Dominic Monaghan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dominic Monaghan
Monaghan in 2025
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 Monaghan is a British-Irish actor, born on December 8, 1976. He is famous for his roles as Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in The Lord of the Rings movies (2001–2003) and as Charlie Pace in the TV show Lost (2004–2010).

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

Early Life and Education

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 with Irish family. His family moved often, living in different cities like Berlin and Düsseldorf.

When he 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. He also attended Aquinas College, where he studied English literature, drama, and geography.

Acting Career Highlights

Even though Monaghan had many jobs when he was younger, he always wanted to be an actor. After his second year at St Anne's, he regularly performed in school plays. He joined the Manchester Youth Theatre, where he was discovered for the TV show Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.

In this show, he played Geoffrey Shawcross, Hetty's young sidekick, for four seasons. Monaghan has said that his co-star, Patricia Routledge, was an "amazing teacher." She taught him many important lessons that helped his acting career. His first feature film was Hostile Waters, where he played a Russian sailor named Sasha.

The Lord of the Rings and Lost

Monaghan became famous around the world for his role as Meriadoc Brandybuck in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He also narrated Ringers: Lord of the Fans, a documentary about fans of The Lord of the Rings.

From 2004 to 2010, he was a main actor in the ABC series Lost. He played Charlie Pace, a former rockstar. Monaghan returned to the show as a special guest after his character's main story ended.

Other Notable Roles

In 2009, Monaghan played Chris Bradley / Bolt in the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He also joined the cast of the science-fiction TV series FlashForward as the character Simon. This show started in September 2009 but was canceled after its first season.

In 2010, Monaghan appeared in a music video for a song by Rihanna and Eminem. He and actress Megan Fox played a couple in the video.

Hosting and Voice Work

In November 2012, a new show called Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan began airing in the United Kingdom. In this documentary, Monaghan travels to different places, like Venezuela and Ecuador. He films and interacts with amazing and sometimes dangerous local wildlife.

Monaghan has also done voice work for video games. He voiced Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King video game. He also voiced William "Will" Joyce in Quantum Break and Jannick Richter in Call of Duty: Vanguard. In 2024, he voiced Hamylton in the animated series Angry Birds Mystery Island.

Recent Projects

Since August 2018, he has starred as a police officer in the Australian TV series Bite Club. This show is filmed in and around Sydney. He was also part of the cast for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), where he played Beaumont Kin. This reunited him with J.J. Abrams, who helped create Lost.

In May 2020, Monaghan joined his Lord of the Rings castmates for a YouTube series called Reunited Apart. This show brings together casts of popular films through video calls and raises money for charities. Monaghan and his castmate Billy Boyd started a podcast called The Friendship Onion. On their podcast, they talk about their experiences filming The Lord of the Rings.

In 2024, Monaghan made his stage debut with Billy Boyd in a Canadian play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Personal Interests

Dominic Monaghan loves nature. He has helped plant trees and cacti, and he even bought a mango-tree forest in India. He has a strong interest in insects and reptiles, which he developed as a child. He has kept many exotic pets, including a leaf-mantis named Gizmo and an albino snake named Blink. A species of spider, Ctenus monaghani, is named after him.

Monaghan 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 often goes to the gym. He has been a fan of Manchester United football club since he was a child.

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

Tattoos and Meanings

Monaghan has several tattoos with special meanings. On his right arm, he has the English word "nine" written in the artificial script of Tengwar. This refers to his role in The Lord of the Rings and that 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.

Below that tattoo, he has "Life imitates art," a quote from Oscar Wilde. On his left arm, he has "Living is easy with eyes closed," 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, he 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, on his lower right arm, reads "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter," a famous quote from Yoda in Star Wars.

Life in Los Angeles

Dominic Monaghan lives in Los Angeles, California. In 2008, he had a photography exhibition in Los Angeles, where he sold his own photos. Some of the money from the exhibition went to an organization that helps orangutans.

He was in a relationship with his Lost co-star Evangeline Lilly from 2004 to 2007. In 2024, Monaghan announced that he had become an Irish citizen.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Music videos

Video games

Audio dramas

See also

In Spanish: Dominic Monaghan para niños