John Bach

John Bach (born 5 June 1946) is a British-born New Zealand actor who has acted on stage, television and film over a period of more than four decades. Though born in the United Kingdom, he has spent most of his career living and working in New Zealand.

Film career International audiences are most likely to have seen Bach as the Gondorian Ranger Madril in the second and third movies of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003). His leading roles in New Zealand television include playing the titular Detective Inspector John Duggan in the Duggan telemovies and television series, one of the truckdriving brothers in series Roche, and time on long-running soap opera Close to Home. In 1992 he starred as Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell in the telemovie The Sound and the Silence. In 1999 he played the Earl of Sackville in an episode of the TV miniseries A Twist in the Tale.

Bach's Australian work includes science fiction series Farscape, playing Mike Power in the "based on a true story" mini-series The Great Bookie Robbery (1986), and as Sir Ian Hamilton in the 2015 TV miniseries Gallipoli.

In 2010, Bach appeared in the science fiction series This Is Not My Life as the sinister Harry Sheridan, as magistrate Titus Calavius in Spartacus: Blood and Sand and in an episode of Legend of the Seeker.

He appeared in several New Zealand films, including Utu, Carry Me Back, Goodbye Pork Pie, The Last Tattoo, Pallet on the Floor, Old Scores (in which he had a central role), and Beyond Reasonable Doubt.

In 2014, he performed as body double for Saruman in place of Christopher Lee, who was unable to fly to New Zealand for principal photography on The Hobbit film series.

He appeared as the emperor Marcus Aurelius in the first season of the 2016 Netflix drama series, Roman Empire. In 2021, he began a recurring role as Don on the comedy series Under the Vines, created by Erin White and starring Rebecca Gibney and fellow Lord of the Rings alum Charles Edwards.

In 2026, he appeared as an older version of British General Brian Horrocks in the documentary film Sgt. Haane.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1975 Richard Pearse Jack Pearse TV movie 1977 Wild Man Barman Feature film 1978 The Mad Dog Gang Meets Rotten Fred and Ratsguts Wilkie TV movie 1979 The Gathering Lou TV movie 1980 Goodbye Pork Pie Snout Feature film Beyond Reasonable Doubt Feature film The Mad Dog Gang Spooks Wilkie, Wink Wink and the Wobbler Wilkie TV movie Sea Urchins Harvey TV movie 1981 Bad Blood Bert Chopp Feature film 1982 Battletruck "Bone" Feature film Carry Me Back Winton 1983 Wild Horses Jack TV movie Utu Belcher Feature film The Lost Tribe Edward / Max Scarry Feature film Prisoners Bodell Feature film Nearly No Christmas King Penguin TV movie 1984 Heart of the Stag Shearer Other Halves Jim Feature film Iris Mike TV movie Pallet on the Floor Jack Voot Feature film 1985 Lie of the Land Gorrie 1986 Dangerous Orphans Desk Sergeant Feature film 1988 Georgia Karlin Feature film 1990 Blood Oath Major Roberts Feature film 1991 The Sound and the Silence Alexander Graham Bell TV movie Old Scores Lead role Feature film 1993 Crimebroker Frank MacPhee TV movie Typhon's People Daniel Harrington TV miniseries/movie 1994 The Last Tattoo Austin Leech Feature film The Feds: Obsession Rainer Bass TV movie 1995 The Feds: Suspect The Feds: Deception The Feds: Abductions The Feds: Seduction The Feds: Terror The Feds: Vengeance 1996 The Feds: Betrayal The Feds: Deadfall 2000 Clare Herbert Green TV movie 2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Gondorian Ranger Madril Feature film 2002 Der Liebe entgenen Mr. Chapman TV movie 2003 The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Gondorian Ranger Madril Feature film 2004 Ike: Countdown to D-Day Sir Trafford Leigh-Malloy TV movie 2005 Kidnapped Cluny The Man who Couldn't Dance Dancing Man Short film 2007 The Tattooist Lazlo McFadden 2008 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian British Homeguard #1 Feature film 2009 Piece of My Heart Mike TV movie 2011 Rest for the Wicked Frank 2014 The Cure Lionel Stanton Feature film Nancy Wake, the White Mouse Fiocca TV movie The Hobbit Saruman Body Double Feature film 2014 The Light Harvester Short film 2016 Judgement Tavern The Judge Short film The Light Between Oceans Jock Johnson Feature film 2019 Mistress Mercy Judge Anderson TV movie 2020 Zealandia Man Short film Reunion Jack Feature film 2022 The Ballard of Maddog Quinn Grandpa Quinn Short film2026 Sgt. Haane Brian Horrocks (elder) Documentary Graham King TV series, 5 episodes 2016 Roman Empire Marcus Aurelis TV docuseries, 2 episodes Jack Irish Michael Longmore TV series, 5 episodes 2015 Gallipoli Ian Hamilton TV miniseries, 7 episodes 2014 Hope and Wire Vernon TV series, 1 episode 2013 Wentworth Vinnie Holt TV series, 2 episodes 2010 Spartacus Calavius 5 episodes Legend of the Seeker Herald TV series, 1 episode This Is Not My Life Harry Sheridan 5 episodes 2006 The Lost Children Frank TV series, 12 episodes 2005 Hercules Crenon TV series, 2 episodes 2004 Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars Einstein TV miniseries, 2 episodes 2002–2003 Farscape Einstein TV series, 5 episodes 2000–2002 The Dark Knight Du Bois TV series, 6 episodes 2000 The Lost World Balar TV miniseries, 1 episode Tales of the South Seas Miller TV series, 1 episode 1997–1999 Duggan John Duggan TV series, 13 episodes 1999 Young Hercules Zeus TV series, 1 episode A Twist in the Tale Earl of Sackville 1 episode 1998 The Day of the Roses Tom Weir TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1997 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Thierry TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1995 Mysterious Island Captain Nemo TV series, 22 episodes Snowy River: The Mcgregor Saga Jim O'Rourke TV series, 1 episode 1994 Time Trax Xavier TV series, 1 episode High Tide Boucher TV series, 1 episode 1993 White Fang Tom Cooper TV series, 1 episode 1989–1992 The Ray Bradbury Theater Lazlo TV anthology series, 2 episodes 1992 Spender Doorman TV series, 1 episode 1991 Heroes II: The Return Donald Davidson TV series, 2 episodes Golden Fiddles Walter Balfour TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1990 The Paper Man Phillip Cromwell TV miniseries, 6 episodes 1989 The Heroes Donald Davidson TV miniseries 1988 Spit MacPhee Jack Tree TV miniseries, 4 episodes 1986 The Great Bookie Robbery Mike Power TV miniseries, 3 episodes 1985 Roche Mick TV series, 9 episodes 1984 Inside Straight Bill McLean TV series, 3 episodes 1975–1983 Close to Home Tom Hearte TV series, 784 episodes 1982 Loose Enz Ron TV series, 1 episode 1980 Mortimer's Patch Kevin Cartwright TV series, 1 episode 1978 Rachel Dave TV series 1977 The Governor John Sheehan TV series, 1 episode 1975 The Games Affair TV series

Note Bach's surname is pronounced "Baitch", and not as in the Welsh language pronunciation of the word for small, from which it is derived.