Ken Stott

Before he was an aspiring hospital radio DJ on "Takin' Over the Asylum" (BBC Two, 1994), a detective on shaky ground on "The Vice" (ITV, 1999-2003), and the gruff Balin in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012), Ken Stott was just a would-be actor selling double-glazed siding in his native Edinburgh, Scotland, hoping he'd be able to make next month's rent. Stott studied at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and spent several years with the Royal Shakespeare Company before joining the British National Theatre in the late 1980s. Having already made his TV debut in 1977 on the BBC series "Secret Army" (1977-79), the talented Stott spent the 1990s balancing his steady theatre career with a number of film and TV projects, including the BBC miniseries "Messiah" (2001). After leaving "The Vice" in 2003, Stott portrayed the future Nazi leader in "Uncle Adolf" (ITV, 2005), and briefly returned to the role of "Messiah's" DCI Metcalfe, before taking over as the eponymous DI in the well-received "Rebus" (ITV, 2000-07). Following a memorable turn as an alcoholic comedian in "Hancock & Joan" (BBC Four, 2008) and a string of acclaimed theatre performances, in 2012 Stott transformed himself into one of 13 dwarves in Peter Jackson's epic prequel. Whether he was on stage or screen, Ken Stott embodied a deep intensity and jagged toughness that is not easily forgotten.