John Rhys-Davies is coming to Phoenix Fan Fusion 2025

"The Lord of the Rings" actor is the latest celebrity guest to be announced for the pop-culture con in June.

May 6, 2025

Image: Actor John Rhys-Davies during a 2014 appearance at Phoenix Comicon, now known as Phoenix Fan Fusion.

Actor John Rhys-Davies during a 2014 appearance at Phoenix Comicon, now known as Phoenix Fan Fusion. Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr

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Just when it seemed like Phoenix Fan Fusion had wrapped up its celebrity guest announcements for its 2025 edition next next month, event organizer Square Egg Entertainment has added another geek icon to the lineup.

On Tuesday, the company announced that Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies — best known for his roles as the heroic dwarf Gimli in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and Sallah in the "Indiana Jones" films — will appear at this year’s Fan Fusion.

The three-day pop-culture convention is set to take place June 6 to 8 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Rhys-Davies is scheduled to appear on Friday, June 7, only. This will mark his second appearance at the event, as the actor previously attended in 2014, back when it was still known as Phoenix Comicon.

Rhys-Davies, a respected and classically trained Shakespearean actor, boasts a lengthy career spanning several decades. In addition to his iconic roles in geek-friendly projects like the sci-fi show "Sliders," his resume includes numerous other notable performances across film, television and the stage.

He’s also turned up in everything from the 1987 James Bond film "The Living Daylights" to the '80s miniseries "Shōgun" (not to be confused with the recent FX remake).

Rhys-Davies joins an already enormous lineup of guests announced for Phoenix Fan Fusion 2025, reuniting with his on-screen Fellowship from "The Lord of the Rings." All four hobbits — Sean Astin, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd — were previously announced as appearing.

Other high-profile names on the Fan Fusion roster include Hayden Christensen from the "Star Wars" prequel films, Oscar winner Marisa Tomei, "Futurama" star Katey Sagal, "Daredevil" duo Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, character actor extraordinaire Ron Perlman and filmmaker-slash-geek-culture mainstay Kevin Smith.

Square Egg Entertainment as yet to announce autograph and photo op prices for its celebrity guests.

Phoenix Fan Fusion tickets — or “memberships,” as they’re called — are currently available at phoenixfanfusion.com/pricing. Daily general admission is $39 to $59 and a full-event pass for the entire weekend is $89. VIP admission is $595 and includes a $100 credit for branded merch, early entry to celebrity panels, access to dedicated autograph lines and other perks.

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music and nightlife. He joined New Times in 2003. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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