See the Cast of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Then and Now

Middle-earth beckons again in the lush, epic and impressively expensive Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, so it's time to see where the cast of the O.G. trilogy is now.

By Natalie Finn Sep 01, 2022 5:00 PMTags

For two decades, there was one trilogy to rule them all.

But now, prequel series are all the rage and, starting Sept. 1, Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be unpacking the goings-on in Middle-earth that preceded the epic events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by thousands of years. (Which theoretically should quash any clamor for Walter White-style cameos in the new series, but probably won't—Gandalf the Gray is more than 2,000 years old, after all, and elves are immortal.)

With Prime Video already committed to five seasons, The Rings of Power—which expands upon Tolkien's copious footnotes within the pages of LOTR—is poised to be the most expensive TV show ever made. "They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas—this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle and end," co-creator J.D. Payne told Empire. "There are things in the first season that don't pay off until season five."

So, feel free to get attached.

photos
Renewed and Canceled TV Shows 2022 Guide

Meanwhile, though Peter Jackson's LOTR films were as lavish and technologically advanced as moviemaking could get at the time, the first installment of the trilogy, LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring is somehow now 21 years old (we blame the dark magic of Sauron). It was followed by The Two Towers in 2002 and The Return of the King in 2003, the mission rewarded at the end with 11 Oscars, including Best Picture.

And while Tolkienites will just have to overlook Jackson's lack of involvement in the new series—the Oscar winner says he was approached, promised a couple of scripts to look over and then never heard from the production again—it's never a bad time to pay homage to the stunning trilogy that started it all.

No disrespect, of course, to the three films that Jackson subsequently squeezed out of the much shorter Tolkien novel The Hobbit. They also made almost $3 billion. But you never forget your first cinematic foray into Middle-earth.

New Line/Saul Zaentz/Wing Nut/Kobal/Shutterstock

And not least because it was packed with stars. So before you delve back into the all-consuming world of elves, mystical islands, dark lords and fearsomely powerful jewelry, see what the impressive ensemble who populated Jackson's original films are up to now:

Elijah Wood

The teen star of NorthThe Ice Storm and The Faculty rang in his 20s as Frodo Baggins, the unassuming hobbit tasked with trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Easier said than done!

While he may never outrun his hobbit past, Wood remains a busy, adventurous actor, with credits including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindSin CityEverything Is IlluminatedHappy Feet, 9, the FX series WilfredDirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and Drunk History.

It was reported in February 2019 that Wood had welcomed his first child with girlfriend Mette-Marie Kongsved

Sean Astin

The former child actor known for The GooniesEncino Man and Rudy kept the whole LOTR mission on track as the sensible, brave and, above all, loyal Samwise Ganges.

And Astin has continued to show up, in recent years on The Big Bang TheoryBrooklyn Nine-NineStranger Things (RIP superhero Bob) and Young Rock, plus he voiced Raphael on the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and he'll be on the second season of HBO's Perry Mason.

Astin has three daughters—Alexandra (who played Sam's child Elanor in LOTR), Elizabeth and Isabella—with wife Christine Harrell.

Ian McKellen

The international treasure, fresh from an Oscar nomination for 1998's Gods and Monsters, was busy playing Magneto in the X-Men movies as well as Gandalf in LOTR. He won a SAG Award (and was nominated for another Oscar) for supporting actor in Fellowship of the Ring.

McKellen has done a host of Broadway since, including King Lear, The Seagull and (with BFF Patrick StewartWaiting for Godot, co-starred with Derek Jacobi as one-half of a bickering longtime couple in the U.K. series Vicious, reprised the roles of Gandalf in The Hobbit trilogy and Magneto in more X-Men movies, portrayed a bee-keeping Sherlock in Mr. Holmes and donned whiskers for Cats.

Andy Serkis

The English actor secured his place in the motion-capture hall of fame for his haunting turn as Gollum, but it turned out he was adept at all kinds of acting (though he also memorably played creatures in King-Kong and the Planet of the Apes franchise).

