Dominic Monaghan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Monaghan in 2009
Born	Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (1976-12-08) 8 December 1976 (age 48) West Berlin, West Germany
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1994–present
Partner(s)	Evangeline Lilly (2004–2007)

Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British-Irish actor. He is famous for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies (2001–2003). He also played Charlie Pace in the TV show Lost (2004–2010).

Dominic first became known as Geoffrey in the TV show Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996–1998). His first movie role was in Hostile Waters (1997). He also appeared in the superhero movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) as Chris Bradley. Later, he played Beaumont Kin in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). He even hosted a nature show called Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan (2012–2016).

Growing Up: Dominic Monaghan's Early Life

Dominic Monaghan was born in West Berlin, West Germany. His parents were British. His mother, Maureen, was a nurse, and his father, Austin, was a science teacher of Irish background. Dominic has an older brother named Matthew, who is also a science teacher and a musician.

His family moved around a lot in Germany, living in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, and Münster. When Dominic was about 11 years old, his family moved to Heaton Moor in Stockport, England. In Stockport, he went to St Anne's Roman Catholic High School and Aquinas College. There, he studied English literature, drama, and geography.

Dominic Monaghan's Acting Journey

Even though Dominic had many jobs when he was younger, he always dreamed of being an actor. After his second year at St Anne's, he started acting in school plays. Some of these plays included Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol.

He then joined the Manchester Youth Theatre. This is where he was discovered for the TV show Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. In this show, he played Geoffrey Shawcross, a young helper to the main character, Hetty. He acted in four seasons of the show. Dominic has said that his co-star, Patricia Routledge, was an "amazing teacher" who taught him important lessons about acting.

Becoming a Star: Lord of the Rings and Lost

Dominic Monaghan later starred in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy as Meriadoc Brandybuck, also known as Merry. This role made him famous all over the world. He also narrated Ringers: Lord of the Fans, a documentary about The Lord of the Rings fans. In 2008, he narrated Devil's Bible for The Discovery Channel.

He also played Charlie Pace in the popular TV show Lost. Interestingly, the role of Charlie was changed to fit Dominic's age. He returned to Lost as a special guest star after his character's main storyline ended.

Other Exciting Roles and Shows

In 2009, Dominic Monaghan appeared as Chris Bradley / Bolt in the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He also joined the TV show FlashForward as a character named Simon. The show started in 2009 but ended after its first season.

In 2010, Dominic was in the music video for Rihanna and Eminem's song "Love the Way You Lie". He played the boyfriend in the video.

From 2012 to 2016, Dominic hosted a show called Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan on Channel 5 in the UK. In this documentary series, Dominic traveled to places like Venezuela and Ecuador. He filmed and interacted with amazing and sometimes dangerous local wildlife.

Dominic is also a fan of football (soccer). He writes articles about Premier League football for Paste magazine.

He reunited with J.J. Abrams, who co-created Lost, for the movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. In this film, he played a character named Beaumont Kin.

In 2020, Dominic joined his Lord of the Rings castmates for a special online reunion. This was for Josh Gad's YouTube series Reunited Apart. Dominic and his castmate Billy Boyd also started a podcast called The Friendship Onion. On their podcast, they talk about their time filming The Lord of the Rings.

In 2024, Dominic made his stage debut. He performed in the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead with his Lord of the Rings friend, Billy Boyd.

Dominic Monaghan's Personal Interests

Dominic Monaghan loves nature. He has helped plant trees and cacti. He even bought a mango-tree forest in India! He has a big love for insects and reptiles, which started when he was a child. He has kept many interesting pets, like a leaf-mantis named Gizmo and an albino snake named Blink. There's even a type of spider named after him, called Ctenus monaghani.

Dominic enjoys outdoor activities like surfing, kayaking, snowboarding, football, basketball, and hiking. He also likes to search for insects and reptiles outdoors. He learned karate as a child and enjoys going to the gym. He has been a big fan of Manchester United football club since he was a kid.

He loves playing all kinds of games and has hosted game nights for his friends. He also enjoys The New York Times crossword puzzle. He plays the video game League of Legends with his Lord of the Rings co-star, Billy Boyd. Dominic can speak German fluently.

Dominic's Tattoos

Dominic has several interesting tattoos. On his right arm, he has the English word "nine" written in Tengwar, which is a special writing style. This tattoo is a reminder of his role in The Lord of the Rings. His character was one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring. Seven other cast members and a stunt double also got matching tattoos because Dominic suggested it.

Below that tattoo, he has another one that says, "Life imitates art." This is a quote from the writer Oscar Wilde. On his left arm, he has a tattoo that reads, "Living is easy with eyes closed." This is a line from The Beatles' song "Strawberry Fields Forever". He also has two stars on his left foot, one black and one white.

In 2010, Dominic got two more tattoos. One on his upper back says, "Love you take is equal to the love you make," from The Beatles' song "The End." The other tattoo, done by Kat Von D on the TV show LA Ink, is on his lower right arm. It says, "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter," which is a famous quote from Yoda in Star Wars.

Dominic lives in Los Angeles, California. In 2008, he had a photo exhibition in Los Angeles. He sold his own photographs, and some of the money went to an organization that helps orangutans.

In 2024, Dominic announced that he had become a citizen of Ireland.

Dominic Monaghan's Work

Film

Television

Theatre

Music videos

Video games

Audio dramas

See also

In Spanish: Dominic Monaghan para niños