His father managed chicken farms and ranches in Argentina. After high school he went to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, earning a bachelor’s degree in Government and Spanish. Mortensen’s major mainstream breakthrough came in 1999, when Peter Jackson cast him as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Two years later, another Cronenberg film Eastern Promises (2007) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Mortensen is politically active. His mother, Grace Gamble (née Atkinson), was American, and his father, Viggo Peter Mortensen, Sr., was Danish; the two met in Norway. They remained there until Mortensen was eleven, when his parents divorced and the boys and their mother returned to New York, where Mortensen spent the rest of his childhood. After high school he went to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, earning a bachelor’s degree in Government and Spanish. in the DVD extras for A History of Violence, David Cronenberg relates that Mortensen is the only actor he’d come across who would come back from weekends with his family with items he had bought to use as props on the set. He has recently made a cameo appearance in Dirty Raymond’s Neighbor. His bibliography includes: Mortensen is a painter and photographer.

Mortensen was born in New York City. After high school he went to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, earning a bachelor’s degree in Government and Spanish. Following his appearance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2006, he was granted an honorary doctorate by his alma mater.

In 2002, he founded the Perceval Press to publish the works of little-known artists and authors. He campaigned for Dennis Kucinich in the 2008 United States presidential election, and later endorsed Barack Obama for President. After high school he went to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, earning a bachelor’s degree in Government and Spanish. Following his appearance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2006, he was granted an honorary doctorate by his alma mater. in 2004, Mortensen starred as Frank Hopkins in Hidalgo, the story of an ex-army courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous desert race for a contest prize. He was nominated for a Satellite Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for this role.