A sampling from the past decade: Serkis returned to Middle-earth for The Hobbit films, joined the MCU in The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther, played Snoke in the most recent Star Wars trilogy and was a more layered Alfred in The Batman. He also directed Venom: Let There Be Carnage and is attached to make the next film in the franchise, as well as direct an adaptation of Animal Farm.

Serkis is dad to three child actors, Ruby, Sonny and Louis, with wife Lorraine Ashbourne.

Orlando Bloom

It was obvious that the English actor who could make long platinum hair and pointy ears sexy had a certain je nais se quois.

After his breakout turn as Elven sharpshooter Legolas, Bloom went on to starring roles in TroyKingdom of HeavenElizabethtown, a few Pirates of the Caribbean films and more. Most recently he voiced Prince Harry in the HBO Max animated series The Prince and his Prime Video noir fantasy Carnival Row has been renewed for a second season.

Bloom is dad to daughter Daisy with fiancée Katy Perry and son Flynn with ex-wife Miranda Kerr.

Viggo Mortensen

Though a veteran actor by the time he joined the Fellowship, playing the gallant Aragorn—who ends up king of Gondor and Arnor and happily married to Arwen—set Mortensen on a whole new course starring in films that reflected his very particular artistic sensibilities. 

He went on to critically acclaimed performances in A History of ViolenceEastern PromisesA Dangerous MethodCaptain Fantastick and Green Book, and he's a three-time Oscar nominee.

Mortensen, who has dual American and Danish citizenship, is dad to son Henry with ex-wife Exene Cervenka. Now he splits his time between the U.S. and Spain with longtime actress girlfriend Ariadna Gil.

Liv Tyler

The 1990s It Girl and daughter of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler starred in all three films as Aragorn's half-elven true love Arwen. After choosing the mortal route in Return of the King, Tyler starred in a number of indie films, as well as big-budget fare like The Incredible Hulk (pre-Mark Ruffalo but still part of the MCU). She played Brad Pitt's earthbound estranged wife in 2019's Ad Astra and appeared on the first season of 9-1-1: Lone Star, ultimately exiting due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tyler is mom to son Sailor Gene and daughter Lula Rose with partner Dave Gardner.

Miranda Otto

Since playing heroic noblewoman Éowyn in The Two Towers and The Fellowship of the King, the Australian actress has done a variety of movies and TV, from War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise to Homeland and 24: Legacy. Otto stars next in the Disney+ series The Clearing, inspired by the true-life tale of The Family, a '60s-era New Age group in Australia that believed their yoga teacher was Jesus reincarnated. (So things got real culty, real fast.)

Otto has a daughter with Peter O'Brien, her husband since 2003.

Christopher Lee

The esteemed British actor, known for his run as Dracula in seven Hammer Horror productions and cult-classics such as the original Wicker Man, won over a new legion of fans as the power-corrupted wizard Saruman. In his later years, Lee also appeared in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, as well as several Tim Burton films and Martin Scorsese's Hugo.

His final film released in his lifetime before his death at 93 in 2015 was The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, reprising the role of Saruman in Jackson's LOTR prequel trilogy.

Hugo Weaving

Arwen's dad, Elrond, wasn't crazy about his daughter settling down with a mere mortal, but he ultimately gave his blessing.

Weaving, who was also double-franchise-dipping as Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy, remains a prolific actor who you've seen (or heard) in V for VendettaCaptain AmericaTransformersHappy Feet, Cloud AtlasHacksaw RidgeMortal EnginesPatrick Melrose and a number of Australian productions, the English actor having lived Down Under for years.

He and longtime partner Katrina Greenwood are parents to son Harry (who acts under the last name Greenwood) and daughter Holly.

Ian Holm

'Twas Holm as Bilbo Baggins who set Frodo off on the whole darn adventure when he should have been safe in the Shire enjoying second breakfast. 

The classically trained Tony and BAFTA winner was prolific before LOTR and remained busy afterward, reprising the role of elder Bilbo to Martin Freeman's young Bilbo in The Hobbit trilogy but also appearing in films as varied as The Day After TomorrowGarden State, The AviatorLord of War and Ratatouille, voicing Chef Skinner. 

A father of five, Holm died in 2020 at the age of 88.

Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd

We never liked the idea of separating bestest friends Merry and Pippin then and we won't do it now.

