Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in para ...

Radio Flyer Radio Flyer is an American toy company best known for their popular red toy wagon. Radio Flyer also produces scooters, tricycles, bicycles, horses, and ride-ons. The company was founded in 1917 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. History Antonio ...

The Adventures of Huck Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

The Ice Storm ''The Ice Storm'' is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life.Deep Impact'' (1998), and '' The Faculty'' (1998). Following the success of ''The Lord of the Rings'', Wood has appeared in a wide range of films, including '' Spy Kids 3D: Game Over'' (2003)'',

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (also simply known as ''Eternal Sunshine'') is a 2004 American romantic science fiction drama film written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Michel Gondry, and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Pi ...

'' (2004), '' Sin City'' (2005), '' Green Street'' (2005), '' Everything Is Illuminated'' (2005), '' Paris, je t'aime'' (2006), '' Bobby'' (2006), '' Celeste and Jesse Forever'' (2012), ''

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * '' ...

'' (2012), ''

Grand Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

'',''

Cooties Cooties is a fictitious childhood disease, commonly represented as childlore. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines as a rejection term and an infection tag game (such as Humans vs. Zombies). I ...

'', '' The Last Witch Hunter'' (2015), '' The Trust'' (2016), ''

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore ''I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore'' (often stylized ''I don't feel at home in this world anymore.'') is a 2017 American comedy thriller film written and directed by Macon Blair in his directorial debut. It stars Melanie Lynskey, Elijah ...

'' (2017), and '' Come to Daddy'' (2019). Wood's voice roles include Mumble in the '' Happy Feet'' film franchise (2006-2011), the title protagonist in '' 9'' (2009),

Spyro the Dragon ''Spyro the Dragon'' is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation on September 9, 1998. The first game in the ''Spyro'' series, it stars the title character, a young purple ...

in the ''Legend of Spyro'' video game trilogy (2006–2008), Beck on Disney XD's '' Tron: Uprising'' (2012–2013), and Wirt in the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

miniseries ''

Over the Garden Wall ''Over the Garden Wall'' is an American animated television miniseries created by Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network. The series centers on two half-brothers who travel across a mysterious forest to find their way home, encountering a variet ...

'' (2014). He also played Ryan Newman on the FX dark comedy series '' Wilfred'' (2011–2014), for which he received a Satellite Award nomination for

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

, and Todd Brotzman in the BBC America series '' Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'' (2016–2017). Wood founded the record label

Simian Records Simian Records was a record label founded by actor Elijah Wood in 2005 and incorporated in the state of California on May 10, 2007. The label's first album, '' New Magnetic Wonder'' by The Apples in Stereo, was released on February 6, 2007. It w ...

in 2005, which was dissolved in 2015. He founded the film production company SpectreVision in 2010.

Early life

Wood was born in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

, on January 28, 1981, the second of three children born to Debbie (''née'' Krause) and Warren Wood, who operated a delicatessen together. He is of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, Danish, Irish, and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ancestry, and was raised Catholic. He has an older brother named Zachariah and a younger sister named Hannah. At age seven, he began modeling and taking piano lessons in his hometown. In elementary school, he appeared in ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'' and played the title character in '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''. He also served as a choirboy in a production of '' See How They Run''. His parents sold their delicatessen in 1989 and the family, without his father, moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in order for Wood to pursue an acting career. His parents divorced when he was 15.

Career

1988–1998: Early work

Wood modeled and appeared in local commercials. He got his first break in the music video for

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...

's "

Forever Your Girl ''Forever Your Girl'' is the debut studio album by American singer Paula Abdul. It was released on June 21, 1988, through Virgin Records. The album was Abdul's breakthrough into the music industry after being a choreographer for high-profile art ...

," directed by

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. F ...

. This was followed by a pivotal role in the made-for-TV film, ''

Child in the Night ''Child in the Night'' is a 1990 American television film broadcast during the 1990 May sweeps. It aired on the CBS Network before a subsequent release to home video and syndication. The psychological thriller stars JoBeth Williams as a child p ...

