Captain Fantastic: Viggo Mortensen’s Net Worth And More You Need To Know About His Fantastic Life And Career

In all likelihood, many film-goers know Viggo Mortensen as the actor who played Aragorn in the epic fantasy adventure trilogy of films, Lord of the Rings. But to more dedicated film lovers or cinephiles, he is known for his other roles in films that include The Road, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method, and Captain Fantastic. So, let’s get to know more about Viggo Mortensen’s Net Worth, life, and career.

But besides being an award-winning actor and a household name, Viggo Mortensen has also dedicated his life to other forms of art. He is also a poet, fine artist, photographer, and musician. Additionally, he also makes it a point of supporting little-known writers and artists with his other ventures. 

While most people don’t know much about his life outside of his acting career, he surely has a lot of interesting things you should know about, which makes him one of the most bankable actors of this generation.

If you’re a fan, you would surely love Viggo Mortensen more once you know more about everything he is doing besides acting. If you haven’t listed him yet in your mental list of favorite artists, then we can guarantee you that you will soon include him in it after reading more about his life and career.

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Viggo Mortensen’s Fantastic Life

Early Life

Not many people know that the New York-born Viggo Mortensen is partly Danish. His American side is from his mother, Grace Gamble, while the Danish side is from his father, Viggo Mortensen Sr. Growing up, his family moved to different countries, from Venezuela, Denmark, until they eventually settled in Argentina. 

So, if you see a YouTube video of Viggo Mortensen speaking Spanish and other languages, you shouldn’t be surprised as he has lived in many countries during his younger years. It looks like someone needs to add linguist to his long list of talents.

When Viggo Mortensen was an 11-year old boy, his parents divorced, and he moved to the U.S. with his mother and two brothers. His family lived in the state of New York, where he would spend the rest of his childhood until he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish studies and politics in 1980.

WATCH VIDEO: Viggo Mortensen Speaking 7 Languages

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Personal Life

Shortly after graduating, Viggo Mortensen did some traveling in many European countries, and he lived for some time in England, Spain, and Denmark to further pursue his educational interests. During his travels, he took different odd jobs, working as a truck driver and a flower vendor. Little did he know the bright acting career that awaited him.

During the 1986 filming of Salvation!, Viggo Mortensen met and fell in love with Exene Cervenka, an American singer, artist, and poet. Their interests in art made them a perfect match, and they got married on July 8, 1987, but as we all know: all good things come to an end as they eventually separated and officially divorced in 1997. In 2009, he started dating and living with Ariadna Gil, a Spanish actress, in Madrid.

Even if Viggo Mortensen was living in Spain, he felt a special attachment to the landscapes, people, and history of the U.S. He eventually went home to take care of his stepfather, who was dying from dementia in 2016. In 2017, his mother also passed away from complications of dementia, making the actor open up about his family’s struggles with the condition. Besides his parents, four of his grandparents, uncles, aunts, and stepfather suffered from the same condition.

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Acting Career Highlights

Acting Career Highlights
Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings. Source: lh3.googleusercontent

Viggo Mortensen’s net worth is $40 million and it’s mostly from his acting career, which started with his first film role on the 1985 film The Purple Rose of Cairo, but unfortunately, his scenes didn’t make it in the final cut. Because of these deleted scenes on what was supposed to be his first film, his first official on-screen appearance on the film Witness. Since then, he has appeared in several minor roles in TV series and movies, making the film industry take notice of his talents and good looks more.

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In 1999, Viggo Mortensen became a last-minute replacement for the character of Aragorn in the first of many Lord of the Rings film franchise – which was originally offered to Stuart Townsend. His portrayal of the Aragorn was well-received by fans of the book and critics alike that Empire Magazine even ranked him as the 15th Greatest Movie Character in their 2015 poll. 

In 2015 and 2017, Viggo Mortensen starred in body horror filmmaker David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Among the two Cronenberg collaborations, the latter would earn him his first Academy Award acting nomination and a British Independent Film Awards Best Performance by an Actor win.

Viggo Mortensen’s net worth
Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic. Source: https://m.media-amazon

Among his other more recent movies, fans and moviegoers would usually remember him for his roles in the film adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel, The Road. 2016’s Captain Fantastic and 2018’s Green Book would earn him his second and third acting nominations from the Academy Awards. Captain Fantastic is probably the film that reflects his life as he plays Ben Cash, an intellectual, left-wing politics-supporting father who chose to live off the grid. If, after seeing the film, you’re asking yourself, “where was Captain Fantastic filmed?” for its gorgeous sceneries, the answer is in Portland, Oregon,

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Viggo Mortensen’s Fantastic Career Outside Of Hollywood

Viggo Mortensen’s Fantastic Career Outside Of Hollywood
Viggo Mortensen with his girlfriend and kids. Source: https://i.pinimg.com

As previously mentioned, Viggo Mortensen has been making different kinds of art besides films. During his lifetime, he has published several poetry books, released several musical albums, and has done visual arts and photography. It looks like his fans can support him in many other ways than just watching and rewatching The Lord of the Rings. Viggo Mortensen’s net worth might not be at the same level as most A-list actors, but it will surely keep growing as he has some projects in the pipe and will soon be released. 

If you’re that kind of fan, who likes seeing what Viggo Mortensen’s normal life looks like, unfortunately, he doesn’t have any kind of social media. At least, that’s what it says in his Twitter account, which his publicists manage. Of course, he is living an off-grid life and enjoying reading books and making art with his family like the Captain Fantastic that he is.

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Leonard

Leonard hails from the Philippines and works as a freelancer, author, poet, and visual artist. He discovered his passion for writing and painting at an early age, leading him to pursue a degree in Mass Communications. He worked at a few places after college before landing what he thought was a "life-changing" writing career. He was also the lead singer and songwriter for a band. His career as an English teacher, poet, and visual artist took him to Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2018. You can see more of his work on Instagram at @anumalei.