Wikipedia

Viggo Mortensen

(Redirected from Henry Mortensen)

Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R[2] (Danish: [ˈviko ˈmɒːtn̩sn̩]; born October 20, 1958)[3] is an American actor, musician, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for three Academy Awards for Best Actor, three BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and an Independent Spirit Award.

Viggo Mortensen
R
Mortensen in 2020
Born
Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr.

(1958-10-20) October 20, 1958 (age 66)
Watertown, New York, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United States
  • Denmark[1]
Alma materSt. Lawrence University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • artist
  • musician
  • director
  • producer
Years active1984–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1987; div. 1997)​
PartnerAriadna Gil (2009–present)
Children1
AwardsFull list

Mortensen made his film debut as Moses Hochleitner in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness. Through the early 2000s, 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, and A Dangerous Method (2011).[4] He gained additional 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. Falling was nominated for the Goya Award for Best European Film.

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.

Early life

edit

Mortensen was born in Watertown, New York, on October 20, 1958,[3] to Grace Gamble (née Atkinson; July 8, 1928 – April 25, 2015) and Viggo Peter Mortensen Sr. (May 8, 1929 – March 2, 2017). His mother was American, while his father was Danish. They met in Norway.[5] His maternal grandfather was a Canadian from Nova Scotia. His paternal grandmother was from Trondheim, Norway.[6][7]

In 1961,[8] the family moved to Venezuela, then Denmark, and eventually settled in Argentina. They lived successively in the provinces of Córdoba, Chaco, and Buenos Aires. Mortensen attended primary school and acquired a fluent proficiency in Spanish while his father managed poultry farms and ranches.[9][10] He was baptized Lutheran, the tradition of his father.[11]

When Mortensen was 11 and his brothers 8 and 6, their parents divorced. In 1969, the three boys returned with their mother to the United States, where Viggo spent the rest of his childhood in Northern New York State.[8] He graduated from Watertown High School in 1976.[12][13] He attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, earning a bachelor's degree in 1980 in Spanish studies and government.[14]

After graduating, Mortensen moved to Europe and lived in the United Kingdom and Spain before returning to Denmark. There he took various jobs such as driving trucks in Esbjerg and selling flowers in Copenhagen.[15][16] In 1982, he returned to the United States to pursue an acting career.[17]

Acting career

edit

1980s–1990s: First films

edit

Mortensen's first film role was in the Woody Allen film The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), but his scenes were deleted from the final cut.[18] He was one of the four finalists to play the title role of Tarzan in the adventure film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), though the role eventually went to Christopher Lambert.[19]

His first onscreen appearance was playing an Amish farmer in Peter Weir's Witness. He was cast because the director thought he had the right face for the part. Although he was simultaneously cast as a soldier in Shakespeare in the Park's production of Henry V, he chose to work on Witness instead, citing a desire to try something new. Mortensen credited that decision and the positive experience on the film as the start of his film career.[20] Also in 1985, he was cast in the role of Bragg on the TV series Search for Tomorrow.

Mortensen's 1987 performance in Bent at the Coast Playhouse, Los Angeles, won him a Dramalogue Critics' Award. The play, which revolves around homosexual prisoners in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, was known for the leading performance by Ian McKellen,[21] with whom Mortensen later costarred in the film trilogy The Lord of the Rings. The same year, Mortensen starred as Jerome Stample in the black comedy Salvation! [22] alongside Exene Cervenka, and played Burke, a professional car thief in Prison. He also guest starred as a police detective on the hit TV series Miami Vice.[23] In 1988, Mortensen played a minor part as Green, the abusive husband of Jewel (Molly Ringwald), in Fresh Horses. The following year, Mortensen appeared in a minor role as Hans in Tripwire.

Mortensen made three film appearances in 1990: Edward "Tex" Sawyer, a member of a cannibalistic family in Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, John W. Poe in Young Guns II, and Cameron Dove, a military veteran suffering from radiation poisoning in The Reflecting Skin. The Reflecting Skin was Mortensen's first film to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.[24] The following year, Mortensen starred as Frank Roberts in Sean Penn's directorial debut The Indian Runner. Sandy Dennis, who played Frank Roberts's mother in the film and was a personal friend of Mortensen, was dying of ovarian cancer during filming. Mortensen described the filming experience as having an "undercurrent of loss," and wrote the poem "For Sandy Dennis" in her honor.[25]

During the 1990s, Mortensen appeared in supporting roles in a variety of films, including Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady, where he played Caspar Goodwood, a love interest of the film's protagonist, Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman).[26] He also acted in Boiling Point, Danny Cannon's The Young Americans, Brian de Palma's Carlito's Way, Crimson Tide, G.I. Jane, Daylight, A Walk on the Moon, The Passion of Darkly Noon 28 Days, and The Prophecy, with Christopher Walken.[27]

In 1998, Mortensen appeared in remakes of two Alfred Hitchcock movies: Psycho and A Perfect Murder (which was a remake of Dial M for Murder).

