The Lord of the Rings is one of the 21st century’s greatest achievements, and the cast of Peter Jackson’s lauded movies has a lot to do with that. Written by English high fantasy pioneer J.R.R. Tolkien and released in three parts between 1954 and 1955, The Lord of the Rings changed literature forever. The New Line Cinema Lord of the Rings movies were also split into three parts and named for each part of the novel, adapting Tolkien’s novel with originality and a surprising amount of faithfulness. The cast tackled the book’s characters fearlessly.

From the grᴀssy plains of Rohan to the ashy steppes of Mordor, the world of The Lord of the Rings was vast enough to contain a diverse array of species and characters. This was part of what made Jackson’s casting so incredible – each actor seemed to fit their unique race perfectly, from each graceful Elf to every fearsome Dwarf. Of course, the cast changed over the years, growing and adding to its number as the trilogy rolled out and other characters died. But through it all, the movies remained an iconic reflection of Middle-earth’s wonder.

Elijah Wood As Frodo Baggins

Date Of Birth: January 28, 1981

• Active Since: 1989

Actor: Elijah Wood was born in the U.S. and broke big in The Lord of the Rings as Frodo Baggins. By The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’s ending, Wood was practically a household name. Based on part one of the LotR novel, this movie segued into Wood’s next two huge pictures, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. But Wood went on to play diverse roles, from comedy to horror, always keeping his standards high, and reviews generally favorable.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Wood plays Frodo Baggins, the main character of The Lord of the Rings. Wayward for a Hobbit, Frodo followed in the footsteps of his uncle Bilbo, who left him his estate and the One Ring. On discovering, with Gandalf, of the ring’s danger, Frodo showed his grit. He set off on a mission to take the ring to Mount Doom, learning that he was made of far tougher stuff than he ever thought possible.

Sean Astin As Samwise Gamgee

Date Of Birth: February 25, 1971

• Active Since: 1981

Actor: Born in the U.S., Sean Astin broke big in The Goonies as Mikey Walsh. This American movie, released in 1985, was a story by Steven Spielberg that set Astin up for the big time. The adventure comedy became a cult hit, leaving Astin to go on to star in ’90s movies like Toy Soldiers and California Man. By the time he debuted in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Astin was reasonably well-known, but he certainly sH๏τ to stardom as Samwise Gamgee.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Samwise Gamgee is Frodo’s gardener in The Lord of the Rings, and the only working-class member of the Fellowship of the Ring. Exceptionally, he was the last one standing on the final site of the mission, dragging Frodo up Mount Doom. Sam is also often overlooked as a Ring-bearer. Frodo may have carried most of this weight, but Sam did for a while too, and managed to talk Frodo into keeping his mission going when all seemed lost.

Billy Boyd As Pippin Took

Date Of Birth: August 28, 1968

Active Since: 1996

Actor: Scottish actor and musician Billy Boyd rose to prominence as Pippin, charming the world with his happy-go-lucky Hobbit. Just one element of his impressive performance was writing and singing “The Edge of Night” himself in Denethor’s sinister halls. But Boyd had been in the ever-popular Taggart before that, and went on to feature in fantasy and horror movies that built on his expertise.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Bumping into Frodo and Sam on their way out of the Shire, Pippin Took was irresistibly drawn into their mission to destroy Lord of the Rings’ One Ring. He may have seemed like he had more jokes than sense, but he proved himself a brave Hobbit – and an excellent singer. Pippin appeared even more heroic in the J.R.R. Tolkien novel on which the trilogy was based, published in three parts between 1954 and 1955.

Dominic Monaghan As Merry Brandybuck

Date Of Birth: December 8, 1976

Active Since: 1997

Actor: The British-Irish Dominic Monaghan was born in Berlin, and he made his name in The Lord of the Rings movies, alongside Billy Boyd. Boyd and Monaghan are hard to separate in real life, just as they are as Merry and Pippin, voicing duos in animations like The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim and The Legend of Vox Machina. Monaghan was iconic as Charlie in Lost, proving that he was much more than a one-hit wonder as Merry.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Merry Brandybuck started his journey in The Lord of the Rings as an innocent Hobbit with a rebellious spirit and a taste for adventure. He ended up as much more than this: a traveler and the fighter who helped Éowyn slay the Witch-king of Angmar. In the book, Merry was loyal to Théoden to a fault, embodying the unlikeliest of heroes. Movie Merry was a wonder to witness, journeying through Fangorn Forest and helping to get the Ents on their side in the War of the Ring.

Viggo Mortensen As Aragorn

Date Of Birth: October 20, 1958

Active Since: 1984

Actor: American actor and filmmaker Viggo Mortensen had supporting roles in Silent Witness, Portrait of a Lady, and Miami Vice, but his breakthrough role was Aragorn. Peter Jackson’s landmark movie trilogy really did give many small actors a sH๏τ at the big time, resulting in global stars like Mortensen. He went on to be an action hero in many more movies, earning himself a name for playing strong and silent types.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Aragorn was a Ranger in The Lord of the Rings, despite being Gondor’s rightful king. First encountered by the Hobbits at the Prancing Pony as the brooding Strider, Aragorn set out to protect them on their way to Rivendell. Like the Hobbits, Aragorn saw huge character development over the course of the trilogy. He went from a lowly wanderer to the King of Gondor and Arnor, having earned his rightful place on the throne as Arwen’s sweetheart.

