Who Was J. R. R. Tolkien?By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Who HQ Illustrator: Jonathan Moore Series: Who Was? Best known for his epic Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien was born in British occupied South Africa. His early life was full of action and adventure. Tolkien spent his childhood roaming the British countryside with his family and could read and write by age four. He was naturally gifted with languages and used this skill as a signals officer in