36 Viggo Mortensen Movies Ranked Worst To Best

Mortensen's big break came with his starring role in 2001's first entry in the now-iconic "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. When a young hobbit (Elijah Wood) stumbles upon the ancient Ring of Power, he teams up with a coalition of friends (plus a wizard, a few knights, a dwarf, and an elf) to destroy the ring and prevent it from falling to the hands of the dark lord, Sauron.

As part of the most commercially and critically successful cinematic trilogy ever made, "The Fellowship of the Ring" was a pop culture phenomenon, earning $897.7 million (via Box Office Mojo) and garnering numerous accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (for Ian McKellen), among other awards. It also earned a distinguished place on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American films (the only "Lord of the Rings" film to make it on the list), and was later selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Mortensen played the Dúnedain ranger, Strider, in what became his most famous role. Strider is a man running from his alternative identity as Aragorn, the heir apparent to the throne of Gondor. Ashamed over his ancestors' past mistakes and uncertain about his abilities to lead, Aragorn retreats into his personality as Strider, a humble and capable knight who considers himself more a foot soldier than a king. This character arc was explored and expanded upon more fully as the series continued.