
The Two Towers
The Two Towers is released, continuing the success of the trilogy. -
The Return of the King
The Return of the King is released and wins 11 Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. -
King Kong
Releases his long-awaited remake of King Kong, which becomes a box office hit.
[Academy of Achievement] https://achievement.org/achiever/sir-peter-jackson/ -
The Lovely Bones
Directs The Lovely Bones, based on Alice Sebold’s novel. -
The Hobbit
Begins production on The Hobbit trilogy after delays and changes in director. -
The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey
Releases The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, returning to Middle-earth. -
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Releases The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. -
The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies
Releases The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, completing the prequel trilogy. -
They Shall Not Grow Old
Releases the acclaimed WWI documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, featuring restored and colorized footage.