5 Viggo Mortensen Best Roles if You Only Know Him as Aragorn From LoTR

You all know him as Aragorn, but Viggo Mortensen's career has included many other notable roles.

Today, we've rounded up the best of them, from a chatty Italian driver and a tough Russian mobster to an undercover killer and a terminally ill father trying to save his son in a ruthless post-apocalyptic world.

1. A History of Violence, 2005

Tom Stall is a simple family man who works in a small diner. He never had any trouble with the law until two gangsters came into his diner and Tom killed them with amazing ease. Now the man is a national hero, but for some reason he is not happy with his fame. And soon it becomes clear why.

The movie would never have worked without Viggo Mortensen, who makes use of his extraordinary potential and wide acting range. He is equally convincing as a provincial simpleton, an everyday man far from any heroism, and as a cold-blooded killer with a crazy spark in his eyes.

2. The Road, 2009

A lifeless post-apocalypse – no green has grown in the world for a long time, and people united in gangs. Viggo Mortensen plays the nameless father who travels to the ocean with his son, cherishing the ghostly hope that there is still an oasis of normal life.

The adaptation of the novel by Cormac McCarthy is one of those movies that so often ends up on all the lists of underrated movies that almost everyone knows about it: at least because it inspired the creators of the super-famous game The Last of Us.

3. Captain Fantastic, 2016

An indie drama about a family living in the woods in complete harmony with nature. The father, played by Viggo, teaches his children hunting and quantum physics, makes them talk about the books they read and encourages them to study several foreign languages.

At some point, however, his family must return to civilization – a life for which they are completely unprepared.

There are many amazing actors in Captain Fantastic, but it is Mortensen's character who is at the center of the story. He is an amazing human being, a voluntary outcast who hides a terrible trauma behind his iron character. Not surprisingly, Viggo received an Oscar nomination for his subtle performance – the only one for the film.

4. Eastern Promises, 2007

David Cronenberg's gritty thriller about a British family with Russian roots caught up in a mafia showdown. Viggo plays one of the gangsters, the tattooed Nikolai, who is not as simple as he seems at first glance.

Perhaps only Mortensen could make the seemingly one-dimensional image of a mobster so convincing and complex – his feigned brutality reveals a hidden vulnerability.

5. Green Book, 2018

The winner of the main Oscar of 2018, a sweet drama about the joint journey of a refined musician Don and a daring, uncouth Tony. Viggo, better known for his roles as noble or stern people, suddenly appears here as a talkative and simple man. He changes his passenger's life – and, of course, learns something himself.

The acting duo of Viggo and Mahershala Ali is incomparable and all their nominations are absolutely deserved. It's just a shame that only Ali took home the coveted statuette, leaving Mortensen with a nomination for Best Actor.