<Tr> <Th> Height </Th> <Td> 6 ft 4 in (193 cm). </Td> </Tr> <P> Lawrence Makoare (born 20 November 1968) is a New Zealand Māori actor . </P> <P> Makoare was a road construction builder who drifted into acting after he accompanied a girlfriend to a drama class and was picked out by the teacher to perform because of his impressive height . He began his career performing as a stuntman . Makoare is probably best known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies . In The Fellowship of the Ring he portrayed the Uruk - hai leader Lurtz, and in The Return of the King he portrayed the Witch - king of Angmar as well as Gothmog, the Orc commander at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields . In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug he portrayed the Orc commander Bolg, son of Azog . Due to filming commitments on Marco Polo Makoare was unavailable during the pick - ups shooting of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, in which Bolg is portrayed by John Tui instead . </P> <P> Makoare is also popular among Xena: Warrior Princess fans, having played two memorable characters in the third season: a Barbarian leader in episode "The Quill Is Mightier ..."; and Maecanus (a minion of Aphrodite) in episode "Fins, Femmes and Gems". In 2002 he portrayed Mr. Kil in the James Bond film Die Another Day . The director of The Dead Lands, Toa Fraser, was not enthusiastic about using Makoare as the warrior but was won over by the way he managed, after a few directing hints, to turn in a performance that made him weep . </P>

Who played uruk hai in lord of the rings