,'' and a minor role in '' Back to the Future Part II''. Nine-year-old Wood auditioned for a role in '' Kindergarten Cop'', but was told by director Ivan Reitman that his performance was not believable, which Wood later said was "a harsh thing to say to a nine-year-old." Playing Aidan Quinn's son in '' Avalon'' garnered professional attention for Wood; the film received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for four Academy Awards. A small part in Richard Gere's '' Internal Affairs'' was followed by the role of a boy who brings estranged couple

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s. Born in Manhattan, New York City, ...

and Don Johnson back together in ''

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in para ...

'' (1991). In 1992, Wood co-starred with

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

and Jamie Lee Curtis in '' Forever Young'', and with Joseph Mazzello in ''

Radio Flyer Radio Flyer is an American toy company best known for their popular red toy wagon. Radio Flyer also produces scooters, tricycles, bicycles, horses, and ride-ons. The company was founded in 1917 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. History Antonio ...

''. In 1993, Wood played the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's adaptation of

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has pr ...

's novel, ''

The Adventures of Huck Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

'', and co-starred with

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...

in the psychological thriller '' The Good Son''. The following year, he starred in '' The War'', alongside

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

's review of the film praised Wood highly, stating that Wood "has emerged, I believe, as the most talented actor, in his age group, in Hollywood history." Wood's title role–opposite Bruce Willis–in the

Robert Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performan ...

film ''

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

'' (1994) was followed by a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...

commercial for

Lay's Lay's is a brand of potato chips, as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in the United States. The brand is also referred to as Frito-Lay because both Lay's and Fritos are brands sold by the Frito-Lay company, which ha ...

"Wavy" potato chips (with

Dan Quayle James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Quayle served as a U.S. ...

). In 1995, Wood appeared in the music video for The Cranberries' "

Ridiculous Thoughts "Ridiculous Thoughts" is a song by The Cranberries, released as the fourth single from their second studio album '' No Need to Argue''. In North America, it was the third single of the album, as "I Can't Be with You" was released only in Fall 199 ...

," played the lead role in '' Flipper'', and co-starred in

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...

's critically acclaimed ''

The Ice Storm ''The Ice Storm'' is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life.Jack "The Artful Dodger" Dawkins in a made-for-TV adaptation of ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'', alongside

Richard Dreyfuss Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including '' American Graffiti'' (1973), ''Jaws'' (1975), '' Close Encounters of the ...

. The following year, he had a leading role in the sci-fi

disaster film A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, military/ terrorist attacks or global catastrophes s ...

'' Deep Impact,'' and a starring role in '' The Faculty'', directed by Robert Rodriguez. In 1999, Wood played a suburban white teenager who affects hip-hop lingo in James Toback's ''

Black and White Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

'', and a junior hitman in '' Chain of Fools''.

1999–2003: ''The Lord of the Rings''

Wood played Frodo Baggins in the 2001 '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'', the first instalment of

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's multi-volume novel; he was the first actor to be cast. This gave Wood top billing, alongside a cast that included

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

, Liv Tyler,

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series '' The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), '' The Two Towers'' (2002), ...

,

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received n ...

,

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...

, Miranda Otto, Sean Bean, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan,

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...

, and John Rhys-Davies. The '' Lord of the Rings'' trilogy was filmed in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

, in a process taking more than one year for principal photography alone, with pick-up shots annually for the next four years. Before the cast left the country, Jackson gave Wood two gifts: one of the

One Ring The One Ring, also called the Ruling Ring and Isildur's Bane, is a central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1954–55). It first appeared in the earlier story ''The Hobbit'' (1937) as a magic ring that grants the ...

props used on the set and

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

, Frodo's sword. He was also given a pair of prosthetic " hobbit feet" of the type worn during filming. In 2002, Wood lent his voice to the DTV release of ''

The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina ''The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina'' is a 2002 American animated fantasy film directed by Glenn Chaika and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Elijah Wood, Peter Gallagher, and Jon Stewart. Produced by Miramax Films and Hyperion Animation, t ...

