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Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen

Actor, also producer, composer, director and writer · Born October 20, 1958 (68) · Watertown, New York, USA

Screen Actors Guild Award winner · Oscar nominee · Golden Globe nominee · 3 other major award bodies

Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. (born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the state of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argentina during his childhood. He is the recipient of various accolades including a Screen Actors Guild Award and has been nominated for three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 20, 1958 (68)
From
Watertown, New York, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer, composer, director and writer
Titles
53 on MovieCove · 67 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 9% in 30 days

What are Viggo Mortensen's films like?

Across their 49 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 12th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
24%
Bonds
22%
Morality
18%
Survival
14%
Society
9%
Power
8%
Ideas
6%
Identity12 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival10 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 49 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 11 · Dark 35

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 23 · Stylized 16 · Heightened 10

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 15 · Intense 32

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 14 · Shifting 34 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 43 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 28 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 28 · Full focus 14

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 18 · Heavy 28

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 22 · Open-ended 17 · Ambiguous 10

Roles they play

41 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 15 of 41 analyzed roles.

Hero
15 of 41
Shadow
8 of 41
Mentor
5 of 41
Threshold guardian
3 of 41
Trickster
3 of 41
Shapeshifter
3 of 41
Herald
2 of 41
Ally
2 of 41
Show the 41 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
41
Melancholic
27
Dread
19
Contemplative
13
Hopeful
10
Other
24

How their films linger

Bittersweet19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous14

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Viggo Mortensen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 37 of their 53 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Viggo Mortensen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

67 credits, 53 with a MovieCove page; 40 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • I Love Boosters(2026)

    as Documentary Narrator - Heine Schlumpf (voice)

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Dead Don't Hurt(2023)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Writer · as Holger Olsen

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Eureka(2023)

    as Murphy

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Sweet Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Producer

  • Thirteen Lives(2022)

    as Rick Stanton

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Crimes of the Future(2022)

    as Saul Tenser

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Falling(2020)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Writer · as John (50 Yrs)

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Green Book(2018)

    as Tony Lip

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Revolution Televised (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 5 episodes · as Narrator (voice)

  • Captain Fantastic(2016)

    as Ben Cash

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Far from Men(2014)

    Co-Producer · as Daru

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Jauja(2014)

    Composer · Producer · as Gunnar Dinesen

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Two Faces of January(2014)

    as Chester MacFarland

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Cosmos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Nikolai Vavilov (voice)

  • Starring Sigmund Freud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Actor

  • Everybody Has a Plan(2012)

    Producer · as Agustín / Pedro

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • On the Road(2012)

    as Old Bull Lee / William S. Burroughs

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • A Dangerous Method(2011)

    as Sigmund Freud

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Sidewalls(2011)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Road(2009)

    as Father

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Good(2008)

    as Halder

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Appaloosa(2008)

    as Everett Hitch

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Eastern Promises(2007)

    as Nikolai Luzhin

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Captain Alatriste: The Spanish Musketeer(2006)

    as Diego Alatriste

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • A History of Violence(2005)

    as Tom Stall / Joey Cusack

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Hidalgo(2004)

    as Frank Hopkins

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(2003)

    as Aragorn

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers(2002)

    as Aragorn

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001)

    as Aragorn

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • 28 Days(2000)

    as Eddie Boone

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • A Walk on the Moon(1999)

    as Walker Jerome

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Psycho(1998)

    as Samuel 'Sam' Loomis

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • A Perfect Murder(1998)

    as David Shaw

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • My Brother's Gun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Juanito

  • G.I. Jane(1997)

    as Master Chief John James Urgayle

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Albino Alligator(1996)

    as Guy Foucard

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Vanishing Point(1997)

    as Jimmy Kowalski

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Daylight(1996)

    as Roy Nord

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Portrait of a Lady(1996)

    as Caspar Goodwood

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Prophecy(1995)

    as Lucifer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Crimson Tide(1995)

    as Lt. Peter 'Weps' Ince

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Passion of Darkly Noon(1995)

    as Clay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Gimlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Gimlet

  • Floundering (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Homeless Man

  • The Crew(1994)

    as Phillip

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Gospel According to Harry(1994)

    as Wes

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • American Yakuza(1993)

    as Nick Davis / David Brandt

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Carlito's Way(1993)

    as Lalin

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Young Americans(1993)

    as Carl Frazer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Boiling Point(1993)

    as Ronnie

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Deception(1992)

    as Johnny Faro

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Indian Runner(1991)

    as Frank Roberts

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Reflecting Skin(1990)

    as Cameron Dove

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Young Guns II(1990)

    as John W. Poe

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III(1990)

    as Tex

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Tripwire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Hans

  • Fresh Horses(1988)

    as Green

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Prison(1987)

    as Burke / Forsythe Electrocution

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Salvation!(1987)

    as Jerome Stample

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • High School Narc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Tim

  • Witness(1985)

    as Moses Hochleitner

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Cameron Dove

  • Miami Vice(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Detective Eddie Trumbull

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Dark Biosphere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Narrator

  • Embers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Konrad

  • Porto Rico (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Two Wolves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 67 titles, 63 of them dated from 1984 to 2026; peak year 2008.

Biggest box office

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19842026

Peak 2008 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 36 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 4 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting65 of 67: 60 only acting, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score57thDirecting2 of 67: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting2 of 67: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing6 of 67: 1 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thMusic3 of 67: 0 only music, 3 with another roleOther crew1 of 67: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

67 titles, 5 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1980s8 · acting1990s25 · acting2000s11 · acting2010s12 · 11 acting · 4 crew2020s7 · 6 acting · 3 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 40% of 47 roles
859500051015

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Screen Actors Guild Award and 1 other major award from 24 major nominations, 2002–2019.

WinNomination
  1. 2019
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    • +1 other major body · 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor in a Comedy
  2. 2017
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Male Lead
  3. 2016
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor in a Comedy
  4. 2012
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
  5. 2010
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor
  6. 2008
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor
  7. 2004
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Acting Ensemble
  8. 2003
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture
Show 1 earlier year
  1. 2002
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Viggo Mortensen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 52; across their 49 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Reach · how many have seen their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Midcredits score across 53 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up15
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th17
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 53 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed9
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · actor

Salvation! (1987)

85th percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Midcredits 99th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 47 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Viggo Mortensen's work okay for kids?

Across up to 32 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore25 titles38–88 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity32 titles8–71 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity26 titles9–83 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs25 titles25–74 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense25 titles33–82 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Viggo Mortensen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Viggo Mortensen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Howard Shore shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles