Not so much Lord of the Rings, but I first read The Hobbit when I was in 2nd grade after watching the Rankin/Bass cartoon since I was two years old. The Hobbit is by far my favorite piece of Tolkien's writing. When I saw An Unexpected Journey in the theaters for the first time, the second Ian Holm recited, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit," I literally burst into tears. I sobbed all through those lines because I couldn't believe I was sitting in the theater watching the book I love so dearly.
Favorite Tolkien character:
Bilbo Baggins. He's the first character I was introduced to when I was young.
For me, the LOTR movies always hinged on the portrayal of Bilbo. When I first saw Fellowship in the theater, I was patiently waiting for the first appearance of Bilbo. As soon as he opened the door and Gandalf said his name, I got a little teary, I will admit. I was in the theater watching my hobbit on the big screen. I couldn't have been happier.