The Lord of the Rings is arguably the greatest movie trilogy of all time. Released between 2001 and 2003, these movies helped redefine what was possible on the screen, and while they weren't perfect adaptations of Tolkien's work, they were nearly perfect movies.
Of course, much of its success boils down to its incredible cast. It's a huge order to embody these classic characters that millions of people have loved and lived with for decades, but everyone managed to pull it off. It's a combination of incredible acting and incredible casting.
These are ten things you didn't know about The Lord of the Rings cast.
10 Elijah Wood's Family Made A Huge Sacrifice
Elijah Wood is now a household name, which should certainly mean a lot to his parents. Wood was born in 1981 to Debbie and Warren Wood, who owned a delicatessen in Iowa. Wood immediately took to the performing arts, taking piano lessons and acting in school plays. In 1989, when Wood was just eight years old, his parents sold their delicatessen and Wood moved with his mother to Los Angeles so he could begin an acting career. That very same year he landed a gig as "Video Game Boy #2" in Back to the Future Part II.
9 Sean Astin Was Was Raised Not Knowing His True Father
Sean Astin, birth name Sean Duke, was born on February 25, 1971 to Academy Award-winning actress Patty Duke. When Duke became pregnant, she was unsure who the father was, as she had ongoing sexual relationships with both Michael Tell and a man named Desi Arnaz Jr. While he gladly accepted his adoptive father John Astin, Astin was told at 14 that Arnaz was his biological father. However, he was told years later that it was Tell, and the resulting confusion led to Astin getting a DNA test. It was finally revealed that Tell was his biological father.
8 Orlando Bloom Was Also Raised Not Knowing His True Father
Orlando Bloom has something in common with Sean Astin, and that's not knowing who his true father was throughout much of his upbringing. Bloom was led to believe that his stepfather, Harry Saul Bloom, was his biological father. Bloom tragically passed away when Orlando was just four years old. It wasn't until he was thirteen that Orlando Bloom's mother, Sonia Copeland, revealed that his true father was family friend Colin Stone, whom Copeland had had an affair with while she was married to Harry Bloom.
7 Liv Tyler Also Was Raised Not Knowing Her True Father
Amazingly, The Lord of the Rings cast contains yet another instance of a child not knowing who their true father was. Her mother, Bebe Buell, lived with a musician named Todd Rundgren thorough much of the '70s, yet she also had a brief relationship with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.
Their fling resulted in a pregnancy, and Buell told everyone that Rundgren was the father. Tyler was legally born Liv Rundgren, and Rundgren subsequently raised Tyler as his own. It wasn't until Tyler was ten years old that the truth was revealed, and she officially changed her name from Liv Rundgren to Liv Tyler in 1991.
6 Ian McKellen Had A Hard Upbringing
Ian McKellen was born in May of 1939 - right before the outbreak of World War II. The war had a profound effect on McKellen, and he once stated, "Only after peace resumed did I realize that war wasn't normal." He also describes sleeping under an iron table until he was four years old, as his family was persistently afraid of a midnight air raid (as were many families of the time). His biological mother also died of breast cancer when McKellen was just twelve years old. McKellen's father then passed away when he was 24.
5 Viggo Mortensen Is A Polyglot
Playing Aragorn is Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen, who is actually a polyglot. A polyglot is someone who knows six or more languages. Mortensen can speak four languages fluently - English and Danish (obviously) as well as French and Spanish. And although he is not fully fluent, he can also hold small conversations in Italian. Not only that, he reportedly understands (but cannot speak) both Norwegian and Swedish, totaling a magnificent knowledge of seven languages!
4 Dominic Monaghan Is An Avid Nature Lover
Dominic Monaghan was probably right at home filming in the gorgeous locales of New Zealand, as he is an avid nature lover. He reportedly loves partaking in numerous outdoor activities, including kayaking, surfing, and hiking.
He also keeps an assortment of exotic pets, owns a forest in India, and has a love for insects and reptiles. This love of nature led to his own wildlife documentary series called Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan, which aired from 2013-2016.
3 Christopher Lee Was A Massive Tolkien Nerd
Of all the people on The Lord of the Rings, Christopher Lee was arguably the biggest Tolkien nerd of them all. Lee made it a tradition to read The Lord of the Rings on an annual basis and even met Tolkien himself, making him the only member of the cast and crew to have done so. He also sang in a Danish musical group called The Tolkien Ensemble and performed the unabridged audiobook for Tolkien's The Children of Húrin.
2 John Rhys-Davies Was The Tallest Member Of The Cast
In a wonderful bit of irony, John Rhys-Davies, who plays Gimli the Dwarf, is actually the tallest member of The Lord of the Rings cast. The actor stands at a sturdy 6'1''. The Lord of the Rings is well known for its many filmmaking tricks, including ones made to make actors appear taller or smaller. It took a lot of work and many stunt doubles, but they managed to turn the tallest member of the cast into one of the shortest.
1 Hugo Weaving Once Suffered From Epilepsy
Hugo Weaving had a difficult childhood, having been diagnosed with epilepsy at just thirteen years old. This major shock influenced his life in many ways, including his tough but fair decision to forego getting his driver's license. Luckily, Weaving's epilepsy wasn't very severe, and it rarely affected him on a day-to-day basis. Extra lucky is the fact that his symptoms completely disappeared when he was 18. However, he still chooses not to drive to this day.