Cinematic Crush: Viggo Mortensen

Crush object: Viggo Mortensen, actor/man of arts.
- Why we like him: For the passion that he brings to each role and for his refreshing, often out-spoken (but always soft-spoken) views of the Hollywood establishment.
- What he's known for: His breakthrough role as Aragorn, the sword-wielding "one true king" of Middle Earth, in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- Awards on his mantel: Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations and Golden Satellite Award for Eastern Promises; various ensemble awards for the LOTR series.
- Film debut: As an Amish farmer in Witness; was also on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow early in his career.
- Other choice roles: A violent, antisocial Vietnam vet in The Indian Runner; a sadistic drill sergeant in G.I. Jane; a small town family man with a secret past in A History of Violence.
- Gay for pay: Won a Dramalogue Critics' Award for his performance in a Los Angles production of the play Bent; known to moon over an elf or kiss a hobbit on occasion.
- Bet you didn't know: While growing up, he lived in Venezuela, Argentina and Denmark; will turn 50 next year.
- Yes, it's true: Purchased his horse co-stars after filming was completed on both LOTR and Hidalgo; turned down his invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- Side jobs: Is a published author and poet and exhibited photographer and painter (those are his actual paintings in A Perfect Murder, wherein he played a painter); founder of the Perceval Press publishing house, which specializes in the works of unknown artists. He is also an accomplished musician with several recordings; he even wrote the music for the song "Aragorn's Coronation" in The Return of the King.
- Ancestry: Is named after his father, who is Danish; is also one-quarter Norwegian. In addition to those two languages and English, he speaks Spanish, French, Italian and Swedish (not to mention Elvish).
- Family ties: His son Henry (who convinced him to play Aragorn) has appeared with him in three films, including Crimson Tide and The Two Towers.
- Can we quote you on that: (On the role of an actor in film) "It comes down to the fact that you supply the blue, and they supply the other colors and mix them with your blue, and maybe there's some blue left in the painting and maybe there isn't. Maybe there wasn't supposed to be any there in the first place. So have some fun and make a good blue and walk away."
- Where you can see him next: Co-stars in Ed Harris' Appaloosa; stars as iconic author Edgar Allen Poe in the biopic Poe.
- Where you can see more of him right now: Witness his chameleonic talents in "The Many Faces of Viggo Mortensen".

Click here to buy Viggo Mortensen's booksand musicfrom Amazon.com.
Links via Imdb.com, Advocate.com, YouTube.com and PercevalPress.com.