Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood (born 28.1.1981)

Elijah Wood is an American film actor. He began acting as a child and is perhaps best known for his role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson.

Elijah Wood: Childhood

Elijah Wood was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was the second of three children and his mother (Debra) and father (Warren) are delicatessen owners.

Elijah took piano lessons as a child and was cast in his school production of The Sound of Music. The next year, he was also cast as the Wizard of Oz in a play of the same name.

Elijah Wood: Acting Career

Elijah Wood started out in show business by modeling and appearing in television commercials. His family moved with him to Los Angeles to help him in his career and it was in L.A. that Elijah landed a role in a Paula Abdul video ('Forever Your Girl'). Following this appearance, film work soon turned up for Elijah. He appeared in 1989's Back to the Future II and 1990's Avalon. It was this role that brought Wood his first real taste of public attention and the film was nominated for four Oscars.

Also in 1990, Wood appeared in the Richard Gere film Internal Affairs and landed his first major starring role in Paradise, the 1991 film that also starred Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. From there, he went on to star in Forever Young with Mel Gibson and Jamie Lee Curtis and in Radio Flyer in 1992.

1993 saw Wood starring alongside Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son, as well as taking the lead role in the Adventures of Huck Finn. The following year, he starred opposite Kevin Costner in The War.

In 1995, Elijah Wood had a role in the music video for The Cranberries' 'Ridiculous Thoughts.' The next year, he starred in Flipper, followed by the significantly more successful Ice Storm, directed by Ang Lee, in 1997. That same year, he starred as The Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist. In 1998, Elijah Wood appeared in two successful blockbusters, Deep Impact and The Faculty, further establishing himself as one of Hollywood's essential star actors.

Elijah Wood was cast as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The first film in the series, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, was a highly anticipated release and also starred Cate Blanchett, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler and Sir Ian McKellan. After finishing filming in New Zealand, Wood went on to film the crime drama Ash Wednesday. In 2002, he returned to the screen as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Then, in 2003, he completed the final installment in the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Elijah Wood's first major role following the Lord of the Rings films was in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, alongside Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. He then went on to play a serial killer in Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's adaptation of Sin City. The film also stared Mickey Rourke.

In 2005, Wood also starred in two critically acclaimed, if not widely well-known films. The first was Everything is Illuminated and the second is Green Street Hooligans.

Elijah went on to provide the voice for Mumble, a penguin who can tap dance, in Happy Feet. The film received a Golden Globe nomination and won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

2008 saw Elijah Wood star in The Oxford Murders, an adaptation of a Guillermo Martinez novel.

Elijah Wood: Other Ventures

In 2005, Elijah Wood set up his own record label, named Simian Records. The following year, he signed The Apples in Stereo and released their album New Magnetic Wonder. The label also signed a band named Heloise and the Savoir Faire.

Elijah also appeared on an album released by his fellow Lord of the Rings star, Viggo Mortensen. Wood sang and played a number of instruments on the album, which is entitled pandemoniumfromamerica.