''. Later that year, the second part of Peter Jackson's trilogy was released, titled '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'', in which Wood had a reduced role from the first movie. In 2003, Wood starred in the DTV film '' All I Want'' and also cameoed as 'The Guy' in '' Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over''. The concluding chapter of the ''Rings'' trilogy, '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' was released that December.

2004–present

Wood's first role following his ''Lord of the Rings'' success was in ''

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (also simply known as ''Eternal Sunshine'') is a 2004 American romantic science fiction drama film written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Michel Gondry, and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Pi ...

'' (2004), in which he played Patrick, an unscrupulous lab technician who pursues

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, inc ...

. The film received the

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with th ...

in 2005. He next played the serial killer Kevin in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series, '' Sin City'' (2005). On May 12, 2005, Wood hosted ''MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed'' for the launch of the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

games console. In '' Everything Is Illuminated'' (2005), Wood starred as a young Jewish-American man on a quest to find the woman who saved his grandfather during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It was based on the novel of the same name by

Jonathan Safran Foer Jonathan Safran Foer (; born February 21, 1977) is an American novelist. He is known for his novels '' Everything Is Illuminated'' (2002), '' Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' (2005), '' Here I Am'' (2016), and for his non-fiction works ''Eati ...

. In '' Green Street'' (also 2005), he played an American college student who joins a violent British

football firm Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...

. Both had limited release but were critically acclaimed. Wood shot a small part in '' Paris, je t'aime'' (2006), which consists of 18 five-minute sections, each directed by a different director. Wood's section, called "Quartier de la Madeleine", was directed by

Vincenzo Natali Vincenzo Natali (born 1969) is an American-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, known for writing and directing science fiction and horror films such as '' Cube'', ''Cypher'', '' Nothing'', and '' Splice''. Early life and education Nat ...

. The film played at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

and the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

. In George Miller's animated

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

'' Happy Feet'' (2006), Wood provided the voice of Mumble, a penguin who can tap dance, but not sing. ''Happy Feet'' grossed over $380 million worldwide, and received both the

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...

and the

BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film This is a list of the winners and nominees of the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film. Winners and nominees 2000s 2010s 2020s See also * Academy Award for Best Animated Feature * Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film * Annie Award ...

. Wood reprised his role for the film's sequel, '' Happy Feet Two'' (2011). Elijah Wood by Gage Skidmore

Also in 2006, he was part of the ensemble cast of Emilio Estevez's drama '' Bobby'', a fictionalized account of the hours leading up to the June 5, 1968, shooting of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. In the film, Wood marries

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...

's character in order to avoid being drafted for the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. ''Bobby'' screened in competition at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

. Wood, along with his co-stars, received a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Later that year, Wood hosted the television special ''Saving a Species: The Great Penguin Rescue'' for Discovery Kids; he received a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming. That same year, it was announced that Wood was set to star in '' The Passenger'', a biographical film about singer

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

. However, the project failed to come to fruition after years in development. On January 4, 2007, Wood joined

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...

president

Alan Rosenberg Alan Rosenberg (born October 4, 1950) is an American actor. Rosenberg is perhaps best known for his character Eli Levinson which appeared in both the series ''Civil Wars'' and the popular ''L.A. Law''. From 2005 to 2009, he was president of the S ...

in a live telecast to announce the nominees for the 13th Annual

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

. Later that year, he starred in '' Day Zero'', a drama about conscription in the United States, which had its debut at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

. In '' The Oxford Murders'' (2008), a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Guillermo Martínez, Wood played a

graduate student Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and s ...

who investigates a series of bizarre, mathematically based murders in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. The following year, he voiced the lead in the animated feature film '' 9'', which was produced by

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

.

