- Is being sued by his ex-wife over child support payments. (June 19, 2004)
- Was supposed to be the main speaker at the annual Fourth of July celebration in Denmark in 2004 but he was busy with work that day so Hollywood beautician Ole Henriksen, born in Denmark, replaced him.
- Was a translator for the Scandinavian teams when upstart American hockey players beat the mighty Soviet team at the 1980 Winter Olympics -- he did that to get free hockey tickets.
- Is keen to start work on a new Hollywood film soon, because his money's running out. (February 6, 2004)
- Is dating Josie D'Arby, who stars in the cop drama Merseybeat. (December 16, 2003)
- Mortensen attained a greater measure of recognition with his smoldering portrayal of one of Isabel Archer's (Nicole Kidman) suitors in Jane Campion's 1996 adaptation of THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY.
- In 1998 he was one of the few redeeming features of A PERFECT MURDER, in which he supplied sexy menace (as well as his own art work) as Gwyneth Paltrow's murderous artist lover.
- He lost a tooth while filming a fight sequence in LORD OF THE RING. He went to the dentist on his lunch break, had it patched up, and returned to the set that afternoon.
- A PERFECT MURDER (1998): He starred in another Hitchcock remake the same year, PSYCHO (1998). In both movies he is the female protagonist's lover, begins the first scene of each film in bed, and is involved in a crime involving an identical amount of $400,000.
- In LORD OF THE RING, he did his own stunts.
- Replaced Stuart Townsend who was originally cast as Aragorn in THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
- Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.
- Spends every Halloween with his son, Henry. He even makes sure all his movie contracts have a clause that says he doesn't have to film on Halloween.
- Mortensen and Orlando Bloom used to jokingly pick on each other during the filming of LOTR. Mortensen would make fun of how pretty Orlando looked as Legolas, the Elf, and Orlando Bloom would make fun of how dirty Mortensen always looked as Aragorn.
- Nickname: Vig
- Had a book of poetry printed before he was known. The title: Ten Last Night.
- Speaks fluent English, Spanish and Danish.
- Actually painted the large murals in his artist's studio in the film A PERFECT MURDER (1998).
- Lived in South America from age 2 to age 11.
- Is also a photographer.
- Writes poetry in his spare time.
- Is also a jazz musician - he has released three CDs so far.
- Worked as a truck driver while living in Denmark
- Got so into his character of Aragorn that LOTR director Peter Jackson once addressed him as Aragorn for over half an hour, and Viggo didn't even realise it.
- Graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York in 1980 with a degree in Government and Spanish.
- An accomplished horseback rider in his spare time, Mortensen requested that his LOTR Rings trilogy character Aragorn/Stryder be given much more saddle-time than was originally scripted. He also kept his on-screen horse nearby during the entire principal photography schedule in order to ride in his off-hours and strengthen his relationship with the horse.
- As Viggo lived in Argentina as a child, he is a fan of Argentine soccer team San Lorenzo.
- Broke a toe during the filming of THE TWO TOWERS, in the scene where he kicks an orc helmet.
- Hair Color: Brown
- Eye Color: : Green-Blue (Hazel?)
- The scar on his upper lip is from a drunken Halloween night when he was 17 years old. A combination of a fist and a barbwire fence, the actor claims.
- Doesn't watch television and doesn't really allow his son to watch any either.
- Nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2003)
- Nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2002)
- Nominated for Best Fight at MTV Movie Awards for G.I. JANE (1998) - shared with Demi Moore
Quotes- "Photography, painting or poetry those are just extensions of me, how I perceive things, they are my way of communicating."
- "My idea of a great day is to stay home and do whatever the hell I want"
- "Kids are God - pay attention"
- "I really believe that 98% of creation is accident, one percent is intellect and one percent is logic. You have to make the accidents work for you."
- "What's Special about Being a Father? - Everything."
- "I'm a control freak about wanting my character to be faithful to where I think they're coming from. But I don't think that I try to control anyone I'm working with."
Awards- Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2004)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Best Acting Ensemble, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2004)
- MTV Movie Awards: Best Male Performance, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2003)
- National Board of Review: Best Ensemble Performance, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
- Drama-Logue Award for BENT
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