With his chiseled good looks and intense screen presence, Viggo Mortensen has risen to the ranks as one of the most in-demand actors in turn-of-the-millennium Hollywood. Born to a Danish father and American mother, he was raised in Manhattan and South America and fluently speaks Spanish and Danish as well as English. The multi-talented Mortensen (who paints, writes poetry and composes music) trained as an actor at Warren Robertson's Theatre Workshop. Soon after moving to L.A., he landed the role of the captain in a stage production of "Bent" and a small role in the 1984 CBS miniseries "George Washington". Although the actor had been cast in small roles in both "Swing Shift" (1984) and "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985), neither performance made the final cut. Mortensen finally made his feature acting debut as an Amish farmer (and younger brother to Alexander Godunov) in "Witness" (1985). The handsome actor was so well-cast that some failed to realize he was acting. Mortensen offered a strong turn as a rebellious inmate in Renny Harlin's "Prison" (1988) and was effective as a returning soldier in "The Reflecting Skin" (1991). Sean Penn cast him as another veteran, this time with a violent streak, in "The Indian Runner" (also 1991) while Brian De Palma gave him the part of a wheelchair-bound snitch in "Carlito's Way" (1993). Mortensen also worked in less remarkable genre fare like "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" (1990) and "American Yakuza" (1995).
Finally, director Tony Scott came to the rescue, hiring Mortensen to play the concerned, conflicted weapons officer in "Crimson Tide" (1995), what the actor termed "a guy with a job and a family . . . not a sociopath". After a turn as the Devil who battles Christopher Walken's angel Gabriel in "The Prophecy" (also 1995), the actor began to be considered for meatier roles. He displayed a sexy charm as one of Nicole Kidman's loyal suitors in "The Portrait of a Lady" (1996) and received respectful notices as one of the hostages in "Albino Alligator" (1997). With his breakout performance as the poetry-quoting but brutal taskmaster training recruits in "G.I. Jane" (also 1997), Mortensen finally began to gain audience recognition and many critics felt he stole the film from his better-known co-star Demi Moore. Gaining a reputation for his intense, magnetic portrayals, the actor was cast the following year as the artist-lover of Gwyneth Paltrow in "A Perfect Murder" (and lent his own paintings to the production) before tackling the role of Sam Loomis, Marion Crane's boyfriend, in Gus Van Sant's ill-advised shot-by-shot remake of "Psycho".
In 1999 a turn in the 1969-set drama "A Walk on the Moon" cast Mortensen as the "other man" once again, this time playing a hippie traveling salesman who brings excitement into the life of a frustrated housewife (Diane Lane), a role that would have audience and Hollywood execs buzzing about his potential as the next big thing. The following year he came between Sandra Bullock's recovering alcoholic and her partying boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West) as a star baseball pitcher in rehab for his substance abusing, womanizing ways. Although this spate of credits put him at risk for being typecast as a homewrecker, Mortensen followed up with a project that would remove that stigma. He was tagged to co-star in Peter Jackson's long-awaited film adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, playing the heroic Aragorn. Mortensen's dashing good looks and commanding presence would serve him well in this leadership role, and helped bring in some moviegoers--including a considerable female fan base--who may have otherwise passed on the film. With the hype surrounding the initial 2001 release "The Fellowship of the Ring" (followed by 2002's "The Two Towers" and 2003's "The Return of the King"), Mortensen was established as a major leading man among Hollywood's A-list ranks.
The actor put his star status to the test immediately after the trilogy as the main attraction of the old fashioned but entertaining "Hidalgo" (2004), the true story of real-life horseman Frank T. Hopkins, who participates in a 3,000-mile Arabian race on the titular mustang. Mortensen then delivered his most compelling and carefully drawn performance to date when he starred in director David Cronenberg's taughtly crafted drama "A History of Violence" (2005), playing a loving, rock-solid small town husband and father who gains notoriety after skillfully foiling a violent robbery attempt in his diner, only to draw the attention of some menacing and shadowy figures who claim to recognize him from his heretofore unknown violent and dangerous past. The actor's sensitive and convincing portrayal of a man haunted by his secret past marked his as one of the early contenders in that year's awards derby.
Copyright © Baseline 2007.