Birth Name: Viggo Peter Mortensen
Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York, USA
Date of Birth: October 20th, 1958
Horoscope Sign: Libra

Since his debut as a young Amish Farmer in Peter Weir's Witness, Viggo Mortensen's career has been marked by a steady string of well-rounded performances. Critics have continually recognized his work in over thirty movies, including such diverse projects as Jane Campion's Portrait of a Lady, Sean Penn's Indian Runner, Brian DePalma's Carlito's Way, Ridley Scott's G.I. Jane and Tony Goldwyn's A Walk on the Moon. Mortensen's latest work is playing Strider/Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The first film in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, has generated not only box office receipts, but critical acclaim as well.

Born in New York to a Danish father and an American mother, Mortensen spent the early part of his childhood in Manhattan. His family traveled a great deal and he spent several years living in Venezuela, Argentina, and Denmark. He began acting in New York, studying with Warren Robertson. He appeared in several plays and movies, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where his performance in "Bent" at the Coast Playhouse earned him a Drama-logue Critic's Award. Mortensen is also an accomplished poet, photographer, and painter. He is currently working on his third book of poetry, and his latest showing of new photographs and paintings was during March 2002 at Track 16 Gallery in Los Angeles, as well as at the Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art in Athens. His most recent showing opened on July 11, 2002, at the Robert Mann Gallery in New York. ~ thelordoftherings.net