2000s: The Lord of the Rings and breakthrough

edit
 
Mortensen at the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, December 1, 2003

Another major mainstream breakthrough came in 1999, when Peter Jackson cast him as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. According to the Special Extended Edition DVD of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Mortensen was a last-minute replacement for Stuart Townsend, and would not have taken the part of Aragorn had it not been for his son's enthusiasm for the J. R. R. Tolkien novel.[28] He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Aragorn, and was ranked No. 15 on a 2015 survey of "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters" conducted by Empire.[29]

In The Two Towers DVD extras, the film's swordmaster, Bob Anderson, described Mortensen as "the best swordsman I've ever trained." Mortensen often performed his own stunts, and even the injuries he sustained during several of them, including two broken toes, did not dampen his enthusiasm. At one point during shooting of The Two Towers, Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, and Brett Beattie (stunt double for John Rhys-Davies) all had painful injuries, and during a shoot of them, running in the mountains, Peter Jackson jokingly referred to the three as "the walking wounded."[30] Also, according to the Special Extended Edition DVD of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Mortensen purchased the two horses, Uraeus and Kenny, whom he had ridden and bonded with over the duration of the films.[31]

In 2004, Mortensen starred as Frank Hopkins in Hidalgo, the story of an ex-army courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous desert race for a contest prize.[32]

Mortensen starred in David Cronenberg's 2005 film A History of Violence as a family man revealed to have had an unsavory previous career. He was nominated for a Satellite Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for this role.[33] In the DVD extras for A History of Violence, Cronenberg related that Mortensen is the only actor he had come across who would come back from weekends with his family with items he had bought to use as props on the set.[34]

 
Mortensen interviewed by eTalk Daily at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, for A History of Violence

In 2006, he starred as Captain Diego Alatriste in the Spanish language film Alatriste, based on the series of novels The Adventures of Captain Alatriste, written by the Spanish writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte.[35]

In September 2007, the film Eastern Promises, directed by David Cronenberg, was released to critical acclaim for the film itself and for Mortensen's performance as a Russian gangster on the rise in London. His nude fight scene in a steam room was applauded by Roger Ebert: "Years from now, it will be referred to as a benchmark."[36] Mortensen's performance in Eastern Promises resulted in his winning the Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film award from the British Independent Film Awards.[37] He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.[38]

Mortensen appeared as himself in the 2009 film Reclaiming The Blade, in which he discussed his passion for the sword and his sword-work in films such as The Lord of the Rings and Alatriste. Mortensen also talked about his work with Bob Anderson, the swordmaster on The Lord of the Rings, Alatriste, Pirates of the Caribbean and many others.[39]

 
Mortensen at the 32nd Genie Awards in March 2012

In 2009, Mortensen performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. Later that year, he joined the cast of The Road, a film adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name,[40] and collaborated with David Cronenberg for a third time on A Dangerous Method.[41]

2010s–present: Critical acclaim

edit

After two years, Mortensen returned to theater in 2011, starring in Ariel Dorfman's Purgatorio ("Purgatory") in Madrid.[42] Purgatorio is Mortensen's first play in Spanish. The play is about a man and woman confined either in a psychiatric hospital or prison together. During production, Mortensen's mother became ill and he pulled out of the initial premiere date, the first time he had ever done so for a project. The play premiered from November 4 to December 18.[43]

During production for the 2012 film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Mortensen was offered to reprise his role as Aragorn, but he declined because the character does not appear in the novel the film is based on.[44]

Mortensen starred in the 2016 film Captain Fantastic, for which he received his second Academy Award nomination.[45] Alonso Duralde of TheWrap praised Mortensen's performance, saying, "The movie really belongs to Mortensen, who allows Ben to be exasperating, arrogant, and impatient but also warm, loving, and caring. He's a tough but adoring father, a grieving widower and a passionate defender of his wife's final wishes, and Mortensen plays all these notes, and more with subtlety and grace".[46]

In 2018, he starred in the film Green Book. Mortensen portrayed Tony Lip, an Italian-American bouncer hired to drive and protect pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on a tour through the Jim Crow South from 1962 to 1963. Reflecting on the character, Mortensen stated, "I was attracted to playing Tony in part because it was a different kind of character, but the main thing I liked about him was his heart".[47] Mortensen received his third Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Lip.[48]

In 2020, Mortensen released his directorial debut Falling, which he also wrote, produced, composed the score for and starred in alongside Lance Henriksen at the Sundance Film Festival.[49][50] Mortensen had based the story on his own family's history, including his parents suffering from dementia. The film is dedicated to his brothers, Charles and Walter Mortensen.[51]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, Mortensen along with fellow Lord of the Rings actors Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Elijah Wood, writer Philippa Boyens, and director Peter Jackson joined actor Josh Gad's YouTube series Reunited Apart, which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing, and promotes donations to non-profit charities.[52]

