They say good things come to those who wait and when we say they we mean everyone who worked with Viggo Mortensen in the 90s.
The now Oscar-nominated actor spent years plugging away before he struck gold when Stuart Townsend was abruptly fired from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and was cast as Aragorn transforming him into a huge star.
But we're not here to tell you what you already know. So here are the seven films you probably didn't know he was in.
(Images: All Star, YouTube)
Witness
Year: 1985
A late starter, at least compared to his peers, it wasn't until the age of 27 that Mortensen nabbed his first movie role. But, despite the fact that he was starring alongside Harrison Ford in one of the biggest films of the decade, no one really remembers him. In all fairness, he doesn't get to do an awful lot...
Crimson Tide
Year: 1995
A film that was ultimately about the battle between two characters, played by Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, it's not easy to remember anything about the rest of the cast, let alone an unknown not-so-young buck like Viggo Mortensen. Although the film also starred James Gandolfini, Steve Zahn and Ryan Phillippe, in his big screen debut.
Young Guns II: Blaze of Glory
Year: 1990
What with the young buzzy cast taking all of the attention (Christian Slater, Emilio Estevez, Keifer Sutherland), there wasn't much space for anyone else. Especially an unknown like Mortensen, who was actually older than all of the four guns...
Carlito's Way
Year: 1993
Cropping up as a wheelchair-bound old friend of Al Pacino, Mortensen mastered the role of "seedy rat in a bad suit" that turns up so frequently in the gangster movie genre. But he was still eight years away from gaining fame in the LOTR trilogy.
Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
Year: 1990
Not one his proudest moments (we imagine), this rather large role in a failed attempt to revive the Chainsaw franchise at least gave him more screen time than he'd previously been used to. Interestingly, awful Leatherface sequels have proved to be a hotbed for talent, with Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation starring both Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.
Daylight
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Year: 1996
Back when the disaster movie was making a comeback in the 90s (see also: Dante's Peak, Deep Impact and Twister), Mortensen snagged himself a decent-sized role in this Stallone Vs blocked tunnel drama. The film was a disappointment at the US box office but made back its money overseas. P.S. we miss disaster movies.
The Portrait Of A Lady
Year: 1996
So it turns out that Mortensen was working pretty damn hard in the 90s and in the same year as both Daylight and Kevin Spacey's Albino Alligator, he also starred alongside Nicole Kidman in this Henry James adaptation.
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