Sala Baker (born 22 September 1976) is a New Zealand actor and stuntman. He is best known for portraying the villain

Sauron Sauron () is the title character and the main antagonist of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', where he rules the land of Mordor. He has the ambition of ruling the whole of Middle-earth, using the power of the One Ring, which he ...

in the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy by

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

Career

Originally hired as one of several

stunt performer A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

s for ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, he ended up landing the part of the Dark Lord

. In addition, he also played several Orcs, a Gondorian, and one of the Rohirrim. Outside of ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, Baker has performed in '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', two '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' movies, '' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'', ''

Deadpool 2 ''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. It is the sequel to ''Deadpool (film), Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment in the X-Men (film series), ''X-Men'' film series. The film wa ...

'', ''

Braven ''Braven'' is a 2018 action thriller film directed by Lin Oeding and written by Mike Nilon and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett. The film stars Jason Momoa as Joe Braven, with Garret Dillahunt, Stephen Lang, Jill Wagner, and Brendan Fletcher. Principal photogra ...

'', '' Sleepless'', and '' Mile 22''. Baker was also a part of the miscellaneous crew in the making of ''

The Last Samurai ''The Last Samurai'' is a 2003 American epic period action drama film directed and produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz from a story devised by Logan. The film stars Tom Cruise, ...

'' in 2003. In 2023, Baker played one of the leads in the

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

feature crime thriller ''The Last Deal''. He followed that with a role in

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

's action film The Killer.

Filmography

Actor

Film

Television

Stunts

* '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001): Stunts * '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (2002): Stunt Performer * '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (2003): Stunts (uncredited) * '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (2003): Stunts * '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005): Stunts * '' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' (2006): Stunt Native * '' Epic Movie'' (2007): Stunts * '' Deadliest Warrior'' (2009): Weapons Demonstration * ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American Action television, action television series that ran on NBC from January 23, 1983, to March 8, 1987, about a fictional team of former United States Army Special Forces who work as mercenaries while on the run from ...

'' (2010): Stunts

Miscellaneous crew

* ''

'' (2003): Location Manager: Split Unit * '' The Long and Short of It'' (2003): Traffic Controller/Grip * '' Deadliest Warrior: Shaolin Monk vs Māori Warrior'' (TV) (2009): Himself, demonstrating Māori weapons

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Sala 1976 births Living people New Zealand male film actors New Zealand stunt performers New Zealand male Māori actors 21st-century New Zealand male actors