Wood's first starring television role came in the FX series, '' Wilfred,'' where he played Ryan Newman. The pilot was shot in the summer of 2010, and the series lasted four seasons, with the final episode airing in the U.S. on August 13, 2014. For his role, Wood received a nomination for the

Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy The Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy is one of the annual Satellite Awards given by the International Press Academy The International Press Academy (IPA) is an American association of professional ente ...

in 2011. In January 2011, it was confirmed that Wood had signed on to reprise the role of Frodo Baggins in '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'', the first film of the ''Hobbit'' trilogy, directed again by

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

. The film was released the following year and grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Also in 2011, Wood featured in the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...

' music video for " Make Some Noise," along with Seth Rogen and Danny McBride. He then starred in the Flying Lotus music video "Tiny Tortures," where he played a recent amputee coming to grips with his new situation. The

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...

video was described as "menacing and magical." In 2012, Wood had a supporting role in the romantic comedy '' Celeste and Jesse Forever'', and starred in the horror film ''

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * '' ...

'', for which he received the

Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Actor The following is a list of Fangoria Chainsaw Award winners for Best Actor. It is awarded annually to an actor for his work in a horror or thriller film. Winners and nominees 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s References External links Website { ...

. In 2013, Wood played the leading role in the

Hitchcockian Hitchcockian films are those made by various filmmakers, with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock. Characteristics Elements considered Hitchcockian include: *Climactic plot twist. *The cool platinum blonde. *The presence ...

suspense thriller ''

Grand Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

''. Next he provided the voice of main character Wirt in

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

's animated miniseries ''

Over the Garden Wall ''Over the Garden Wall'' is an American animated television miniseries created by Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network. The series centers on two half-brothers who travel across a mysterious forest to find their way home, encountering a variet ...

''. The series collected three

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

in 2015, including Outstanding Animated Program. This was followed by prominent roles in films '' The Last Witch Hunter'' (2015), opposite Vin Diesel; '' The Trust'' (2016), opposite Nicolas Cage; and ''

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore ''I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore'' (often stylized ''I don't feel at home in this world anymore.'') is a 2017 American comedy thriller film written and directed by Macon Blair in his directorial debut. It stars Melanie Lynskey, Elijah ...

'' (2017), opposite Melanie Lynskey. The latter film was awarded the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pla ...

in January 2017. From 2016 to 2017, Wood co-starred with Samuel Barnett as Todd Brotzman in the BBC America series '' Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency''. It was announced in December 2017 that the show had not been renewed for a third season.

Other work

100 primeros días de la Primera Dama (4711296401)

Elijah Wood appears in The Cranberries' music video for "

Ridiculous Thoughts "Ridiculous Thoughts" is a song by The Cranberries, released as the fourth single from their second studio album '' No Need to Argue''. In North America, it was the third single of the album, as "I Can't Be with You" was released only in Fall 199 ...

" and in Danko Jones' three-piece series: "Full of Regret," "Had Enough," and "I Think Bad Thoughts." He also appears in the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...

music video " Make Some Noise." In 2005, Wood started his own record label called

Simian Records Simian Records was a record label founded by actor Elijah Wood in 2005 and incorporated in the state of California on May 10, 2007. The label's first album, '' New Magnetic Wonder'' by The Apples in Stereo, was released on February 6, 2007. It w ...

. 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 ''New Magnetic Wonder'' is the sixth studio album from The Apples in Stereo. The album was produced by Robert Schneider with additional production and mixing by Bryce Goggin ( Pavement, Evan Dando, Sean Lennon) and was recorded in four separate ...

'' released in February 2007. In addition, he also directed the music video for "Energy." Wood has also provided voiceovers for video games, including the voice of

Spyro the Dragon ''Spyro the Dragon'' is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation on September 9, 1998. The first game in the ''Spyro'' series, it stars the title character, a young purple ...

in the ''Legend of Spyro'' game trilogy, as well as reprising Mumble in the game version of '' Happy Feet''. On April 11, 2008, Wood was the guest host of

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

's '' Friday Night Project''. On April 25, 2009, Wood was honored with the Midnight Award by the San Francisco International Film Festival as an American actor who "has made outstanding contributions to independent and Hollywood cinema, and who brings striking intelligence, exemplary talent and extraordinary depth of character to his roles." In addition to producing and acting, Wood has become a well-known disc jockey. Together with his friend Zach Cowie, they formed Wooden Wisdom and have toured around the world. They have spun at events such as the Bushmills Live 2012 festival at the

Old Bushmills Distillery The Old Bushmills Distillery is an alcohol (primarily Irish whiskey) distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, owned by Casa Cuervo. Bushmills Distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the R ...

