(In this beautifully illustrated book, the artist combines...)
In this beautifully illustrated book, the artist combines photographs, paintings, and poems that span his artistic output from 1978 to 2002. Over 50 full-color reproductions are featured.
(The actor who played Aragorn in the "Lord of the Rings" f...)
The actor who played Aragorn in the "Lord of the Rings" film epic and a part-time photographer celebrates the horse through a series of images that depict them as partners, travel companions, and teachers.
(When a young Amish woman and her son get caught up in the...)
When a young Amish woman and her son get caught up in the murder of an undercover narcotics agent, their savior turns out to be hardened Philadelphia detective John Book.
(Matt Larkin (Andrew McCarthy) dreams of a more creative, ...)
Matt Larkin (Andrew McCarthy) dreams of a more creative, inventive life, but has largely made safe, conservative choices. One day, Matt crosses the bridge that spans Ohio and Kentucky and meets Jewel (Molly Ringwald), a country girl different from anyone he's known. Matt is hooked, although he knows getting involved with Jewel will blow his secure life apart.
(A sequel to the smash western reunites original cast memb...)
A sequel to the smash western reunites original cast members Emilio Estevez as outlaw Billy the Kid and his fellow gang members heading towards a climactic showdown.
(In 1950s Idaho, 8-year-old Seth and his friends play a pr...)
In 1950s Idaho, 8-year-old Seth and his friends play a prank on the town recluse, mysterious English widow Dolphin Blue. After hearing vampire stories, Seth becomes convinced Dolphin is a vampire who steals the souls of his friends. When his older brother Cameron returns home from military service and takes a liking to Dolphin, Seth feels it's up to him to save Cameron from his friends' fate.
Superstar Wesley Snipes ("Money Train," "Demolition Man") stars in this gripping action-adventure set in the high stakes world of counterfeit money-laundering. Snipes is the U.S.
(From the director of Scarface comes the critically acclai...)
From the director of Scarface comes the critically acclaimed crime thriller Carlito's Way. Oscar winner Al Pacino gives on electrifying performance as former drug kingpin Carlito Brigante, who is sprung from prison by his high-powered attorney (Academy Award winner Sean Penn). He stuns the New York underworld by vowing to go straight from a history of violence, but his plans are undermined by misguided loyalties and an outmoded code of honor. In a life-or-death battle, Carlito takes on the relentless forces that refuse to let him go. Co-starring John Leguizamo and Luis Guzman, Carlito's Way is a powerful, action-packed ride all the way to its explosive conclusion.
(Floundering is a 1994 comedy film set in the aftermath of...)
Floundering is a 1994 comedy film set in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots of 1992. The film was directed and written by Peter McCarthy, starring James LeGros with appearances by John Cusack, Ethan Hawke, and Lisa Zane.
(Years before The Lord of the Rings catapulted him to inte...)
Years before The Lord of the Rings catapulted him to international superstardom, Viggo Mortensen played Wes, a young husband locked in co-dependent discontent with his beautiful and needy wife. Combining the theatrical surrealism of Beckett and Ionesco, the playfulness of Richard Lester, and the scathing social critique and imagery for which Majewski is renowned, The Gospel According To Harry is a wholly original cinematic tour de force.
(Raised in a religious cult, a young man moves into a new ...)
Raised in a religious cult, a young man moves into a new town and falls in love with a mysterious beauty, who may be a witch. He turns to violence as his obsession grows unbearable.
(The angel Gabriel comes to Earth to collect a soul which ...)
The angel Gabriel comes to Earth to collect a soul which will end the stalemated war in Heaven, and only a former priest and a little girl can stop him. Starring Academy Award winner Christopher Walken, Viggo Mortensen, Virginia Madsen and Eric Stoltz.
(When a holdup goes horribly wrong, two small-time crooks ...)
When a holdup goes horribly wrong, two small-time crooks on the run from the Feds take five people hostage while they plan their next move in this tense crime thriller.
(Sylvester Stallone stars in this urban disaster drama abo...)
Sylvester Stallone stars in this urban disaster drama about an explosion that seals off both ends of a commuter tunnel beneath the Hudson River, trapping a diverse band of survivors inside.