Mortensen was cast as British cave diver Rick Stanton in the biographical film Thirteen Lives directed by Ron Howard which was released in July 2022.[53] Mortensen was taught cave diving by Stanton personally to prepare for the role.[54]

He reunited with David Cronenberg in the horror sci-fi film Crimes of the Future alongside Kristen Stewart with filming beginning in August 2021.[55] Mortensen will also reunite with Lisandro Alonso on the film Eureka.[56] Mortensen and Caleb Landry Jones will star together in the Vietnam War thriller Two Wolves which will be directed by documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney.[57]

He wrote, directed, and stars in a Western film titled The Dead Don't Hurt. It also stars Vicky Krieps and it was shot in Mexico.[58][59]

Literary and arts career

edit
 
Mortensen in 2010

Perceval Press

edit

With part of his earnings from The Lord of the Rings, Mortensen founded the Perceval Press publishing house—named after the knight from the legend of King Arthur—to help other artists by publishing works that might not find a home in more traditional publishing venues.[60] Perceval Press is also the home of Mortensen's many personal artistic projects in the area of fine arts, photography, poetry, song, and literature.[61]

Bibliography

edit

Mortensen is also an author, with various books of poetry, photography, and painting published. His poems are written in English, Danish, and Spanish. With anthropologists Federico Bossert and Diego Villar, he has written several works related to ethnography of natives in South America,[62] specifically in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Some of the published books co-authored by Mortensen are Sons of the Forest and Skovbo. Mortensen's bibliography includes:

Title Year Type Note
Ten Last Night 1993 Poetry [63]
Recent Forgeries 1998 Poetry, Art, Photos Documents Mortensen's first solo exhibition and includes a CD with music and spoken-word poetry. Introduction by Dennis Hopper.[63]
Errant Vine 2000 Poetry, Photos Limited edition booklet of an exhibit at the Robert Mann Gallery. [63]
Hole in the Sun 2002 Photos Color and black & white photographs of a back yard swimming pool.[63]
Sign Language 2002 Art, Photos A catalog from an exhibition of his works, combining photographs, paintings, and poetry into a multimedia diary of his time in New Zealand while filming The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Introduction by Kevin Power.
Coincidence of Memory 2002 Poetry, Art, Photos [63]
Mo Te Upoko-o-te-ika/For Wellington 2003 - A book to accompany the joint exhibitions at Massey University and the Wellington City Gallery during the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. [63]
45301 2003 Photos Photographs shot during travels to Morocco, Cuba, and the northern plains of the United States. [63]
Un hueco en el sol 2003 Booklet [63] Published to accompany the exhibition "Un hueco en el sol" at the Fototeca de Cuba in Havana.
Miyelo 2003 Ethnography, Photos A series of panoramic photographs of a Lakota Ghost Dance. It also tells about the events leading up to the massacre at Wounded Knee.[63]
Nye Falsknerier 2003 Poetry, Art, Photos Paintings and poems translated into Danish from Ten Last Night, Recent Forgeries, Coincidence of Memory.[63]
The Horse is Good 2004 Photos Photos shot in Morocco, South Dakota, Montana, California, Iceland, New Zealand, Denmark, Brazil, and Argentina. [63]
Linger 2005 Poetry, Photos Images from Spain (partly shot during his work on the film Alatriste), Morocco, Iceland, United States, and Denmark [63]
I Forget You For Ever[63] 2006 Photos
Skovbo 2008 Poetry, Photos Poetry in English and Danish.[64]
Sådanset 2008 Booklet Published to accompany the exhibition Sådanset (October 18 – November 16, 2008) at the Palæfløjen in Roskilde, Denmark.[65]
Canciones de Invierno – Winter Songs 2010 Poetry, Photos Poetry in Spanish and English accompanied by landscape photos from the previous two winters.[66]
That Turned Ugly Fast 2015 Foreword/Intorduction [67] Poems by Mark Berriman with a foreword by Viggo Mortensen.
Ramas Para Un Nido 2017 Photos [68]
Look 2024 Poetry, Art, Photos [69]

Visual arts and discography

edit

Mortensen is a painter and photographer. His paintings are frequently abstract and often contain fragments of his poetry therein.[70] His paintings have been featured in galleries worldwide, and many of the paintings of the artist he portrayed in A Perfect Murder are his own.[71]

Mortensen experiments with his poetry and music by mixing the two art forms. He has collaborated with guitarist Buckethead on several albums, mostly released on his own label (Perceval Press) or TDRS Music. Viggo was first introduced to Buckethead's work while working on sounds for an educational CD on Greek mythology. The finished product included a guitar part by Buckethead, which caught Viggo's ear and led him to initiate contact with the guitarist. The collaboration grew from there.[72] |} Mortensen's discography includes:[73]

