Elijah Wood

Celebrity

  • Birth Name: Elijah Jordan Wood
  • Birth Place: Cedar Rapids, IA
  • Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 01/28/1981, Aquarius
  • Profession: Actor; model
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In many ways, Wood's travels through the wilds of Hollywood mirror the journey of his seminal character, Frodo Baggins, the little hobbit that could in The Lord of the Rings. Prior to winning the part, he was a well-respected juvenile player, known for his versatility, energy and large expressive eyes. But like Frodo, once the LOTR saga wrapped, Wood had passed into manhood, successfully making the treacherous leap from child star to adult actor. After launching his career at age 9 with small parts in Back to the Future II and Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" video, he soon began landing more substantial feature-film roles, notably his turn as a young Jewish boy growing up in the '40s in Barry Levinson's autobiographically inspired 1990 film Avalon. He consistently earned good reviews and quickly became a standout child actor. Toward the end of the '90s, he took on more mature roles, and his former cuddly cuteness transformed into a more ambiguous and intense on-screen persona, which he used particularly well as a disgruntled and doomed teen in the lauded indie The Ice Storm. But it was the LOTR trilogy that turned him into an internationally recognized celebrity. As the keeper of the powerful titular ring, Wood delivered an emotional performance in each of the three blockbusters, and while his costars may have had the flashier roles, he was the saga's heart and soul. Now a full-fledged adult star with a wide choice of projects, the savvy actor carefully avoids being pigeonholed by eschewing typically bland leading roles in favor of eccentric supporting parts in eclectic films, including turns as a love-crazed stalker in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and a silent but deadly cannibal in Sin City.Elijah Wood Fast Facts:
  • Appeared in 1989's Back to the Future II as a video-game kid.
  • Played a student in Paula Abdul's 1989 music video for "Forever Your Girl."
  • Collects Star Wars memorabilia and visited the set of  Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones while filming The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
  • Got a matching tattoo with his fellow LOTR actors to commemorate their friendship and work on the movies.
  • Founded his own record label, Simian Records, in 2005.
  • In 2008, became the first person to cross the Victoria Falls in southern Africa by rope.
  • Elijah Wood Relationships:
  • Debbie Wood - Mother
  • Franka Potente - Ex-significant Other
  • Hannah Wood - Sister
  • Warren Wood - Father
  • Zachariah Wood - Brother
  • Pamela Racine - Significant Other
  • Elijah Wood Awards:
  • 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Nominee
  • 2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Winner
  • 2002 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Nominee
  • 2001 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Nominee
  • The Wire "I just started watching. It's a show that I have been told by so many of my friends is the greatest television show of all time. I'm about four episodes in. It's great. The characters are already so solid."
  • Flight of the Conchords "I was a huge fan. That show was incredible. Those guys are so funny."
  • Breaking Bad "I think it is arguably the best show on television. It just blows my mind. It gets better and better with each season too. The stakes are so high on that show. The first episode of each season, you're like" How can they carry on with the season? It's already so intense!"
  • Louie "I love Louis' show. I think it may be the best comedy on TV."
  • Game of Thrones "I wasn't familiar with the books at all, but my brother has read a number of them and said it was going to be amazing. It totally blew my mind."
  • The Killing "I absolutely loved it. AMC just continues to kill with their shows."
red carpet recap, riley keough, elijah wood Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com
elijah wood, robin williams Theo Wargo/WireImage.com
liev schreiber, elijah wood  John Sciulli/WireImage.com
liev schreiber, elijah wood, eugene hutz Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com
david bowie, Scarlett Johansson, Elijah Wood Lester Cohen/WireImage.com
Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com
more Elijah Wood photos (40 total photos)

Elijah Wood: Watchlist

The Wire
"I just started watching. It's a show that I have been told by so many of my friends is the greatest television show of all time. I'm about four episodes in. It's great. The characters are already so solid."

See all shows on Elijah Wood 's Watchlist »

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