Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood's Biography

Elijah Wood became a star already as a child, but he does not stop at the achieved but aspires to reach new heights. Elijah does not accept offers he does not find interesting and believes that his main success is yet to come.

Pictured: Elijah Wood

Childhood

Elijah was born on the 18th of January 1981 in a picturesque town of Cedar Rapids, the very heart of Iowa. He is the second child born to Debbie and Warren and has two siblings. Since early childhood, the boy has exhibited creative potential, learned how to play the piano, and sing.

Elijah Wood in his childhood

When Elijah turned seven, his mother took him to Avant Studios, a talent agency, and soon enough she was already accompanying him to the Young Actors Conference, where the boy was noticed by Gary Scalzo, a jury member who would eventually become Elijah’s manager. According to Scalzo himself, one could not take their eyes off adorable Elijah, who captivated the attention of everyone at the conference.

Elijah Wood in his childhood and now

Having signed the contract with Elijah’s manager, the family relocated to Los Angeles, where the young boy started to shoot commercials and study acting. In 1989 he appeared in Paula Abdul's hit music video Forever Your Girl, authored and directed by David Fincher himself.

The start of the creative career

Since his first roles, no one ever doubted that the boy with ruthless hair would be a future star. His first role was in a small episode of the sequel to the beloved fantasy comedy Back to the Future.

A scene from Back to the Future

In 1990 Elijah appeared in the historical picture Avalon, portraying Jules’s son (played by legendary Aidan Quinn), and was immediately nominated for the Young Artists Awards.

Elijah appeared in the historic picture Avalon

In the following two years the boy participated in several movies, the most notable of which were Paradise, Radio Flyer, and, of course, Disney’s classic The Adventures of Huck Finn. In the latter, Elijah acted together with Ron Perlman and Robbie Coltrane. Although the boy was just 12, he excelled in his first lead.

The thriller The Good Son, which premiered in 1993, impressed the audience by the combination of a sophisticated plot and the acting of two young actors: Elijah portraying Mark, a boy wise beyond his years, and Macaulay Culkin as Henry, a nice sweet-faced boy with sadistic tendencies.

Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood

In 1994 Elijah got the lead in a family movie North. A kind cautionary tale, where Wood co-starred with Bruce Willis, was equally well-received by adults, as well as children.

Elijah Wood and Bruce Willis

In 1995 Elijah Wood took part in the filming of the Cranberries' music video for their song Ridiculous Thoughts. He played the role of a lonely and somewhat lost young man, who has nothing but the music in his earbuds.

The Cranberries – Ridiculous Thoughts

1997 was marked by such performances as the role of Jack Dawkins in Oliver Twist and Mikey in the drama The Ice Storm.

A scene from Oliver Twist

In 1998 another two films premiered featuring the young star. The thriller with a touch of fantasy Deep Impact, where Elijah played the role of Leo, who heroically saves his love and her brother from inevitable death, and a detective/comedy/drama The Faculty. In these movies, the actor collaborated with Josh Hartnett, Famke Janssen, and Sigourney Weaver. Both pictures are considered iconic in the career of the actor, having cemented his fame. However, the real success was still ahead.

The Lord of the Rings

In 2000 Peter Jackson conceived to film the sagas of the Middle Earth. In the legendary Lord of the Rings, the young man portrayed brave Frodo, which brought worldwide fame upon him.

Elijah Wood as Frodo

Interestingly, no one invited Elijah to audition for the picture. The actor heard that Jackson was starting to work on the casting, filmed a couple of scenes from the book, and sent them to the director. In the end, Peter Jackson, who had been considering Jake Gyllenhaal for the role of the head hobbit, gave the role to Elijah. Later the director would on multiple occasions confirm that he was very content with his choice and could not see anyone else as Frodo.

After the end of shooting, each actor could keep a souvenir from the set, and Elijah chose one of the two rings, with Andy Sirkis taking the second one.

After the end of The Lord of the Rings, Elijah received the ring as a souvenir

But this is not the only memory Elijah got to keep from the set: he also got the number nine in Elvish tattoed on his hip.

For his role in the legendary trilogy, Elijah was nominated for all the prestigious movie awards but only received the Empire.

It is just the beginning

After the astounding success of the Lord of the Rings, many critics forecasted that Elijah will remain hostage to his role as a good guy – just like the character of Frodo. But Wood did not agree to take on similar roles.

