Viggo Mortensen

Cast · Director · Writer

Born

October 20, 1958 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Birth name

Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr.

“Being an actor is to lie in the most honest way possible.” Viggo Mortensen is a renowned American actor celebrated for his captivating presence and versatility in roles that range from brutal to heroic. He made his film debut as an Amish farmer in Witness (1985) and gained attention for his stage performance in the Los Angeles production of Bent (1987). Following minor roles in films like Prison (1987) and Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990), he broke through as the troubled brother in Sean Penn's The Indian Runner (1991) and played a gangster in Brian De Palma's Carlito’s Way (1993). Mortensen built a reputation for portraying tough or complex characters, notably as Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003). He later starred as a daring adventurer in Hidalgo (2004) and earned acclaim for his performances in David Cronenberg's films, including A History of Violence (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007), the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His filmography also includes Appaloosa (2008) and The Road (2009), an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel. He portrayed Sigmund Freud in A Dangerous Method (2011) and William S. Burroughs in On the Road (2012). Mortensen received further Oscar nominations for his roles in Captain Fantastic (2016) and Green Book (2018), where he played an Italian American bouncer driving an African American classical pianist. In addition to acting, he wrote, directed, and starred in Falling (2020), about a son caring for his difficult father with dementia.