Mortensen, Viggo Peter (1958– )

US actor. Known for his intense characterizations, commanding presence, and magnetic appeal, he became an international heart-throb as Aragorn in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03). Other roles include a conflicted weapons officer in the thriller Crimson Tide (1995), a devoted suitor in the period piece The Portrait of a Lady (1996), and a brutal army trainer in G I Jane (1997). He later collaborated with director David Cronenberg in the acclaimed films A History of Violence (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007).

He made his film debut in Peter Weir's Witness (1985) as a young Amish farmer, and has since appeared in more than 30 films, including Prison (1988), The Indian Runner (1991), Carlito's Way (1993), The Prophecy (1995), A Perfect Murder (1998), and Hidalgo (2004). The Lord of the Rings trilogy included the films The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003).

He was born in New York City to a Danish father and US mother. After spending his early childhood in New York, he lived with his family in Venezuela, Argentina, and Denmark, and is fluent in Spanish and Danish. He studied acting in New York before moving to Los Angeles, California, where his performance in the play Bent was well received and helped launch his career. Mortensen is also a painter, photographer, poet, and jazz musician and composer.