Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American
actor. Making his film debut with a minor part in the
Back to the Future Part II (1989), he landed a succession of subsequent larger roles and became a critically acclaimed child actor by age 13.
After his high-profile role as the
Frodo Baggins in
Peter Jackson's
The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he has resisted
typecasting by choosing varied roles in critically-acclaimed films such as
Bobby,
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,
Sin City,
Green Street and
Everything Is Illuminated. Most recently he starred in the film
Day Zero (2007) and provided the voice of the main character,
Mumble, in the award-winning animated film
Happy Feet. He also played an American tourist turned vampire in
Paris, je t'aime. In 2005, he started his own record label,
Simian Records. His next project is the upcoming
Iggy Pop biopic The Passenger.
In 2006, he became a well-known voice actor in video gaming and would soon become the voice of the video game icon,
Spyro the Dragon, a role he assumed from
Jess Harnell.
In 2008, he set a new world record when he became the first person ever to cross the
Victoria Falls on ropes during an appearance on Jack Osbourne's show
Adrenaline Junkie.
Early life
Wood, the second of three children, was born and raised in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Debra D. (
née Krause) and Warren W. Wood,
delicatessen operators.
[Elijah Wood Biography (1981-)] He is of German, Polish, Irish and English descent. Wood has a seven year older brother, Zachariah "Zach" Wood, and a two year younger sister,
Hannah Wood. At age three, Wood began modeling in his hometown and took piano lessons from Marlene Loftsgaarden in Cedar Rapids. He took to the stage in his elementary school's staging of the play
The Sound of Music. The following year, he graduated to the title character in
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He also served as
choir boy during the production of
See How They Run, produced by the Marion Creative Council.
Career
Early career
Wood modeled and did local commercials before moving with his family to Los Angeles in 1988, where he got his first break, a small role in a video by
Paula Abdul - "
Forever Your Girl," directed by
David Fincher. Film work followed almost instantly in
Back to the Future Part II (1989). It was Wood's role as
Aidan Quinn's son in
Barry Levinson's 1990 film
Avalon (the third film in the Baltimore trilogy containing 1982's
Diner and 1987's
Tin Men) that first gave Wood attention, as the film received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for four Academy Awards.
After a small part in the
Richard Gere movie
Internal Affairs (1990), he secured his first starring role in
Paradise (1991), playing a young boy who brings estranged couple
Melanie Griffith and
Don Johnson back together. He received good reviews for his performance - some said it was one of the best things about the film - and from there, he went on to co-star with
Mel Gibson and
Jamie Lee Curtis in
Forever Young and with
Joseph Mazzello in
Radio Flyer (both were released in 1992).
In 1993, he co-starred with
Macaulay Culkin in
The Good Son, and in the same year he had the lead role in
The Adventures of Huck Finn. In 1994 he starred in
The War (1994), with
Kevin Costner. His performance in this movie gained him a nomination for a 'Young Star Award' (for which he was nominated four times, and won twice), and
Roger Ebert said in his review of the film that:
"Elijah Wood has emerged, I believe, as the most talented actor in his age group, in Hollywood history".
Also in 1994, he had the title role in
North, and also featured in a
Super Bowl commercial for Wavy
Lay's potato chips that has him repeatedly exchanging seats with spectators at a football game (including
Dan Quayle) using its famous slogan.
[www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmftihOXF8s] In 1995 he appeared in the music video for
The Cranberries’ "Ridiculous Thoughts".
The following year he got the lead role in
Flipper (1996), which was not very successful, but the subsequent critical and financial success of
Ang Lee's
The Ice Storm (1997) provided a positive development in the young actor's career. As the soulfully dazed and confused Mikey Carver, Wood gave a portrayal remarkable for its rendering of the thoughtfulness and exquisite hopelessness inherent in the character.
In 1997 he starred in
Oliver Twist, as
The Artful Dodger. 1998's
Deep Impact and
The Faculty did not allow Wood the same degree of character development, but were great financial successes and further stepping stones in Wood's evolution from winsome child star to impressive young actor.
Wood's next role was as the boyfriend of a wannabe hip-hop groupie in
James Toback's
Black and White (1999). He followed this with a role as a junior hitman in
Chain of Fools.
1999–2003: The Lord of the Rings
[
as Frodo.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Wood as Frodo Baggins in [[Peter Jackson]'s film adaptation of
The Lord of the Rings]]
Wood further developed as an actor in
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first installment of director
Peter Jackson's adaptation of
J.R.R. Tolkien's literary trilogy. His most hotly anticipated project, the 2001 film gave Wood top billing as Frodo Baggins, alongside a glittering cast that included
Sir Ian McKellen,
Liv Tyler,
Cate Blanchett,
Christopher Lee,
Sean Bean, and
Viggo Mortensen.
The Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand and, before the cast left the country, Jackson gave Wood two gifts: one of the
One Ring props used on the set and
Sting, Frodo's sword. He was also given a pair of prosthetic "hobbit feet" he wore during filming. That same year, the young actor could be seen in less mystical surroundings, courtesy of Ed Burns'
Ash Wednesday, a crime drama that also featured
Oliver Platt and
Rosario Dawson.