(The story of a young American woman who is taken to Europ...)
The story of a young American woman who is taken to Europe by her aunt after the death of her family and challenges the confines of her destiny on the hermetically closed American expatriate circuit in late 19th century Europe.
(A wealthy woman becomes the target for murder when her hu...)
A wealthy woman becomes the target for murder when her husband, an investor with financial difficulties, discovers her affair with an artist and blackmails her lover into killing her.
(Gus Van Sant directs Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne M...)
Gus Van Sant directs Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore and William H. Macy in this shot-by-shot color recreation of Alfred Hitchcock's horror masterpiece set at the Bates Motel.
(Dustin Hoffman presents Diane Lane (Murder At 1600, Jack)...)
Dustin Hoffman presents Diane Lane (Murder At 1600, Jack), Liev Schreiber (Sphere, Scream I & II) and Viggo Mortensen (A Perfect Murder, G.I. Jane) in a provocative and sensual story about one woman's personal sexual revolution!
(A disastrous drunken episode lands successful New York jo...)
A disastrous drunken episode lands successful New York journalist Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) inrehab where she encounters a bizarre assortment of characters and some unique rituals during her touching and often hilarious road to recovery.
(In the first part, The Lord of the Rings, a shy young hob...)
In the first part, The Lord of the Rings, a shy young hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a simple gold ring that holds the secret to the survival - or enslavement - of the entire world.
(In the part second of the Tolkien trilogy, Frodo Baggins ...)
In the part second of the Tolkien trilogy, Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring - but on separate paths.
(In the conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece, T...)
In the conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world - and powerful.
(A ruthless and mysterious enforcer for a Russian crime fa...)
A ruthless and mysterious enforcer for a Russian crime family in London crosses paths with a midwife who has potentially damaging evidence against the family. This sets into motion a series of violent events.
(The paths of two gunmen tracking an escaped murderer and ...)
The paths of two gunmen tracking an escaped murderer and that of a beautiful, dangerous widow with an agenda of her own collide in the lawless western town of Appaloosa.
(An epic post-apocalyptic tale of the survival of a father...)
An epic post-apocalyptic tale of the survival of a father and his young son as they journey across a barren America that was destroyed by a mysterious cataclysm.
(Seduced by the challenge of an impossible case, the drive...)
Seduced by the challenge of an impossible case, the driven Dr. Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) takes the unbalanced yet beautiful Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightly) as his patient. Jung's weapon is the method of his master, the renowned Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Both men fall under Sabina's spell. Based on a true story.
(A timeless story of Sal Paradise, a young writer whose li...)
A timeless story of Sal Paradise, a young writer whose life is shaken and ultimately redefined by the arrival of Dean Moriarty, a free-spirited, fearless, fast-talking Westerner, and his girl, Marylou. Traveling cross-country, Sal and Dean venture out on a personal quest for freedom from the conformity and conservatism engulfing them in search of the unknown, themselves, and the pursuit of "it."
(Viggo Mortensen stars in this powerful and provocative cr...)
Viggo Mortensen stars in this powerful and provocative crime thriller about an Argentine doctor who escapes his boring life by assuming the identity of his deceased twin brother.
This thriller follows Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst) as they befriend a guide (Oscar Isaac) on a European trip. This friendship takes a turn when it morphs into a love triangle full of envy, and murder.
(Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali star in Green Book, a ...)
Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali star in Green Book, a film inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class, and the 1962 Mason-Dixon line.
Viggo Mortensen is a Danish-American actor, musician, author, photographer, poet, and painter. He is the recipient of various accolades including a Screen Actors Guild Award and has been nominated for three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
Background
Ethnicity:
Viggo's father was Danish, his mother was American, and his maternal grandfather was Canadian.
Mortensen was born on October 20, 1958, in New York City, to Grace Gamble (Atkinson) and Viggo Peter Mortensen, Sr. His parents met in Norway. They wed and moved to New York, where Viggo, Jr. was born, before moving to South America, where Viggo, Sr. managed chicken farms and ranches in Venezuela and Argentina. Two more sons were born, Charles and Walter, before the marriage grew increasingly unhappy. When Viggo was seven, his parents sent him to a strict boarding school, isolated in the foothills of the mountains of Argentina. Then, at age eleven, his parents divorced. His mother moved herself and the children back to her home state of New York.