  • 1994: Don't Tell Me What to Do
  • 1997: One Less Thing to Worry About
  • 1998: Recent Forgeries
  • 1999: The Other Parade
  • 1999: One Man's Meat
  • 1999: Live at Beyond Baroque
  • 2003: Pandemoniumfromamerica
  • 2004: Live at Beyond Baroque II
  • 2004: Please Tomorrow
  • 2004: This, That, and the Other
  • 2005: Intelligence Failure
  • 2006: 3 Fools 4 April
  • 2007: Time Waits for Everyone
  • 2008: At All
  • 2010: Canciones de Invierno
  • 2011: Reunion
  • 2013: Acá
  • 2015: Under the Weather
  • 2016: Seventeen Odd Songs
  • 2017: Preguntas Desde la Orilla
  • 2018: Godzilla Sleeps Alone

Mortensen is featured on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King soundtrack, singing "Aragorn's Coronation" (the name of the extended version of this song in the 3rd original sound track is "The Return of the King"), the words by Tolkien and the music composed by Mortensen.[74] In the extended DVD edition of the first Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, he sings the song "The Lay of Beren and Lúthien".[75]

Personal life

edit

Family and relationships

edit

Mortensen holds dual American and Danish citizenship.[1] He has stated that he was raised speaking English and Spanish, and sometimes feels that, when speaking Spanish, he "can get to the heart of the matter better".[76]

Mortensen met singer Exene Cervenka in 1986 on the set of the comedy Salvation! The couple married on July 8, 1987. On January 28, 1988, Cervenka gave birth to their son, Henry, who later played his on-screen son in the film Crimson Tide in 1995. Henry graduated from Columbia University in 2010 with a B.A. in archaeology and has been working at Perceval Press, which was founded by his father.[77][78][79] Mortensen and Cervenka lived in Idaho for three years.[80] They separated in 1992 and divorced in 1997.[81] Since 2009, he has been in a relationship with Spanish actress Ariadna Gil. Though the couple reside in Madrid, Mortensen spends much of his time in the United States, and has stated, "I am a citizen and longtime resident of the United States and am attached to its landscapes, history, and people."[82][83] He has owned property in Sandpoint, Idaho, and spends time there when not filming movies.[84]

Mortensen has talked about his family's struggles with dementia, seeing both of his parents, three of his four grandparents, aunts, uncles, and his stepfather battle the condition.[85] In 2016, Mortensen traveled to New York to take care of his father,[82] who died a year later.[85] Two years earlier, Mortensen's mother had also died from complications of the condition.[85]

Mortensen was a close friend of Icelandic painter Georg Guðni Hauksson until the latter's death in 2011. He had long been an admirer of Georg Guðni's work as a landscape artist, and the two published books together as well as maintaining a close friendship.[86]

Sports

edit

Mortensen has expressed a liking for association football, ice hockey and baseball. His favorite teams include Argentine club San Lorenzo de Almagro,[87] English team Fulham,[88] Spanish team Real Madrid,[89] Turkish team Beşiktaş,[90] and both the Argentine and Danish national teams.[91] His favorite football players are Diego Maradona and Héctor "Bambino" Veira.[92] He is a fan of the Montreal Canadiens and wore a Canadiens shirt underneath his costume throughout the filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.[93] During the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Montreal Canadiens, Mortensen introduced one of his idols, Guy Lafleur, to the crowd at the Bell Centre in Montreal.[94] He is also a fan of the New York Mets and, in an interview promoting 2009 film The Road, was seen wearing apparel indicating his support for the Australian Football League's Collingwood Magpies.[95] While appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman, he held a sign supporting the New York Giants of the NFL.[96]

Political activities

edit

During the press tour for Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, which occurred between the September 11 attacks and the Second Gulf War, Mortensen appeared in an interview wearing a t-shirt on which he had wrote, "No More Blood for Oil."[97]

In 2009, Mortensen signed a protest stating that the Toronto International Film Festival's "Spotlight on Tel Aviv" program implicitly condoned the Israeli occupation and marginalization of Palestinians.[98] In 2015 he donated $1,000 to Irish political party Sinn Fein.[99]

Mortensen endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for U.S. president during the primaries for the 2016 election.[100] After Sanders failed to win the Democratic Party nomination, Mortensen endorsed Green Party candidate Jill Stein.[101] He wrote an open letter just before Election Day 2016 in which he listed the reasons he disagreed with Hillary Clinton’s policies and could not support her in the race against Donald Trump, though he thought that Clinton would be elected president.[102] He went on to narrate a documentary, The Revolution Televised, about the 2016 presidential election and the protests in the aftermath of the Democratic National Convention.[103]