In 2002, Wood lent his voice to
Disney's direct-to-video release of
The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina. Of course, his most substantial role of 2002 is inarguably his return to the role of hobbit Frodo Baggins in
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
2003 proved to be a similar year for Wood; after two relatively small jobs (his role credited as 'The Guy' in
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and his stint as First Assistant Director in
Sean Astin's
The Long and Short of It served purely as a break for Elijah), he starred in
All I Want and once again resumed his role as Frodo Baggins for
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), the last chapter in Tolkien's trilogy.
2004–present: Recent career
Hot on the heels of the trilogy, Wood quickly appeared in his first post-Frodo role in
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), playing an ethically challenged lab technician who helps erase heartbreaking memories but then uses his knowledge of the past relationship of an unknowing former patient (played by
Kate Winslet) to woo her.
[
] in
Sin City]]
Wood's next role was his first villainous role: bespectacled serial killer Kevin in director
Robert Rodriguez and writer-artist
Frank Miller's adaptation of Miller's crime noir comic book series
Sin City (2005), appearing opposite
Mickey Rourke in the segment "
The Hard Goodbye". On May 12, 2005 , Wood hosted a program called
MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed, when the new
Xbox 360 was launched.
Also in 2005, Wood starred in
Everything Is Illuminated, in which he plays a young American
Jewish man on a quest to find the woman who once saved his grandfather during the Second World War, and
Green Street, as an American college student who falls in with a violent English
football firm. Both had limited release, but were critically acclaimed.
Wood shot a small part in
Paris, je t'aime, which consists of eighteen 5-minute sections. Each section is directed by a different director. Wood’s section, called "Quartier de la Madeleine", was directed by
Vincenzo Natali. The film opened on May 18 at
2006 Cannes Film Festival and was shown at
2006 Toronto International Film Festival. First Look Pictures acquired the North American rights, and the film opened in the US in early 2007.
In 2006, he was part of the ensemble cast in
Emilio Estevez's
Bobby, in which his character gets married to change his draft classification.
It premiered at the
Venice Film Festival and was released on November 17, 2006 in New York and Los Angeles. Wide release followed on November 23.
In
Happy Feet,
Wood provided the voice of Mumble, a penguin who can tap dance, but not sing.
Happy Feet was released on November 17, 2006 and has grossed over $380 million dollars worldwide. The movie also received a
Golden Globe Award nomination and won an
Academy Award and a
BAFTA for Best Animated Feature.
Wood has finished filming
Day Zero,
a drama about the
draft, in which he portrays Aaron Feller. The film had its debut at the 2007
Tribeca Film Festival.
On November 19, Wood hosted the special "Saving a Species: The Great Penguin Rescue" for Discovery Kids Channel,
for which he has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the category of acting in a children/youth/family special.
On January 4, 2007 Wood joined
Screen Actors Guild President
Alan Rosenberg to announce the nominees for the 13th Annual
Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Wood also has finished filming
The Oxford Murders, film adaptation of the novel of the
same name by
Guillermo Martínez, in which he plays a
graduate student, who investigates a series of bizarre, mathematically-based murders in
Oxford.
It was released in Spain on January 18, 2008.
Wood also is set to star in
The Passenger, a biopic about singer
Iggy Pop as young man.
He voiced the lead in the animated feature film version of the short film
9.
Other work
In 2005 Wood started his own record label called
Simian Records. On September 19, 2006 Wood announced that
Simian had signed
The Apples in Stereo as their first band, with their new album
New Magnetic Wonder released in February 2007.
In addition he also directed the music video for "Energy".
The other band signed to Simian thus far is
Heloise and the Savoir Faire. Wood declared he is a big fan of these two bands.
Wood has also provided voiceovers for videogames, providing the current voice for
Spyro the Dragon since 2006's
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning,
as well as reprising Mumble in the game version of
Happy Feet.
He also contributed his talents to fellow Lord of the Rings star
Viggo Mortensen's album
Pandemoniumfromamerica, singing and playing various instruments on the album.
Wood has signed to co-produce the film
Black Wings Has My Angel, based on the noir novel of the same name, with Anthony Moody and Rob Malkani of Indalo Productions.
[ ]
On April 11, 2008, Elijah was the guest host of
Channel 4's
Friday Night Project.
On April 25, 2009, Elijah was honored with The Midnight Award (San Francisco International Film Festival) as dynamic young American actor who have made outstanding contributions to independent and Hollywood cinema and who bring striking intelligence, exemplary talent and extraordinary depth of character to his roles.
Elijah Wood also starred in an episode of Yo! Gabba Gabba entitled "Eat" where he danced and "went crazy" alongside the rest of the Yo! Gabba Gabba crew.
