Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multidisciplinary artist.
He was born and raised in New York; his parents were American and Danish, and he spent his childhood in Argentina.
He has received numerous accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for four Golden Globes, three Academy Awards, and three BAFTA Awards.
Mortensen’s performance as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s epic fantasy adventure trilogy The Lord of the Rings brought him widespread acclaim in the early 2000s.
The trilogy was one of the most successful film franchises of all time. Mortensen garnered praise from film critics for his performance in the crime thriller A History of Violence, directed by David Cronenberg and released in 2005.
Viggo Mortensen’s Net Worth
According to estimates, Viggo Mortensen has a net worth of $40 million. He is a nominated actor best known for his role as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The film industry provided the majority of his income.
Viggo Mortensen’s first feature film was Witness (1985). He first gained notoriety as the valiant warrior Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), and he later appeared in David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007).
Following a lengthy absence from the big screen, Mortensen was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in Green Book and the comedy-drama Captain Fantastic (2018).
Viggo Mortensen’s Early Life
Mortensen was born on October 20, 1958, in Watertown, New York, the son of Grace Gamble and Viggo Peter Mortensen Sr. His father was from Denmark, and his mother was from the United States.
They happened to meet there. His maternal grandfather immigrated to Canada from Nova Scotia. His paternal grandmother was from Trondheim, Norway.
The family first moved to Denmark, then to Venezuela, and finally to Argentina. In that order, they lived in the provinces of Cordoba, Chaco, and Buenos Aires.
Mortensen attended elementary school and became fluent in Spanish while his father ran chicken ranches and farms. He was baptised as a Lutheran, as was his father’s custom.
Mortensen’s parents divorced when he was 11 years old, and his brothers were 8 and 6. After the three boys and their mother returned to the United States, Viggo spent the rest of his childhood in New York State.
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He graduated from Watertown High School in 1976. He attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in politics and Spanish studies in 1980.
Mortensen travelled to Europe after finishing his degree and lived there for a while before returning to Denmark. He did odd jobs there, such as selling flowers in Copenhagen and driving trucks in Esbjerg. He eventually returned to the country to pursue a career as an actor.
Viggo Mortensen’s Career
The Purple Rose of Cairo, which debuted in 1985, was Mortensen’s first acting role. Sadly, his scenes weren’t included in the final cut of the movie. His debut performance was in the 1995 movie Witness.
He was hired for the final season of the soap opera “Search for Tomorrow” that same year. Young Guns II, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Carlito’s Way, Crimson Tide, G.I. Jane, A Walk on the Moon, and many other movies featured Mortensen in the 1990s.
The most enduring part of these movies is his performance as Master Chief John Urgayle opposite Demi Moore in “G.I. Jane.” He was then given the part of Aragorn in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy by director Peter Jackson in 1999.
That role later evolved into Mortensen’s most well-known one. In “A History of Violence,” Mortensen co-starred with Maria Bello. Mortensen made an appearance in the 2007 film “Eastern Promises.”
For the film, Mortensen won Best Actor in a British Independent Film. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. In 2009, Mortensen landed a role in “The Road.” The same year, he appeared in “A Dangerous Method.”
Mortensen made an appearance in “The People Speak” in 2009. The story was told in the form of dramatic and musical performances of letters, diaries, and speeches.
The film is based on Howard Zinn’s book “A People’s History of the United States,” which tells the story of America through the eyes of women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant labourers.
Mortenson appeared in the 2016 film “Captain Fantastic.” In 2018, “Green Book” was released. Mortensen received nominations for both “Green Book” and “Captain Fantastic.” Best Picture of 2019 “Green Book” won the Academy Award.
Viggo Mortensen will receive the Donostia Award in San Sebastian in June 2020. At the festival, Mortensen will present his directorial debut, “Falling.”
This is the European premiere of the film starring Viggo Mortensen, Laura Linney, and David Cronenberg. A conservative father relocates to Los Angeles to live with the family of his gay son.
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How Did Viggo Mortensen Learn So Many Languages?
Viggo Mortensen said,”My native languages are Spanish and English, but as I was growing up, I often overheard my father speaking Danish with his coworkers and friends. As a consequence of this, when I was a teenager I committed myself to successfully learning Danish. It is possible that learning Danish is even more challenging than learning Arabic. Danish is a difficult language.”
How Long Did It Take You to Become Fluent in Arabic and French?
Viggo Mortensen said,”I believe I put in a lot of effort. I worked for months, and in Spain, where I live, I met someone from North Africa who was extremely helpful. I went over the entire script, making sure I could say it all in Arabic and that it was Arabic from that region.”
The Relationship of Viggo Mortensen
Ariadna Gil and Mortensen are dating. The fact that Viggo Mortensen was dating Ariadna Gil led him to convince himself he wasn’t gay. Viggo had a son with his ex-wife before he met his current partner. Since 2009, they have been partners for life.
Before he met Ariadna Gil, he was married to singer and actress Exene Cervenka. When they were both working on the set of the comedy film Salvation in 1986, Gill and Cervenka became friends.
On-screen, the couple played each other’s love interests and got along so well that they decided to marry. Mortensen revealed his relationship with Spanish actress Ariadna Gil to everyone. He ran into her again on the set of the 2006 Spanish war film Alatriste. At the time, she was married to David Trueba.
David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen
The kiss between Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg made headlines. In 2001, Mortensen presented Lord of the Rings at Cannes. The first meeting. David is a Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter.
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David is a pioneer in the field of body horror. He collaborated on Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method, and A History of Violence with Viggo Mortensen. Later, he entered Cosmopolis for the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or.
Exene Cervenka and Viggo Mortensen
On the set of the comedy “Salvation!” in 1986, Mortensen met actress and singer Exene Cervenka. On July 8, 1987, they married.
Their first child, Henry Blake Mortensen, was born on January 28, 1988. They split up in 1992 and divorced in 1997. His son Henry played “Henry Ince,” the name of Viggo’s on-screen son, in the 1995 film Crimson Tide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Viggo Mortensen Ever Been Married?
Exene Cervenka is his wife. She is a singer, artist, and poet from the United States. She is best known as the singer for the California punk rock band X.
Viggo Mortensen is a Vegetarian, Right?
Mortensen chuckles and says: “Pickled herring is one of my favourite foods, and Henry used to eat it for breakfast. He is currently a vegetarian.”