Happy Birthday! Peter Jackson Turns 55 Years Old Today

Happy birthday, Peter Jackson! The acclaimed director and writer turns 55 today.

Born in October 1961, Jackson was raised in Wellington, New Zealand by his parents Joan and William. He was interested in film as a young child, and Jackson frequently made stop-motion movies.

When it comes to his career, Jackson has worked on a variety of projects. He started his career with Bad Taste in 1987, a horror comedy. He would eventually work on the critically acclaimed film Heavenly Creatures in 1984, a film which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. His work on the film launched his reputation straight into Hollywood's welcoming arms.

After Heavenly Creatures premiered, Jackson's next big project was that of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He directed, wrote, and produced the epic saga which went on to nab dozens of awards. He would later pick up another J.R.R. Tolkien series, The Hobbit, and turn the beloved children's tale into trilogy of its own.

Jackson has other notable projects beyond his Tolkien-sourced films. The filmmaker has worked on projects such as King Kong, Forgotten Silver, The Lovely Bones, District 9, and The Adventures of Tintin. Fans will see Jackson return to the big screen soon as he recenty confirmed he would be adapating the Mortal Engines books into live-action films.

Happy birthday, Peter!