Elijah Wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elijah Wood
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Wood in 2025
|
|
| Born |
Elijah Jordan Wood
January 28, 1981 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
|
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
|
Works
|
Full list |
| Partner(s) | Mette-Marie Kongsved |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Elijah Wood, born on January 28, 1981, is an American actor and producer. He started acting at a young age, making his film debut in Back to the Future Part II in 1989 when he was eight years old. He became well-known in the early 1990s as a child actor. Some of his early movies include Avalon (1990), Forever Young (1992), and The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993).
As a teenager, Elijah Wood appeared in films like North (1994), The War (1994), and Deep Impact (1998). He gained worldwide fame in the early 2000s for playing the hobbit Frodo Baggins. This role was in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003). These movies were based on the classic fantasy novels by J. R. R. Tolkien.
As an adult, Wood has acted in many different films. These include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017). He has also lent his voice to animated projects. You might recognize his voice from Happy Feet (2006) and Over the Garden Wall (2014). On television, he starred in the series Wilfred (2011–2014) and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016–2017).
Beyond acting, Elijah Wood started a record label called Simian Records in 2005. He also co-founded a film production company, now called SpectreVision, which focuses on horror films. He is also a disc jockey and has performed around the world with his friend Zach Cowie as the duo Wooden Wisdom.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Elijah Wood was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on January 28, 1981. His parents, Debbie and Warren Wood, ran a delicatessen. He has an older brother, Zachariah, and a younger sister, Hannah. Elijah was raised in the Catholic faith.
When he was seven, Wood started modeling and taking piano lessons. In elementary school, he performed in plays like The Sound of Music. He also played the main character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In 1989, his family moved to Los Angeles. This move allowed him to pursue an acting career. His parents later divorced when he was 15.
Acting Career Highlights
Early Roles in the 1990s
Elijah Wood began his career by modeling and appearing in local commercials. His first appearance was in a music video for Paula Abdul's song "Forever Your Girl". He then had a role in the TV movie Child in the Night. He also had a small part in Back to the Future Part II. In this film, he played a boy from the future.
His role as Aidan Quinn's son in Avalon brought him professional attention. This movie was highly praised and nominated for four Academy Awards. He then appeared in Internal Affairs and Paradise. In 1992, Wood co-starred with Mel Gibson in Forever Young. He also appeared with Joseph Mazzello in Radio Flyer.
In 1993, Wood played Huck Finn in Disney's movie The Adventures of Huck Finn. He also co-starred with Macaulay Culkin in the movie The Good Son. The next year, he starred in The War with Kevin Costner. Critics praised Wood's performance in this film. Film critic Roger Ebert called him "the most talented actor, in his age group, in Hollywood history."
Wood played the main role in the film North (1994) alongside Bruce Willis. He also appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for Lay's potato chips. In 1995, he was in The Cranberries' music video for "Ridiculous Thoughts". He then played the lead in Flipper. He also co-starred in Ang Lee's acclaimed film The Ice Storm. In 1997, Wood played Jack "The Artful Dodger" Dawkins in a TV movie of Oliver Twist. The following year, he had big roles in Deep Impact and The Faculty.
Becoming Frodo Baggins: The Lord of the Rings
Elijah Wood took on the role of Frodo Baggins in 2001. This was for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was the first movie in Peter Jackson's film series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's famous novels. Wood was a big fan of The Hobbit. He sent in an audition tape where he dressed as Frodo and read lines from the book. He was chosen from 150 actors and was the first actor cast for the trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed in New Zealand. The main filming took over a year. Additional filming continued each year for four more years. When filming ended, Peter Jackson gave Wood two special gifts. One was a prop of the One Ring used on set. The other was Sting, Frodo's sword. He also received a pair of the special "hobbit feet" worn during filming.
In 2002, Wood voiced a character in the movie The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina. Later that year, the second Lord of the Rings film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, was released. In 2003, Wood starred in All I Want. He also made a brief appearance as 'The Guy' in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. The final Rings movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, came out in December 2003.
Roles After Lord of the Rings
After the huge success of Lord of the Rings, Wood's next role was in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). He played Patrick, a lab technician. The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He then played Kevin in Sin City (2005). This movie was based on a comic book series. Wood's audition for this role involved only staring at the camera.
On May 12, 2005, Wood hosted an MTV special. It was called MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed. This show was for the launch of the Xbox 360 video game console.
In Everything Is Illuminated (2005), Wood played a young Jewish-American man. His character searched for the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II. This film was based on a novel. In Green Street (also 2005), he played an American college student. Both films had limited releases but were praised by critics.
