Who is Pharazôn in The Rings of Power? Meet actor Trystan Gravelle
Pharazôn will likely play a big role in the future of Númenor.
We have met numerous characters and visited a variety of locations in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
However, one setting in the Amazon Prime Video series that has proven highly important is the island kingdom of Númenor.
This realm of Men once had a great many connections to the Elves, but has since moved away from such an affinity – that is until the reign of Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai Robinson).
One person who is at the Queen Regent's side and often offers advice is Pharazôn, but who is he and who portrays him?
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Who is Pharazôn in The Rings of Power?
Pharazôn is the Chancellor of Númenor and the cousin of Queen Regent Míriel.
A popular leading politician on the island kingdom, Pharazôn is an excellent public speaker who quells the people's anger at the Royal Family over their association with Galadriel.
However, where do his own beliefs lie?
Fans will be aware that in Númenor there are some who wish to untie with the Elves and work together but there are others who wish to be apart from them and their business.
Pharazôn is also the father of Kemen (Leon Wadham), himself a rising politician.
Who portrays Pharazôn in The Rings of Power?
Pharazôn is portrayed by Welsh actor Trystan Gravelle.
The actor previously portrayed the literary icon Christopher Marlowe in the 2011 film Anonymous opposite Rhys Ifans and Vanessa Redgrave.
Gravelle is also known for his roles as Victor Colleano in the ITV period drama Mr Selfridge and as the vampire Baldwin Montclair in Sky One supernatural series A Discovery of Witches.
**Potential spoiler warning for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power**
Does Pharazôn appear in the Lord of the Rings books?
Yes, Pharazôn appears in the lore of The Lord of the Rings and is known as Ar-Pharazôn.
In the appendices of The Lord of the Rings and other titles, "Ar-Pharazôn the Golden" is known as the 25th and final King of Númenor.
Ar-Pharazôn has grown up as a friend of Amandil, the father of Elendil and the leader of the Faithful faction of Númenor who still honoured the Elves and was obedient to the deities known as the Valar.
However, Ar-Pharazôn followed the beliefs of his father, Gimilkhâd, the leader of the King's Men during the reign of his uncle, Tar-Palantir, who was also inclined to be one of the Faithful.
During his youth, Ar-Pharazôn grew to be a proud man and one of arrogance and ruthlessness, going on to venture to Middle-Earth to wage war again the Men there.
Upon the death of Tar-Palantir, Ar-Pharazôn went on to seize the throne of Númenor by forcing his cousin, the rightful queen and heir to the throne, Tar-Míriel, to marry him. He renamed her Ar-Zimraphel to avoid her Faithful name.
During his reign, Ar-Pharazôn purged Númenor of the Faithful and then waged war in Middle-Earth on the land of Mordor in a bid to challenge the might of the Dark Lord, Sauron.
Upon his defeat of Sauron, the Dark Lord was taken as a prisoner back to Númenor but soon began to worm his way into the confidence of Ar-Pharazôn.
Over time, Ar-Pharazôn was entirely influenced by Sauron and went on to worship the Dark Lord's old master Morgoth and slaughter those loyal to the Faithful. Eventually, the White Tree of Númenor was cut down and a shrine erected to worship Morgoth.
In the final years of his reign, Ar-Pharazôn followed Sauron's urging to wage war on the Elves' old kingdom of Valinor across the Sundering Sea in a bid to claim immortality.
As a result of Ar-Pharazôn's men arriving in the Undying Lands and breaking the laws of the Valar, the deities responded by approaching the all-powerful god Eru.
In response, Eru brought down the fleet and sunk the ships and then the entire kingdom of Númenor, changing the shape of the world so no mortal beings could find their way to the Undying Lands.
Ar-Pharazôn perished when he and his men were crushed beneath dirt after having reached the forbidden lands.
Meanwhile, Sauron survived through his evil means, as some Faithful survivors of Númenor escaped by ships to Middle-Earth.
Their leader was Elendil, who was accompanied by his sons Isildur and Anarion.
Read more on The Rings of Power:
- Rings of Power release schedule: When are Lord of the Rings episodes out?
- How to watch The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies in order
- Meet the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- What are Harfoots? The Rings of Power Hobbits and history explained
- Who is Galadriel’s brother? Meet Finrod actor Will Fletcher
- Who is Elrond actor Robert Aramayo in The Rings of Power?
- What is the Second Age of Middle-earth? Rings of Power timeline explained
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power releases new episodes on Amazon Prime Video in the UK every Friday – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.
If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub.
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Authors
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.