Since their heroic acts as members of the Fellowship, Monaghan most notably played Charlie on Lost (and dated co-star Evangeline Lily for several years), hosted the BBC America show Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan and was in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, while Boyd was in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and fronted the band Beecake. The Scottish musician also performed the song "Edge of Night," from Return of the King, and "The Last Goodbye," which plays over the credits of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Boyd has a son, Jack, with wife Alison McKinnon—Monaghan and Wood were among the guests at their 2010 wedding.

Better yet, Boyd and Monaghan have remained close pals and they're co-hosts of the podcast The Friendship Onion.

Cate Blanchett

Let's just say, the Australian actress who played Elven royal Galadriel has made good: Two Oscar wins (supporting actress for The Aviator in 2005 and best actress for Blue Jasmine in 2014) out of seven total nominations and standout turns in so many movies, including 2022 Best Picture nominees Nightmare Alley and Don't Look Up. Blanchett was also nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of conservative crusader Phyllis Schlafly in the 2020 limited series Mrs. America.

She has been married to playwright Andrew Upton since 1997 and they're parents to sons DashiellRoman and Ignatius and daughter Edith.

Marton Csokas

After his turn as Galadriel's husband Celeborn, the busy New Zealander was in films such as The Bourne SupremacyKingdom of HeavenÆon FluxThe Amazing Spider-Man 2Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and The Last Duel. He starred in the 2020 Starz limited series The Luminaries, an 1860s mystery set in his home country. Next, he'll be appearing with former co-star Hugo's niece Samara Weaving in the period drama Chevalier.

Bret McKenzie

The New Zealander and Flight of the Conchords co-founder made his film debut as one of the Elves of Rivendell in The Fellowship of the Ring, with fans ultimately bestowing the otherwise unnamed character with the moniker Figwit—an acronym for "Frodo is great...Who is that?" (Even the lore has lore in LOTR). He was such a popular addition to the ensemble, he appeared in Return of the King as well, and played a different elf, Lindir, in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Outside of Middle-earth, McKenzie teamed with Flight of the Conchords mate Jemaine Clement on their still-touring musical-comedy duo's eponymous HBO series, won an Oscar for Best Original Song for "Man or Muppet" from 2011's The Muppet Movie, and had three children with wife Hannah Clarke.

John Rhys-Davies

The CGI was working overtime on the 6-foot-1 actor, who played dwarf warrior and Fellowship member Gimli, but it was Rhys-Davies' comic delivery that made him a fan favorite. The Welshman, a 1980 Emmy nominee for Shogun and a star of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (and The Last Crusade), has been busy ever since LOTR, mostly in U.K. productions but also in the likes of the American fairy-tale series Once Upon a Time and Aquaman.

He has two children from his marriage to Suzanne Wilkinson, his wife of 43 years until her death in 2010. 

Sean Bean

Already a superstar in his native England and an accomplished movie villain in the likes of Patriot Games and Goldeneye, Bean broke hearts as the noble (then compromised, then noble again) Fellowship member Boromir, who ultimately falls in battle in Return of the King.

Which was good practice for breaking hearts as Ned Stark in Game of Thrones.

Bean's been in dozens of other films, from National Treasure and Troy to Mirror Mirror and The Martian, and he was most recently on the TNT adaptation of Snowpiercer and the BBC dramas Time and Marriage.

He's been married to fifth wife Ashley Moore since 2017 and has three children from two of his previous unions.

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh

Both hailing from New Zealand, the longtime partners in work and life each won three Oscars for LOTR: The Return of the King, sharing Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, while Jackson won Best Director and Walsh co-wrote the Best Original Song, "Into the West."

Walsh has collaborated with Jackson on all of his films since 1989's Meet the Feebles, and after wrapping their first triumphant trilogy, they've since made King KongThe Lovely Bones and three Hobbit films together. Jackson became a first-time Emmy nominee in 2022 for producing and directing the epic docuseries The Beatles: Get Back.

He and Walsh are also parents to son Billy and daughter Katie.

The first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power starts streaming Thursday, Sept. 1, at 9 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video.

Get the drama behind the scenes. Sign up for TV Scoop!