Ian McKellen As Gandalf

Date Of Birth: May 25, 1939

Active Since: 1964

Actor: Ian McKellen is an English screen and stage actor, most famous for his role as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. McKellen told The Times that he was glad that he didn’t get his big break until he was 60, enabling him to live a full life before that and hone his skills on stage. McKellen went on, famously, to play Magneto in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, creating another imposing and powerful figure in fantasy.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: As one of Lord of the Rings’ five Wizards, Gandalf was an immortal Maia, of the same species as Sauron. This explains why Gandalf was such a boss in the trilogy, masterminding the mission to destroy the ring in the background. He may have struggled to destroy the Balrog in Moria, but he had to veil his full power to avoid getting the same kind of hero worship Sauron got. Nonetheless, he led Gondor and the Rohirrim to victory after returning from the grave as Gandalf the White.

Orlando Bloom As Legolas

Date Of Birth: January 13, 1977

Active Since: 1994

Actor: Orlando Bloom was born in Canterbury, Kent – a quaint city in England. His breakthrough role was Legolas in The Lord of the Rings, similar to his co-stars. He went on to play a leading role in Pirates of the Caribbean, which propelled him even further into stardom. Coming to be Hollywood’s golden boy, Bloom is as much an A-list celebrity as ever, cementing his rise to fame by playing Legolas again in The Hobbit and various other global action and fantasy roles.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Legolas is one of the best characters of The Lord of the Rings, graceful and skilled as he is wise and magical. Making his debut during the Council of Elrond, Legolas represented his father, Thranduil, leader of the Woodland Realm of Mirkwood. As Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas was more than fit to lead and fight, surfing down stairs on a shelf while shooting arrows at Orcs in what must be a career-defining highlight. After the Fellowship split, Legolas found himself fighting by Aragorn’s side, perhaps the most lethal member of the Fellowship.

Sean Bean As Boromir

Date Of Birth: April 17, 1959

Active Since: 1984

Actor: Starring in the 1992 movie Patriot Games, Sean Bean broke into Hollywood, starring opposite Harrison Ford. This action role landed Bean in life-changing projects, including GoldenEye, The Lord of the Rings, and Troy. Bean was a bonafide action star before joining the cast of The Lord of the Rings as the tragic Boromir. His career only got more impressive from that point on, darting from fantasy to thrillers and dramas.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Boromir was a good foil for Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings movies, proving that Men were easily tempted compared to Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits. Aragorn stood stronger than Boromir in the face of the One Ring’s corrupting power, but Boromir redeemed himself by the end of the first movie in the trilogy. This made for the perfect end, as Boromir finally swore allegiance to Aragorn and protected Merry and Pippin with his life.

John Rhys-Davies As Gimli

Date Of Birth: May 5, 1944

Active Since: 1964

Actor: John Rhys-Davies made his name as Sallah in the Indiana Jones movies, and aces the role to this day. Born in Wales, Rhys-Davies featured in the Indiana Jones franchise up until 2023 and may continue to do so. A prolific actor since the ’60s, Rhys-Davies sH๏τ to even greater stardom as Gimli the Dwarf in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies. This epic high fantasy series got Rhys-Davies into other huge franchises, while he also focused heavily on voice work in video games and animation.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Gimli seemed invincible in The Lord of the Rings. Although Dwarves weren’t immortal like Elves (although Elves, too, could die of injury, weariness, and grief), Gimli certainly seemed undefeatable. Undaunted by battle and bravely accompanying Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring, Gimli formed a world-changing friendship with Legolas. Uniting the clans of Dwarves and Elves, Gimli and Legolas also have one of the funniest bromances in cinema.

Supporting Cast & Characters

The members of The Fellowship of the Ring may have been the beating heart of The Lord of the Rings movies, but the women of the story chipped in to the cause significantly. Although Arwen had a much more minor role in the books, she saved Frodo’s life at the Ford of Bruinen in the movies. American actress Liv Tyler (born July 1, 1977) stunned the world as the beautiful Elf Princess, Arwen. Famously, Miranda Otto’s Éowyn (Otto born December 16, 1957) beat the Witch-king of Angmar in The Return of the King.

Christopher Lee can be discovered posthumously voicing Saruman in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the result of archive clips.

But it is Galadriel who really ensured the Fellowship’s success, lending them gifts that they wouldn’t have gotten too far without. Cate Blanchett’s (Blanchett born May 16, 1969) hypnotic and mysterious Elvish character helped the Fellowship in their standoff against the trilogy’s multiple villains. English actors Christopher Lee (born May 27, 1922) and Andy Serkis (born April 20, 1964) played Saruman and Gollum, Lee’s proud and cruel character distinctly contrasting Serkis’ pathetic one. Hugo Weaving’s Elrond and Bernard Hill’s Théoden perfected the well-rounded cast of The Lord of the Rings movies.

The Source: The Times