, the opening of the Brickell City Centre and at the pre-Emmy party at The London West Hollywood hotel. Wood signed up to co-produce and also star in 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. Wood, alongside Tom Hiddleston and Anna Paquin, was set start shooting in late 2012, but the production of the movie was delayed. In 2010, Wood, together with Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller, founded The Woodshed, a production company that promotes horror films. In 2013, the company was re-branded as SpectreVision. Wood voiced Shay, one of two main characters in the adventure game '' Broken Age'', for which he received the 2014 ''Performance in a Comedy, Lead'' award from National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR). Wood together with Sean Astin, Sean Bean,

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series '' The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), '' The Two Towers'' (2002), ...

, Billy Boyd,

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

, Dominic Monaghan,

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...

, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Karl Urban, plus writer

Philippa Boyens Philippa Jane Boyens (born 1962) is a New Zealand screenwriter and film producer who co-wrote the screenplay for Peter Jackson's films ''The Lord of the Rings'' series, ''King Kong'', ''The Lovely Bones'', and the three-part film '' The H ...

and director

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

on May 31, 2020, joined Josh Gad's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

series ''Reunited Apart'' which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing, and promotes donations to non-profit charities. Wood also provided the voice of Nick Johnsmith / Gristol Malik in ''

Psychonauts 2 ''Psychonauts 2'' is a platform game developed by Double Fine and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game was announced at The Game Awards 2015 ceremony, and released on August 25, 2021 for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, ...

''.

Personal life

Wood has a tattoo of the number nine written in the

Sindarin Sindarin is one of the fictional languages devised by J. R. R. Tolkien for use in his fantasy stories set in Arda, primarily in Middle-earth. Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the Elves. The word is a Quenya word. Called in E ...

language, which uses the

Tengwar The Tengwar script is an artificial script, one of several scripts created by J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of ''The Lord of the Rings''. Within the fictional context of Middle-earth, the Tengwar were invented by the Elf Fëanor, and use ...

script, and in the English language (rather than

Quenya Quenya ()Tolkien wrote in his "Outline of Phonology" (in '' Parma Eldalamberon'' 19, p. 74) dedicated to the phonology of Quenya: is "a sound as in English ''new''". In Quenya is a combination of consonants, ibidem., p. 81. is a constructed l ...

as is widely believed) below his waist on the right side. It refers to his character as one of the Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" got the same tattoo, with the exception of John Rhys-Davies, whose stunt double got the tattoo instead. In May 2006, Wood was ranked at No. 7 on '' Autograph Collector Magazine'' list of the "10 Best Hollywood Autograph Signers." On April 23, 2010, in a charitable gesture, Wood visited the Chilean town of Curepto, one of the hardest hit by the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on February 27, 2010. He made personal visits to many of the victims and was accompanied by the First Lady of Chile,

Cecilia Morel María Cecilia Morel Montes (born 14 January 1954) is the wife of the former President of Chile Sebastián Piñera, and as such is the former First Lady of Chile. Morel was also the Director of the Sociocultural Area of the Presidency during bot ...

. Wood was an active supporter of

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...

during the 2016 presidential election. In 2019, Wood and Danish film producer Mette-Marie Kongsved had their first child together, a boy.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Elijah 1981 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from Cedar Rapids, Iowa American expatriate actors in New Zealand American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American music industry executives American people of Austrian descent American people of Danish descent American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent Living people Male actors from Iowa Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners

Early life

Career

1988–1998: Early work

1999–2003: ''The Lord of the Rings''

2004–present

Other work

Personal life

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links