Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. (Danish: [ˈviko ˈmɒːtn̩sn̩]; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received various accolades including an Actor Award and a Critics' Choice Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.

Mortensen made his film debut with a role in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness. Through the late 1990s, Mortensen played supporting roles in a variety of films, including the historical romance The Portrait of a Lady (1996), the action drama G.I. Jane (1997), the crime drama A Perfect Murder (1998), and the comedy 28 Days (2000).

Mortensen gained international attention for his breakthrough role as Aragorn in the fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003). He later starred in several David Cronenberg films including A History of Violence (2005), Eastern Promises (2007), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, A Dangerous Method (2011) and Crimes of the Future (2022). He gained further Academy Award nominations for his leading roles as an anarchist father in Captain Fantastic (2016) and as Tony Lip in Green Book (2018). Mortensen made his directorial debut with Falling (2020), in which he also starred. He also starred in the movie Alatriste (2006), where he portrayed the main character, the movie being the most expensive Spanish language film ever produced.

In addition to film, Mortensen has pursued a variety of artistic endeavors including painting, poetry, music, and photography. Mortensen composed and performed music for films including The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, and has collaborated with guitarist Buckethead on several albums. In 2002, Mortensen founded Perceval Press to publish his works and the works of little-known artists and authors.