Viggo Mortenson’s most famous movie role, by far, is the heroic Aragorn in theLord of the Ringsfilms, and his son, Henry Mortenson, even appeared in two separate cameos. ThroughoutPeter Jackson’s award-winningLord of the Ringstrilogy, Aragorn, from the race of Men, is one of Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) companions who embarks on the perilous quest to destroy the One Ring in Mordor. Though lives are lost along the way, Frodo and co. are successful on their mission, and Aragorn in particular gets a happily ever after, marrying Arwen (Liv Tyler) and becoming King of Gondor.
Henry Mortensen was born on July 07, 2025, to father Viggo and mother Exene Cervenka, who is best known for singing in the California punk rock band, X. As a young boy, Henry had a few small parts in movies, playing “Homeless Child” inFloundering(1994) and Darin Hayes inBlue Tiger(also 1994). He even played Viggo’s on-screen son, Henry Ince, in 1995’sCrimson Tide. However, these roles likely pale in comparison when it comes to appearing in the epicLord of the Ringsmovies, even for a couple of short cameos.
Henry Mortenson Played A Rohan Boy Recruit & An Orc In The Lord Of The Rings Franchise
His Uncredited Appearances Were In The Second & Third LOTR Films
Viggo Mortensen was a hero in front of and behind the camera inLord of the Rings, as the modest actor famouslyrepaired his own Aragorn costumeduring filming. However, he was an even bigger hero to his son, Henry Mortensen, for getting him not one but two cameos in theLord of the Ringsmovies.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(2003)
Pelennor Orce
Henry’s firstLOTRappearance was inLord of the Rings: The Two Towers, in which he played a young Rohan recruit, helping to prepare for the Battle of Helm’s Deep. This is a pivotal battle inLord of the Rings, in which the Rohan army decimates Saruman’s forces.
Lord of the Rings: Why Peter Jackson Added Elves To Helm’s Deep
The finale of The Two Towers sees elves and men unite against the forces of Saruman, but Tolkien’s original Lord of the Rings book was different.
Henry was alsogranted the opportunity to play a Pelennor Orc in the Best Picture-winningLord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Though it was an uncredited role, it’s very likely that the young Henry had the time of his life dressing up as a mythical creature in the fantastical world ofLord of the Rings.
Henry Mortenson Convinced His Father Viggo To Play Aragorn
Henry Mortensen’s contributions to theLord of the Ringsmovies weren’t his small cameos, however. Had it not been for him, his father Viggo very well may have not taken on the role of Aragorn. It’s been well-documented that Stuart Townsend was originally cast to play Aragorn, though Jackson believed he was too young for the role. When Viggo Mortensen was approached, he was initially skeptical about taking on the role.
Several other actors wereapproached to play Aragorn, including Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Crowe, and Nicolas Cag, who all turn the role down.
In a 2019 appearance onLive with Kelly and Ryan, Viggo said, “I’m a slow starter, and I’m very aware you have to be talked into most roles… … I hadn’t read the books, and I was a last-minute replacement. They were already filming.” However, an11-year-old Henry knew exactly who Aragorn was, and was thrilled that he was the character his dad was up for. Viggo said,
They were already filming, and my son said, he was 11 at the time, he says ‘Dad, who are you playing?’ And I said, ‘It’s the guy, he’s with the small people in the woods.’… [Henry said] ‘Dad, that guy with the little people in the woods. He becomes the king!’
Viggo hadn’t realized he was being asked to play such a regal role, and with more encouragement from Henry — “You gotta do it! You gotta do it!”, the actor signed on to Peter Jackson’s project. Aragorn became the biggest role of Viggo Mortensen’s career, and he’s frequently spoken about his wonderful experience filming theLord of the Ringsmovies, along with the myriad career opportunities it opened up for him. And it’s all thanks to his son, Henry.
Where Henry Mortensen Is Now
Viggo’s Son Continued To Act & Directed A Documentary
Henry Mortensen didn’t do a ton of acting immediately following hisLord of the Ringscameos, though he did keep busy. In 2010, he graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Archaeology. He alsoworks for Percival Press, a publishing company co-founded by Viggo Mortensenthat specializes in books of poetry, art, and critical writing (viaPoetry Super Highway).
The 2020s have seen Henry Mortensen slowly return to acting, mostly in lesser-known projects, though he did appear in the Zac Efron-starringThe Greatest Beer Run Ever(2022) as a “Baby Killer Protestor”. Henry has also launched a filmmaking career, andhelmed the music documentarySkating Polly: Ugly Pop(2021). He’s come a long way since hisLord of the Ringscameos, and it will be exciting to see whatHenry Mortensendoes next.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