Education
Viggo attended Watertown High School and became a very good student and athlete. He graduated in 1976 and went on to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish Studies and Politics in 1980.
After graduation, Vigo Mortensen moved to Denmark - driven by the need for a defining purpose in life. He began writing poetry and short stories while working many odd jobs, from dock worker to flower seller. In 1982, he fell in love and followed his girlfriend back to New York City, hoping for a long romance and a writing career. He got neither. In New York, Viggo found work waiting tables and bartending and began taking acting classes, 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 Dramalogue Critic's Award.
He made his film debut with a small part in Witness (1985). He appeared in Salvation!: Have You Said Your Prayers Today? (1987).
In 1999, Viggo got a phone call about a movie he did not know anything about: The Lord of the Rings. At first, he didn't want to do it, because it would mean time away from his son. But Henry, a big fan of the books, told his father he shouldn't turn down the role. Viggo accepted the part and immediately began work on the project, which was already underway. Eventually, the success of Lord of the Rings made him a household name - a difficult consequence for the ever private and introspective Viggo.
Critics have continually recognized his work in over thirty movies, including such diverse projects as Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Sean Penn's The Indian Runner (1991), Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way (1993), Ridley Scott's G.I. Jane (1997), Tony Scott's Crimson Tide (1995), Andrew Davis's A Perfect Murder (1998), Ray Loriga's La pistola de mi hermano (1997), Tony Goldwyn's A Walk on the Moon (1999), and Peter Farrelly's Green Book (2018).
Mortensen is also an accomplished poet, photographer, and painter. 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 soundtrack is "The Return of the King"), the words by Tolkien and the music composed by Mortensen. 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". His poems are written in English, Danish, and Spanish.
Viggo Mortensen has been listed as a notable actor and writer by Marquis Who's Who.
Following his first film appearance in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, he has appeared in many other well-known films, including The Indian Runner, Carlito's Way, Crimson Tide, Daylight, and 28 Days. He received international recognition with his role as Aragorn in the epic film trilogy The Lord of the Rings. His performance in Eastern Promises earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
His role in A Dangerous Method earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also received a Best Actor nomination at the 89th Academy Awards for his performance in Captain Fantastic. Also an author and poet, Viggo has various books of poetry, photography, and painting to his name.
He founded the Perceval Press publishing house to help publish the works of little-known artists and authors. He is a renowned painter and photographer as well. His paintings, which are mainly abstract with fragments of his poetry, have been featured in galleries worldwide. As a musician, he has experimented with mixing his poetry and music. He has been granted an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, St. Lawrence University.
He was knighted by Queen Margarethe II of Denmark on April 16th, 2010.
Mortensen's appearance on the Charlie Rose show in December of 2002, in which he wore a "No More Blood for Oil" T-shirt and spoke openly of his opposition to the move toward war in Iraq, brought his views to the attention of the public. He has continued to speak out regularly against the war and other Bush administration policies.
Viggo Mortensen endorsed Dennis Kucinich in New Hampshire in January 2008, and campaigned for him.
Mortensen said in the interview to GQ: "I do find that in this country you have to make a big effort to be well-informed. There is no real news anymore. The war in Iraq was not unlike a studio movie. There was a certain schedule. There was a budget. There were the appropriate visuals. There was a lot of comparing the good guys with the bad guys. The administration used nomenclature reminiscent of the '30s; it's like they're studying the German technique of subverting attention in a time of national crisis. The erasure of memory is more prevalent than ever. It is easier to sell people the same load of shit tomorrow if they forgot they bought it today."
An enthused supporter of Bernie Sanders, the selection of Hillary Clinton left him so dispirited he decided to vote for Jill Stein of the Green party.
He said, that his biggest disappointment was "that Barack Obama seems to be more concerned with becoming re-elected than with doing his very best to fulfill the promise of his candidacy."
Views
Viggo Mortensen once said: "Life is short... I like to pay attention while I'm going through it. Whatever I see, like anyone else, I'm going to filter it and create my own idea of what it is. - on painting, creating music, writing poetry, and taking photographs in addition to acting."