Since 2018, Mortensen has been a member of the Catalan NGO Òmnium Cultural, a pro-independence organization dedicated to promoting Catalan culture and language in the arts and the public sphere.[104] After Vox, a far-right Spanish party, published a tweet depicting Mortensen as Aragorn fighting various social movements, including pro-Catalan separatists, during the campaign for the 2019 Spanish general election, Mortensen wrote a letter to the editor criticizing the depiction saying, "Not only is it absurd that I, the actor who embodied this character... and a person interested in the rich variety of cultures and languages that exist in Spain and the world, is linked to an ultra-nationalist and neo-fascist political party, it is even more ridiculous to use the character of Aragorn, a polyglot statesman who advocates knowledge and inclusion of the diverse races, customs and languages of Middle Earth, to legitimize an anti-immigrant, anti-feminist and Islamophobic political group."[105]

In May 2020, Mortensen signed an open letter urging Israel to end its blockade of the Gaza Strip.[106] In October 2023, Mortensen signed the Artists4Ceasefire open letter to President Joe Biden, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war.[107] In May 2024, Mortensen criticized Javier Milei's Argentine government, calling him a "clown" and "a puppet of the political right".[108]

Filmography

edit

Film

edit
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
1985 Witness Moses Hochleitner
1987 Salvation! Jerome Stample
Prison Burke
1988 Fresh Horses Green
1989 Tripwire Hans
1990 Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III Edward "Tex" Sawyer
Young Guns II John W. Poe
The Reflecting Skin Cameron Dove
1991 The Indian Runner Frank Roberts
1992 Ruby Cairo John E. "Johnny" Faro
1993 Boiling Point Ronnie
Carlito's Way Lalin Miasso
The Young Americans Carl Frazer
1994 The Crew Phillip
Floundering Homeless Man
Gospel According to Harry Wes
American Yakuza Nick Davis / David Brandt
1995 Gimlet Hombre
Crimson Tide LT. Peter Ince, WEPS
The Passion of Darkly Noon Clay
Black Velvet Pantsuit Junkie
The Prophecy Lucifer
1996 Albino Alligator Guy Foucard
Daylight Roy Nord
The Portrait of a Lady Caspar Goodwood
1997 Vanishing Point Jimmy Kowalski
G.I. Jane Command Master Chief Jack Urgayle
My Brother's Gun Juanito
1998 A Perfect Murder David Shaw
Psycho Samuel "Sam" Loomis
1999 A Walk on the Moon Walker Jerome
2000 28 Days Eddie Boone
2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Aragorn
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 Hidalgo Frank Hopkins
2005 A History of Violence Tom Stall / Joey Cusack
2006 Alatriste Diego Alatriste y Tenorio
2007 Eastern Promises Nikolai Luzhin
2008 Appaloosa Everett Hitch
Good John Halder
2009 The Road The Man
2011 A Dangerous Method Sigmund Freud
2012 On the Road Old Bull Lee
Everybody Has a Plan Agustín / Pedro Also producer
2014 The Two Faces of January Chester MacFarland
Jauja Gunnar Dinesen Also producer and composer
Far from Men Daru Also co-producer
2016 Captain Fantastic Ben Cash
2018 Green Book Tony Lip
2020 Falling John Petersen Also director, producer, writer and music composer[109]
2022 Crimes of the Future Saul Tenser
Thirteen Lives Richard Stanton
2023 Eureka Murphy
The Dead Don't Hurt Holger Olsen Also director, producer, writer and music composer[110]

Television

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Miami Vice Eddie Episode: "Red Tape"
2020 Cosmos: Possible Worlds Nikolai Vavilov Episode: "Vavilov"[111][112]

Video games

edit
Year Title Voice role
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Aragorn
2012 Lego The Lord of the Rings Movie audio

Awards and nominations

edit
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Viggo Mortensen
 
Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee, screenwriter Joe Penhall, director John Hillcoat and producer Steve Schwartz at the 2009 Venice Film Festival for The Road

Mortensen has received numerous accolades throughout his career. His portrayal of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy earned him nominations for the SAG Award for Outstanding Cast, winning for the final installment The Return of the King (2003).

His performances in Eastern Promises (2007), Captain Fantastic (2016) and Green Book (2018) earned him nominations for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe[a] and SAG Award for Best Actor. The first[b] and last[c] of these, as well as The Road (2009), also earned him nominations for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor. He also received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Dangerous Method (2011), which won him the Canadian Screen Award.

Following his appearance in the Lord of the Rings, in 2006 he was granted an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, St. Lawrence University.[6][113]

On October 13, 2006, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Province and the City of León, Spain.[114][115]