The critics predicted that Elijah will forever play good guys in his movies

In a span of several years, Elijah’s filmography expanded to include such notable performances as the role of Patrick in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Kevin in Sin City. An unbelievably violent and realistic story (2005) of an American student, finding himself among the British ultras, took its place among Elijah’s performances. His portrayal of an ex-student Matt Buckner in Hooligans put a sharp end to any speculations about him remaining an eternal Hobbit. In Hooligans, Elijah worked together with Charlie Hunnam and magnificent Leo Gregory.

Hooligans - Trailer

The 2008 crime thriller The Oxford Murders became a true gift to the actor's fans. In the picture, he appeared together with legendary John Hurt and Dominique Pinon. The role of Martin, an Oxford student, helping to investigate a series of murders in Britain's most famous university, brought him the fame of an intellectual. Later Elijah would prove time and again that he can master any role, including the most unimaginable ones.

The Oxford Murders - Trailer

2012 saw the horror Maniac, a remake of a 1980’s classic American slasher, become a sensation. The hellish atmosphere is how critics described the picture. A disgusting maniac, collecting human scalps, seemed all the more disgusting portrayed by sweet-faced Elijah.

A scene from the movie Maniac

A dark, depressing picture, filmed in keeping with the best noir traditions, barely became anyone's favorite movie, but it demonstrated the height of Elijah's talent that would remain unreachable for many actors forever.

Maniac - Trailer

2013 saw the premiere of the film, where Wood again portrayed a maniac. However, as opposed to the 2012 slasher, this role was better received by the audience. The picture Pawn Shop Chronicles consists of several separate stories, coming together. In this solid dark comedy from Wayne Kramer, the actor played a maniac: a sophisticated and intelligent young man, seemingly incapable of keeping women as slaves and from whom, to the horror of the audience, the women do not seek an escape.

2013 was also the year of the premiere of a vivid thriller with an unexpected ending Grand Piano where Elijah's piano skills came in handy. In this movie, the actor worked with John Cusack and Allen Leech.

From the set of Grand Piano

From his 2014-2016 works, the most notable are his roles as a movie star in the fantasy thriller The Last Witch Hunter and in the breathtaking film The Trust.

The Trust - Trailer

In 2017 the actor starred in a touching comedy I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. A slightly crazy guy from the house next door, whose name you never bothered to remember and who is always ready to help – Elijah looked just as natural in this role as he does in all others. The movie was well-received by the viewers due to its touching atmosphere, perfectly conveyed by Elijah Wood and his shooting partner Melanie Lynskey.

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore - Trailer

The actor's own company Spectre Vision and a game developer Ubisoft are working on a new game, scheduled to be released at the end of 2018. Fall 2018 saw the premiere of the thriller Mandy with the famous Nicolas Cage. Elijah Wood produced the picture. In an interview he gave after the screening he said that he intends to switch to production, but quickly assured his fans that he is not going to quit acting. He also shared his dream to appear in a movie by Lars von Trier.

Elijah Wood and Nicolas Cage

Elijah Wood's Personal Life

The actor is not among those who like to brag about their personal life. He does not like talking about his romances and avoids mentioning any names. Elijah is known to have dated Bijou Phillips and then Franka Potente. Before 2010 he had a 5-year relationship with Pamela Racine.

Elijah Wood and Pamela Racine

Since 2016 the actor has been dating Mette-Marie Kongsved, a producer. In 2019, the couple had a child.

Elijah Wood and Mette-Marie Kongsved

Elijah Wood now

In 2019, the movie "The Color Out of Space" was released with the participation of Elijah Wood based on the story of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. The plot of the film tells about the terrible events that happened to the family of American farmers after a mysterious meteorite fell near their house. In 2020, the thriller "Come to Daddy" premiered, in which Elijah played the role of Norwell.

Teresa Schultz

It seems to me that the stigma of the hobbit has laid down on Elijah forever :) And simply - a teenage child. not an adult. Basically like Radcliffe

2021-05-06 22:36:50
Annette Bell

I haven`t seen Elijah Wood for a long time :) Wood baby disappeared somewhere :)

2021-03-14 13:45:20
Aiden Mason Kelly

Elijah, by the way, is a very good dramatic actor. His roles are basically the same. In the Overlord, he is by far the best.

2021-03-08 18:21:55
Heather Nelson

I remember the surprise when I took him away in a different role in the movie Green Street Hooligans. After that I began to look at him differently.

2021-03-01 08:42:07
Gregory Lambert

Elijah is forever remembered from the Lord of the Rings films. Better than him, no one would definitely have coped with this role.

2021-02-26 18:08:31