Quotations:
“I always ask myself what happened from when the character was born until the first page of the script. That’s where it always starts for me.”
“Experience should free you, should inform you, should make you wise in your behavior, not just what’s in your head.”
“The function of artists is to keep people childlike in a positive way. To keep open to the world.”
“Apart from traveling to different countries, to different communities, to different parts of your city, I think that art is one of the greatest anti-war and anti-poverty weapons.”
"This world is a dream we all contribute to, in one way or another. We are part of the dream if we are aware or not if we like it or not. These pictures are a part of my dream, of the way I exist and act in the world."
"You know, real life doesn't just suddenly resolve itself. You have to keep working at it. Democracy, marriage, friendship. You can't just say, 'She's my best friend.' That's not a given, it's a process."
"Making a movie is not always about being paid - there is no limit to what you can learn."
Membership
Since May 2018 Viggo Mortensen is a member of Omnium Cultural - a Catalan association based in Barcelona (Catalonia) originally created to promote the Catalan language and spread Catalan culture.
Omnium Cultural
,
Spain
2018 - present
Personality
Mortensen bought the horses he rode in The Lord of the Rings movies and Hidalgo, a film he worked on in 2004. He’s reportedly accomplished at horseback riding and even requested that his horses on The Lord of the Rings movies be kept close to him so he could ride them in his spare time to strengthen their bond.
He speaks fluent English, Spanish, Danish, and French, but he also speaks yet not fluently Catalan, Swedish and Norwegian.
He actually painted the large murals in his artist's studio in the film Perfect Murder (1998). He has been photographing for years, debuted with an exhibition at the Robert Mann Gallery in New York City.
He also writes poetry in his spare time. He is also a jazz musician - he has released three CDs. He once said: “Photography, painting or poetry - those are just extensions of me, how I perceive things, they are my way of communicating.”
He previously earned his living as a truck driver and a translator at the US Olympics in 1980. He also has his own line of custom-designed knives released under his name.
Broke a tooth while filming a fight sequence for The Lord of the Rings (2002); he asked the crew if they would glue it back on so he could finish the scene. He replaced Stuart Townsend in the role of Aragorn/Strider in The Lord of the Rings after filming began.
He got so into his character of Aragorn that director Peter Jackson once addressed him as Aragorn for over half an hour, and Mortensen didn't even realize it.
Aside from acting, Mortensen's other artistic pursuits include fine arts, photography, poetry, and music. In 2002, he founded the Perceval Press to publish the works of little-known artists and authors.
Physical Characteristics:
Viggo Mortensen was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.
His trade marks are cleft chin, quiet, methodical style of speaking, relaxed naturalistic acting style, soft mellow voice.
He often plays rugged but reluctant heroes and frequently cast by David Cronenberg.
Quotes from others about the person
"This doesn’t start, by the way, without Viggo Mortensen. We have no movie. All these awards are because Viggo and Mahershala and Linda but it started with Viggo." - Peter Farrelly, director of the Green Book.
Interests
art, music, literature
Philosophers & Thinkers
Sigmund Freud
Politicians
Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein
Writers
“The Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin, “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn, “Danmarks” by Saxo Grammaticus, “Faust: A Tragedy” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “El Gaucho Martín Fierro” by José Hernández, “La Divina Commedia” by Dante Alighieri, “Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies” by William Shakespeare, “The History of Western Philosophy” by Bertrand Russell, “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu, “The Republic” by Plato
Artists
Georg Guðni Hauksson
Sport & Clubs
equestrian, football, soccer, baseball, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Montreal Canadiens, New York Mets
Athletes
Guy Lafleur, Diego Maradona
Music & Bands
"Envidia" (Argentine Tango), Buckethead
Connections
While filming Have You Said Your Prayers Today?, Mortensen connected with his costar, Exene Cervenka, who he later married. The two had a son, Henry Mortensen, before divorcing in 1997.
Since 2009, he’s been dating Spanish actress, Ariadna Gil, according to The Daily Mail. Gil is best known for her role as Carmen in the 2006 film, Pan’s Labyrinth.
