Viggo Mortensen top 10 movies part 2
October 11th 2010 23:41
Viggo is the eldest son of Grace and Viggo P. Mortensen. His father, who farmed in Denmark, met his mother, a New Yorker, in Norway. They wed and moved to New York where Viggo Jr. was born, before moving to South America where Viggo Sr. managed chicken farms and ranches in Venezuela and Argentina. Two more sons were born, Charles and Walter, before the marriage grew increasingly unhappy. When Viggo was seven, his parents sent him to a a strict boarding school, isolated in the foothills of the mountains of Argentina. Then, at age eleven, his parents divorced. His mother moved herself and the children back to her home state of New York. Viggo attended Watertown High School and became a very good student and athlete. He graduated in 1976 and went on to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. After graduation, he moved to Denmark - driven by the need for a defining purpose in life. He began writing poetry and short stories while working many odd jobs, from dock worker to flower seller. But, in 1982, he fell in love and followed his girlfriend back to New York City, hoping for a long romance and a writing career. He got neither.
In New York, Viggo found work waiting tables and bar tending and began taking acting classes. Three years later, he made his film debut with a small part in Witness (1985). Moving to Los Angeles in 1987, he appeared in Salvation!: Have You Said Your Prayers Today? (1987) and married his co-star, Exene Cervenka. The two had a son, Henry Mortensen. But after nearly eleven years of marriage, the couple divorced. In 1999, Viggo got a phone call about a movie he didn't know anything about: The Lord of the Rings. At first, he didn't want to do it, because it would mean time away from his son. But Henry, a big fan of the books, told his father he shouldn't turn down the role. Viggo accepted the part and immediately began work on the project, which was already underway. Eventually, the success of Lord of the Rings made him a household name - a difficult consequence for the ever private and introspective Viggo.
#5 Appaloosa
Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
#4 Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
Frodo and Sam continue on to Mordor in their mission to destroy the One Ring. Whilst their former companions make new allies and launch an assault on Isengard.
#3 Eastern Promises
A Russian teenager living in London who dies during childbirth leaves clues to a midwife in her journal that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.
#2 G.I. Jane
A female Senator succeeds in enrolling a woman into Navy SEALS training where everyone expects her to fail.
#1 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
In a small village in the Shire a young Hobbit named Frodo has been entrusted with an ancient Ring. Now he must embark on an Epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I love Viggo's work too, but my list would be very different from yours in its order:
1. The Indian Runner
2. A History of Violence
3. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
4. Eastern Promises
5. The Road
6. Carlito's Way
7. Albino Alligator
8. A Walk on the Moon
9. The Young Americans
10. Witness
Looking very forward to his next Cronenberg collaboration A Dangerous Method.
Comment by Rick Gillispie
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So i take it you would suggestion me watching The Indian Runner.
There is atleast five movies are your list i haven't seen. I will have to check these out. I really enjoy his acting and look forward to seeing his early stuff.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
The Indian Runner is the film that really introduced me to Viggo. It was a powerful and moving experience when I first saw it and over the years it has lost none of its profound effect.
Certainly check it out the next time your in the mood for a challenging drama full of masterful moments from the Director Sean Penn.
His part in Carlito's Way is small but unforgettable. The film is just so brilliant it had to be included.
Hope you enjoy them.
Comment by Rick Gillispie
NBA Loud
Champions League Watch
Films Rock
Racing Weekend
Baseball is Good
Golf Slate