On April 16, 2010, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog.[116]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ The first two were nominated in the drama category and the last was nominated in the musical or comedy category.
  2. ^ which also won him the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor.
  3. ^ which also won him the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Stone, Andrew; Carolyn Bain; Michael Booth; Fran Parnell (2008). "Cinema". Lonely Planet Denmark. Lonely Planet. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-74104-669-4. Although [Mortensen] was born in New York and has lived outside of Denmark for most of his life, he retains Danish citizenship.
  2. ^ Nielsen, Marie Ravn (October 23, 2010). "Viggo Mortensen slået til ridder". DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "UPI Almanac for Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020". United Press International. October 20, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2021. ...actor Viggo Mortensen in 1958 (age 62)...
  4. ^ " Flawed father role a test for Viggo Mortensen" Archived August 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Star, Michael O'Sullivan, July 16, 2016.
  5. ^ "Viggo Mortensen gets nude for 'Eastern Promises' fight scene". HamptonRoads.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "St. Lawrence University: Commencement". stlawu.edu. May 21, 2006. Archived from the original on February 13, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Film: Viggo Mortensen magret seg ned 15 kilo for drømmerollen VG Nett". Vg.no. May 20, 2009. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Grace Wright". NNY360. April 27, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Pearlman, Cindy (September 9, 2007). "Superstar Viggo's a serious soul at heart". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  10. ^ Dwyer, Brian (March 6, 2017). "Father of Viggo Mortensen Passes Away". ny1.com. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "How Viggo Mortensen Got Inside Sigmund Freud's Head". The Wall Street Journal. 2011. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Doyle, Macreena A. (2003). "Viggo Mortensen '80 REMEMBERS". St. Lawrence Magazine. St. Lawrence University. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  13. ^ DePaulo, Lisa (May 25, 2016). "Why Viggo Mortensen Is Off the Grid". Esquire. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  14. ^ "The Great Dane". Men's Vogue. Vol. 4. 2008. p. 2.
  15. ^ Brooks, Xan (April 17, 2009). "The happy trails of Viggo Mortensen". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  16. ^ Lane, Harriet (February 22, 2008). "My mother is very happy about it". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  17. ^ "Viggo Mortensen". denmark.dk. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  18. ^ Valiente, Alexa (July 20, 2016). "Viggo Mortensen Once Didn't Know He Was Cut From a Woody Allen Film Until Its Release". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  19. ^ Galloway, Stephen (July 1, 2016). "The Secrets Behind That Other Tarzan Movie — The One That Earned a Dog a Screenwriting Oscar Nomination". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  20. ^ Keith Clark and Jon Mefford (2005). "Between Two Worlds: The Making of Witness". Witness (DVD). Paramount Pictures. OCLC 949729643.
  21. ^ Arkatov, Janice (April 3, 1987). "A GAY GROUND-BREAKER". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  22. ^ Canby, Vincent (May 31, 1987). "TV Evangelism is satirized in "Salvation!"". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  23. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 2, 2017). "'Miami Vice' Reboot in Works at NBC From Vin Diesel". Variety. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  24. ^ Volmers, Eric (March 11, 2016). "Reflecting on Alberta's strangest movie, 1990's The Reflecting Skin". Calgary Herald. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  25. ^ Mortensen, Viggo (August 7, 2008). "Missing Sandy Dennis". www.focusfeatures.com. Focus Features. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  26. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 27, 1996). "Henry James, not too literally". New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Applebaum, Stephen (December 5, 2002). "Mortensen's battle scars". BBC News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2004. Retrieved August 26, 2006.
  28. ^ Wallace, Amy (February 27, 2006). "Eats Roadkill, Speaks Danish". Esquire. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  29. ^ "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters" Archived March 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Empire, June 29, 2015
  30. ^ Cameras in Middle-earth: Filming The Two Towers (DVD). New Line Cinema. 2003.
  31. ^ The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Special Extended DVD Edition) (DVD). New Line Cinema. 2004.
  32. ^ "Interviews: Viggo Mortensen on Hidalgo". ComingSoon.net. February 25, 2004. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2005.
  33. ^ "2005-B 10th Annual SATELLITE™ Awards - December 2005". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  34. ^ A History of Violence (DVD Extra) (DVD). New Line Cinema. 2006.
  35. ^ Holland, Jonathan (September 25, 2006). "Alatriste". Variety. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  36. ^ Ebert, Roger (September 14, 2007). "Eastern Promises". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  37. ^ "British Independent Film Awards 2007 nominations". British Independent Film Awards. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
  38. ^ "80th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 23, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
  39. ^ Reclaiming the Blade (DVD). Galatia Films Home Entertainment. 2009.