Wood had a small part in Paris, je t'aime (2006). This film has 18 short sections, each by a different director. Wood's section was called "Quartier de la Madeleine". The film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
In George Miller's animated musical Happy Feet (2006), Wood voiced Mumble. Mumble is a penguin who can tap dance but cannot sing. Happy Feet earned over $380 million worldwide. It won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Wood voiced Mumble again in the sequel, Happy Feet Two (2011).
Also in 2006, he was part of the cast of Bobby. This drama was about the hours before Robert F. Kennedy's shooting in 1968. In the film, Wood's character marries Lindsay Lohan's character. This was to avoid being drafted for the Vietnam War. Bobby was shown at the Venice Film Festival. Wood and his co-stars were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Later that year, Wood hosted a TV special called Saving a Species: The Great Penguin Rescue. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his work on this children's program. Wood has also voiced characters in video games. He was the voice of Spyro the Dragon in The Legend of Spyro game trilogy (2006–2008). He also voiced Mumble in the Happy Feet video game.
On January 4, 2007, Wood helped announce the nominees for the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Later that year, he starred in Day Zero. This drama was about conscription in the United States. In The Oxford Murders (2008), Wood played a student. He investigates strange, math-based murders in Oxford. The next year, he voiced the lead in the animated film 9. This movie was produced by Tim Burton.
Wood's first main TV role was in the FX series Wilfred. He played Ryan Newman, a troubled young man. He forms a unique friendship with his neighbor's dog, Wilfred. The show lasted four seasons, ending in August 2014. Wood was nominated for a Satellite Award for his role.
In January 2011, Wood confirmed he would play Frodo Baggins again. This was for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It was the first film in The Hobbit trilogy, also directed by Peter Jackson. The movie was released in 2012 and earned over $1 billion worldwide.
Wood appeared in the Beastie Boys' 2011 music video for "Make Some Noise." He also starred in the Flying Lotus music video "Tiny Tortures." In 2012, Wood had a supporting role in Celeste and Jesse Forever. He also starred in the horror film Maniac. Most of Maniac was filmed from Wood's character's point of view.
Wood played the main role in the 2013 thriller Grand Piano. He voiced Shay in the adventure game Broken Age. He won an award for his performance in this game. Next, Wood voiced Wirt in Cartoon Network's animated miniseries Over the Garden Wall. This series won three Primetime Emmy Awards in 2015. He then had roles in The Last Witch Hunter (2015) with Vin Diesel. He also appeared in The Trust (2016) with Nicolas Cage. In 2017, he starred in I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore with Melanie Lynskey. This film won a top prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
From 2016 to 2017, Wood co-starred with Samuel Barnett in the BBC America series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Wood also voiced Nick Johnsmith / Gristol Malik in the video game Psychonauts 2.
In 2019, Wood starred in the black comedy thriller Come to Daddy. He played the musician Norval Greenwood. In 2021, he starred as Special Agent Bill Hagmaier in No Man of God. He also helped produce this crime mystery film. In 2023, Wood played Fritz Garbinger in the superhero comedy horror movie The Toxic Avenger.
Other Activities and Interests
.jpg)
Elijah Wood has appeared in several music videos. These include "Ridiculous Thoughts" by The Cranberries and "Make Some Noise" by the Beastie Boys.
On April 11, 2008, Wood was a guest host on Channel 4's Friday Night Project. In April 2009, he received the Midnight Award. This award was from the San Francisco International Film Festival. It recognized his great contributions to both independent and Hollywood films.
Wood is also a well-known disc jockey. He and his friend Zach Cowie formed a duo called Wooden Wisdom. They have performed at events around the world.
In May 2020, Wood joined a YouTube series called Reunited Apart. He reunited with other cast members from The Lord of the Rings films. This series brings together casts of popular movies through video calls. It also encourages donations to non-profit charities.
Business Ventures
In 2005, Elijah Wood started his own record label. It was called Simian Records. In September 2006, Simian Records signed The Apples in Stereo. Their album New Magnetic Wonder was released in February 2007. Wood also directed the band's music video for "Energy" in 2007.
In 2010, Wood, along with Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller, founded a production company. It was named The Woodshed. This company focuses on making horror films. In 2013, the company changed its name to SpectreVision.
Personal Life
Elijah Wood and his partner, Mette-Marie Kongsved, have two children. They have a son, born in 2019, and a daughter, born in 2022.
Wood has a tattoo of the Elvish word "nine" on his right side. It is written in Tengwar, a special script from Tolkien's world. This tattoo represents his character as one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.
In April 2010, Wood visited Curepto, a town in Chile. This town was badly hit by a large earthquake in February 2010. He visited many victims and was joined by the First Lady of Chile, Cecilia Morel.
Wood participated in the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement. He also supported Bernie Sanders during the 2016 presidential election.
Filmography and Awards
See also
In Spanish: Elijah Wood para niños