Personal life
Wood likes to keep his personal life away from the media spotlight, and is particularly private about his romantic relationships. Elijah has been in a long-term (5 year) relationship with
Pamela Racine from
Gogol Bordello and is frequently photographed with her.
In an interview about
Everything Is Illuminated, director
Liev Schreiber commented that Wood has a "generosity of spirit" and a "sincere goodness as a human being."
He also has supported several campaigns for
charity as
Keep a Child Alive or
ALDO/YouthAIDS In addition to charity work, Wood is a known music buff who admits to owning something in the range of 4,000 CDs, and once cited his favorite band as
Smashing Pumpkins. His personal playlist of favorite songs can be accessed on iTunes.
Wood has a
tattoo of the
Quenya-mode
Tengwar symbol for "nine" just below his waist on the right side, a reference to the fact that his character was one of the nine members of the
Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" got the same tattoo (with the exception of
John Rhys-Davies).
He also received one of the One Ring props from
Peter Jackson.
In May 2006,
Autograph Collector Magazine published its list of 10 Best & 10 Worst Hollywood Signers, Wood was ranked #7 on the list of Best Signers.
Wood has, on occasion, been mistaken for
Tobey Maguire and
Daniel Radcliffe.
Filmography
Films
Television
Music videos
Awards and nominations
Young Star Awards
- 1995 Nominate Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama Film The War 1994
- 1997 Nominated Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film Flipper 1996
- 1998 Won Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama Film Deep Impact 1998
- 1998 Won Best Performance by a Young in a Miniseries/Made for TV Movies Oliver Twist 1997
Young Hollywood Awards
- 2002 Won Hottest, Coolest Young Veteran - Male N/A
Young Artist Awards
- 1991 Nominated Best Young Actor Starring in a TV Movie, Pilot or Special Child in the Night 1990
- 1991 Nominated Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture Avalon 1990
- 1992 Nominated Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture Paradise 1991
- 1993 Won Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture Radio Flyer 1992
- 1995 Nominated Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture North 1994
- 1997 Nominated Best Performance in a Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor Homicide: Life on the Street 1993
- 1998 Nominated Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor The Ice Storm 1997
Visual Effects Society Awards
- 2003 Won Best Performance by an Actor in an Effect Film Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002
Teen Choice Awards
- 2002 Nominated Film - Choice Actor, Drama/Action Adventure FOTR 2001
- 2003 Nominated Choice Movie Actor - Drama/Action Adventure TTT 2002
- 2004 Nominated Choice Movie Actor - Drama/Action Adventure ROTK 2003
- 2005 Nominated Choice Movie Bad Guy Sin City 2005
ShoWest Convention USA
- 1994 Won Young Star of the Year
Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 2002 Nominated Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture FOTR 2001
- 2003 Nominated Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture TTT 2002
- 2004 Won Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture ROTK 2003
- 2007 Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Bobby 2006
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
- 2002 Won Best Ensemble Acting FOTR 2001
- 2003 Won Best Ensemble Acting TTT 2002
- 2004 Nominated Best Ensemble Acting ROTK 2003
Online Film Critics Society Awards
- 2003 Won Best Ensemble ROTK 2003
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
- 1999 Nominated Favorite Actor - Horror The Faculty 1998
- 1999 Nominated Favorite Supporting Actor - Sci-Fi Deep Impact 1998
National Board of Review USA
- 2003 Won Best Acting by an Ensemble ROTK 2003
MTV Movie Awards
- 2002 Nominated Best On-Screen Team FOTR 2001
- 2003 Won Best On-Screen Team TTT 2003
Kids' Choice Awards
- 2002 Nominated Favorite Male Butt Kicker FOTR
- 2003 Nominated Favorite Male Kicker TTT
Empire Awards UK
DVD Exclusive Awards
- 2003 Nominated Best Animated Character Performance The Adventures of Tom Thumb & Thumbelina 2002
- 2003 Nominated Best Audio Commentary, New Release FOTR
- 2003 Nominated Best Audio Commentary (New For DVD) TTT
Broadcast Film Critics Awards
- 2004 Won Best Acting Ensemble ROTK
- 1999 Nominated Favorite Actor - Horror The Faculty 1998
- 1999 Nominated Favorite Supporting Actor - Sci-Fi- Deep Impact 1998
Saturn Award
- 1994 Won Best Performance by a Young Actor The Good Son 1993
- 1995 Nominated Best Performance by a Younger Actor North 1994
- 2003 Nominated Best Performance by a Younger Actor TTT
- 2004 Won Best Actor ROTK
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
- 2004 Won Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Male ROTK
Hollywood Film Festival
- 2006 Won Best Ensemble Cast for Bobby
Daytime Emmy Awards
- 2007 Nominated Outstanding Performer In A Children/Youth/Family Special - Saving a Species: The Great Penguin Rescue 2006
San Francisco International Film Festival
- 2009 Won The Midnight Award as dynamic young American actor who bring striking intelligence, exemplary talent and extraordinary depth of character to his roles.
Further reading
- Sibley, Brian. The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. ISBN 0-618-15402-7.