  40. ^ Shoard, Catherine (August 6, 2010). "Viggo Mortensen to star in Walter Salles's On the Road". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  41. ^ Lodderhose, Diana (April 22, 2010). "UPI to distribute new Cronenberg pic". Variety. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  42. ^ "Viggo Mortensen vuelve al teatro con Carme Elias en una obra sobre la capacidad de perdón (in Spanish)". El País. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  43. ^ "Viggo and Carme explore forgiveness". El País (in Spanish). November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  44. ^ DeSalvo, Robert B. (November 21, 2011). "Dialogue: Viggo Mortensen on Playing Sigmund Freud in 'A Dangerous Method,' the Motivation of Dreams and His Chances of Appearing in 'The Hobbit'". Movies.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  45. ^ Sandberg, Bryn (February 10, 2017). "Oscars: Viggo Mortensen on 'Captain Fantastic,' Donald Trump and That 'Lord of the Rings' Reunion". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  46. ^ Duralde, Alonso (January 24, 2016). "Captain Fantastic' Sundance Review: Viggo Mortensen Raises an Off-the-Grid Family in This Touching Dramedy". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  47. ^ Fernández, Alexia (February 20, 2019). "See How Viggo Mortensen Transformed Into His Oscar-Nominated Role of Tony Lip in 'Green Book'". People. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  48. ^ Hipes, Patrick (February 24, 2019). "'Green Book' Caps Wild Oscar Year With Best Picture Win". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  49. ^ Hammond, Pete (January 23, 2020). "Viggo Mortensen On 'Falling' Into A New Phase Of His Career With Directing Debut Set To World Premiere At Sundance". Deadline. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  50. ^ Thompson, Simon (February 4, 2021). "Viggo Mortensen And Lance Henriksen Talk Powerful Dementia Drama 'Falling'". Forbes. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  51. ^ Topel, Fred (February 4, 2021). "Viggo Mortensen, Lance Henriksen relive family trauma in 'Falling'". United Press International. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  52. ^ O'Kane, Caitlin (June 1, 2020). "Actor Josh Gad reunites stars of 'Lord of the Rings' while raising money for kids in need". CBS News.
  53. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 11, 2021). "Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton Head Ensemble Of Ron Howard-Directed MGM Thai Cave Rescue Pic 'Thirteen Lives'". Deadline. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  54. ^ Stanton, Richard (December 5, 2022). "Guest Column: Teaching Viggo Mortensen 40 Years of Thai Cave Diving for 'Thirteen Lives'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  55. ^ Galuppo, Mia (April 29, 2021). "Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart to Star in 'Crimes of the Future' From David Cronenberg". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  56. ^ Hopewell, John (August 4, 2020). "Viggo Mortensen, Chiara Mastroianni, Maria de Medeiros Set for Lisandro Alonso's 'Eureka' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  57. ^ Ravindram, Manori (October 28, 2021). "Viggo Mortensen, Caleb Landry Jones Headline 'Two Wolves' From Alex Gibney, Altitude to Produce and Sell Globally – AFM". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  58. ^ Monagle, Matthew (May 22, 2022). "Vicky Krieps Says She'll Star Next In A Viggo Mortensen-Directed Western Set In Mexico". The Playlist. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  59. ^ Ntim, Zac (October 6, 2022). "Viggo Mortensen to Direct Vicky Krieps in Western 'The Dead Don't Hurt'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  60. ^ Salter Reynolds, Susan (March 3, 2004). "Little press shines with star power". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  61. ^ "About Perceval Press". Perceval Press. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  62. ^ Viggo editará la obra de Branislava Susnik Archived April 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. ABC Color (Paraguay)
  63. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Viggo Mortensen's Books". Alveni. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  64. ^ "SKOVBO". Perceval Press. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  65. ^ "SÅDANSET". Perceval Press. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  66. ^ "CANCIONES DE INVIERNO / WINTER SONGS". Perceval Press. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  67. ^ Berriman, Mark (2015). "Foreward". That Turned Ugly Fast. Clearwater, Minnesota: North Star Press. ISBN 978-0878398157.
  68. ^ "RAMAS PARA UN NIDO". Perceval Press. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  69. ^ "LOOK". Perceval Press.
  70. ^ Mueller, Matt (February 24, 2009). "Viggo Mortensen". Wonderland. Notting Hill, London. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  71. ^ Callahan, Dan (2019). The Art of American Screen Acting, 1960 to Today. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-4766-7695-1.
  72. ^ "Viggo & Buckethead", March 5, 2004, IGN Music". Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
  73. ^ "Viggo Mortensen Albums, Songs". Album of The Year. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  74. ^ Adams, Doug (2010). The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films. Éditions Didier Carpentier [fr]. pp. 350–352. ISBN 978-0-7390-7157-1.
  75. ^ West, Richard C. (2011). Picturing Tolkien: Essays on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-7864-4636-0.
