Biography

John often had difficulty falling asleep. When he was lying awake his father would come and sit on his bed and tell him tales of Carrots, a boy with red hair who climbed into a cuckoo clock and went off on a series of strange adventures. This was the premise for the character of Tom Bombadil in J.R.R. Tolkien's novel 'The Lord of the Rings'.

Served as a Roman Catholic priest.

First son of writer J.R.R. Tolkien. Brother of Priscilla Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, and Michael Tolkien.

Has ordered his attorneys to take legal action against one website, which is advertising a new book containing allegations about his conduct while working as a priest. They are attempting to halt the book, which they claim is defamatory.

(on the Lord of the Rings movie Trilogy) "The Tolkien family is under perpetual abuse of one kind or another. It goes on all the time. I am anticipating endless bother when the film actually comes out."

(on his father's works) "It's quite incredible. When I think when we were growing up these were just stories that we were told. Personally, when you've grown up with something you don't want someone else putting their finger on it."