The cult fantasy trilogy of Peter Jackson acquired such a status absolutely deservedly: in 2001, when the first part was released, it became the main event of the year.
In technical terms, not a single film could even get close to what Jackson showed on the screen, and commercial success made rich all involved in the creation.
It is not surprising that the actors of The Lord of the Rings immediately became real stars, even if no one knew them before.
Let's remember who the main actors were at that time and what is happening to them now.
10. John Rhys-Davis - Gimli
At the time of the release of the first film of the trilogy, in which Rhys-Davis played the powerful warrior-gnome Gimli, the actor was already under 60.
A huge beard that covered most of the face did not allow him to determine his age, and his fighting skills did not give reason to doubt his physical form.
At that time, the actor was already well-known: he starred in several parts of Indiana Jones and the drama “The Lost World”.
Now he is 75 years old and he continues to act, although not so often. From his last works, one can distinguish the series “The Shannara Chronicles” in which he plays the King of the Elves.
9. Billy Boyd - Pippin
Billy Boyd is almost the only actor from The Lord of the Rings who, having a prominent role in him, did not become a star after.
Except for the small episodes in the series “Agents“ SC.I.T. ”,” there is nothing to highlight in his filmography.
In fairness, it is worth noting that he devotes a lot of time to music, being the frontman of the Beecake group.
8. Dominic Monaghan - Merry
The best friend of Boyd’s character, Monaghan in the cinema, achieved much more: each film fan easily remembers at least a couple of projects in which he saw this actor.
Fans of the series "Lost" know him by the role of Charlie Pace, and those who watched "X-Men: The Beginning. Wolverine ”recall him in the image of Chris Bradley.
Already this winter, he will appear in another cult franchise - Star Wars: Skywalker. Sunrise".
7. Liv Tyler - Arwen
Despite the fact that Liv gained world fame after The Lord of the Rings, she was known before the narrow circle of viewers and film critics thanks to the film “Escaping Beauty” by Bernardo Bertolucci, the melodrama “The Fictional Life of the Abbots” and the drama “Armageddon”.
Surprisingly, after the role of Arwen, the actress began to appear less and less: the series “Left”, “The Incredible Hulk”, “The Deserted City” and a couple of romcoms - that's all that can be remembered.
6. Christopher Lee - Saruman
A true cinema legend, Christopher Lee was the only person on the set of The Lord of the Rings who personally knew Tolkien.
Much can be said about this actor: a veteran of World War II, began his career in the late 40s, received many awards and nominations, and also starred in a huge number of iconic films.
“Wicker Man”, “The Curse of Frankenstein”, “Dracula” - all these paintings were released in the 50s-70s and had a huge impact on the thriller genre.
Christopher Lee died in 2015 at the age of 93, and his last work was the role of Saruman in the film “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”.
5. Ian McKellen - Gandalf
For the role of Gandalf in the first part of The Lord of the Rings, McKellen was nominated for an Oscar and this was the second nomination: three years earlier, he was on the list of applicants for work in the dramatic biopic “Gods and Monsters”.
Few people involved in the creation of the trilogy could boast of such achievements (even Christopher Lee did not have nominations).
Even before the release of The Fellowship of the Ring, McKellen signed a contract to shoot in another popular franchise - X-Men, which provided him with work for many years.
To his image of a good wizard, the Briton returned to The Hobbit, after which he played the aged Sherlock in the movie Mr. Holmes, and in the fall he can be seen in the drama The Good Liar with Helen Mirren.
4. Orlando Bloom - Legolas
At the mention of the name of this actor two franchises immediately come to mind: The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.
These two cinematic universes of Orlando Bloom were quite enough to achieve world fame and multimillion-dollar fees.
In addition to them, there were also Troy and the Kingdom of Heaven, but everywhere he is still perceived as Legolas or Will Turner. Alas, this is a kind of curse for many actors of The Lord of the Rings.
3. Viggo Mortensen - Aragorn
In the early 2000s, Mortensen was no longer a movie novice: he starred with Demi Moore in “Soldier Jane” and “Psychosis” by Hans Van Sent.
After the role of Aragorn, Viggo showed himself excellently in the film "Export Vice" in 2007, for which he received his first Oscar nomination.
Having disappeared for some time from the radar, he again loudly declared himself in 2016, receiving a second nomination for the film "Captain Fantastic."
Last year, he starred in the best film of the year, Green Book, receiving another nomination.
He completely departed from the role of the hero, embodying rather complex images, so there is no doubt that he will still receive his figurine.
2. Sean Astin - Sam
Sean Astin can be compared with Billy Boyd, since he, having tremendous fame after the release of The Lord of the Rings, did not multiply her, remaining an actor of one role.
He focused mainly on television series, occasionally flickering in a cameo or episode. Of the latter, one can recall perhaps the second season of "Very Strange Things", where he appeared in 7 episodes.
1. Elijah Wood - Frodo
The case when the actor is removed a lot and successfully, but he is still perceived exclusively in one role.
Elijah Wood made a lot of efforts to disown Frodo Baggins’s image, but he didn’t succeed, and his ability not to change over the years gave rise to a series of jokes that he never brought the ring to Mordor.
In the last couple of years, Elijah starred in several unusual projects: firstly, the comedy-detective series "The Holistic Detective Agency Dirk Gently", and secondly, the black comedy "In this world, I no longer feel at home."
Given that he is not even 40, a role can still be ahead of him that will overshadow the image of the hobbit, although it is difficult to imagine.