  76. ^ "10 Questions for Viggo Mortensen". Time. December 17, 2008. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  77. ^ Zagier, Alan Scher (June 11, 2008). "Exene Cervenka: Exile in the Ozarks". LA Weekly. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  78. ^ "Here" (PDF). Poetry Super Highway. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  79. ^ Busis, Hillary. "Prime Time for Barnard Theater". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  80. ^ Trucks, Rob (May 20, 2008). "Interview: Exene Cervenka of X". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  81. ^ Heller, Zoe (December 2, 2011). "Viggo Talks and Talks". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  82. ^ a b Hom, Marc (May 25, 2016). "Why Viggo Mortensen Is Off the Grid". Esquire. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  83. ^ Paiella, Gabriella (February 1, 2021). "Viggo Mortensen on Falling and the Time He Was Found in the Woods as a Baby". GQ. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  84. ^ Love, Marianne (Winter 2004). "A Visit with Viggo". Sandpoint Magazine. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
  85. ^ a b c Ryan, Patrick (February 5, 2021). "'It feels like a horror film': New dementia dramas 'Falling,' 'Supernova' aim for truthfulness over tears". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  86. ^ DV ehf. "Viggo Mortensen kveður Georg Guðna". DV.is. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  87. ^ Iglesias, Fernanda (November 15, 2005). ""Me gustaría filmar en la Argentina"". Clarín (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
  88. ^ MacKenzie, Steven (June 10, 2015). "Viggo Mortensen: "It's good to have your world turned upside down"". The Big Issue. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  89. ^ "Lord of the Rings star says he 'loathes' Mourinho". ESPN. March 22, 2015. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  90. ^ "Hollywood'da doğdu Beşiktaşlı oldu – Hürriyet Magazin Hattı". Hürriyet Daily News. November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  91. ^ Harp, Justin (May 30, 2012). "Viggo Mortensen stopped by airport security over football celebration". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  92. ^ Gilsdorf, Ethan (March 1, 2012). "Viggo Mortensen's heroes — yes, all of them". Boston.com. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  93. ^ Ryan, Andrew (January 23, 2009). "'Hockey is my religion, the Canadiens are my god'". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  94. ^ "Guy Lafleur présenté par Viggo Mortensen". December 4, 2009. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017 – via YouTube.
  95. ^ "The final seduction". The Age. April 4, 2009. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  96. ^ Late Show with David Letterman. Season 19. Episode 74. January 13, 2012. CBS.
  97. ^ McFarland, Melanie (December 18, 2023). "Two decades after "The Return of the King," we still remember Aragorn's warning about US militarism". Salon. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  98. ^ "Film Makers, Actors, And Activists Protest Toronto Film Fest For Tel Aviv Spotlight". Amnesty International USA. September 10, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  99. ^ McQuinn, Cormac (March 4, 2015). "Hollywood stars among Sinn Fein donors who pledged $12m to party". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  100. ^ Norton, Ben (November 6, 2015). "'That's tyranny': Viggo Mortensen blasts U.S. militarism, criticises both parties for 'hawkish' foreign policy". Salon. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  101. ^ Stern, Marlow (July 16, 2016). "Viggo Mortensen Goes Green: 'I Trust Hillary About as Much as I Trust Donald Trump'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  102. ^ Anderson, Ariston (October 17, 2016). "Rome Film Fest: Viggo Mortensen, Matt Ross "Shocked" Anyone Would Vote for Trump". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  103. ^ Raimo, Veronica (November 1, 2016). "The Revolution Televised, un documentario su quello che i media non dicono". Rolling Stone (in Italian). Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  104. ^ Serra, Xavi (October 1, 2020). "Viggo Mortensen: "Soc d'Òmnium perquè m'interessen la història, la cultura i la llengua catalanes"". Ara.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  105. ^ Mortensen, Viggo (May 7, 2019). "La torpeza política y mediática de Vox". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  106. ^ "Hundreds of artists urge Israel to end Gaza blockade". Al Jazeera. May 16, 2020.
  107. ^ "Artists4Ceasefire". Artists4Ceasefire. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  108. ^ "Viggo Mortensen llamó "payaso" a Javier Milei y consideró que sus políticas son "un desastre"". La Nación (in Spanish). May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  109. ^ McNary, Dave (October 15, 2018). "Viggo Mortensen to Star, Make Directorial Debut in Family Drama 'Falling'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  110. ^ Ravindran, Manori (October 6, 2022). "Viggo Mortensen to Direct Western 'The Dead Don't Hurt,' Starring Vicky Krieps". Deadline.
  111. ^ Palmer, Rob (March 31, 2020). "Exploring 'Possible Worlds' With Ann Druyan". Skeptical Inquirer. CFI. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  112. ^ Hersko, Tyler (November 7, 2019). "'Cosmos: Possible Worlds' to Premiere on National Geographic in 2020 — Exclusive". IndieWire. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  113. ^ "Viggo Mortensen Tells Grads 'Activism Not A Dirty Word'". Newswise. May 21, 2006. Archived from the original on January 26, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  114. ^ Nepomuceno, Miguel Ángel (October 12, 2006). "Viggo Mortensen recibe mañana las insignias de oro de León y provincia". Diario de León (in Spanish). Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  115. ^ "Viggo Mortensen recibe las insignias de oro de la ciudad y de la provincia de León por 'Alatriste'". El Mundo (in Spanish). October 13, 2006. Archived from the original on November 30, 2006. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  116. ^ Bysted A/S. "Kongehuset – Forside". Kongehuset.dk. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Viggo Mortensen.
 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Viggo Mortensen.
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Viggo_Mortensen&oldid=1259922339#Personal_life"