While Star Trek and Star Wars dominated science-fiction franchises in outer space, the fantasy world had yet to develop on-screen in the way these two franchises had. In the 70s, Warner Bros Studios released an animated version of the fantasy novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings. Actors like John Hurt and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO in Star Wars) voiced iconic characters like Aragorn and Legolas. But the novel is so vast that the animated feature was just the beginning. A long-time fan of the novel, Peter Jackson dreamed of seeing a live-action film only to be hired as the director for the trilogy in 2000.
Between 2001 and 2004, Jackson directed The Lord of the Rings trilogy based on the novels by Tolkien. According to No Film School, the process to adapt the novel into a trilogy was treacherous. From the beginning, Jackson and his team wanted to mimic the book’s three-part sequence into a three-part film despite the studio initially wanting only one film. Up until this point, franchises like Indiana Jones and Star Wars had been successful at the box office, so studios were not ready to take this risk. But Jackson and his production team eventually received their greenlight to make the trilogy. Soon, actors like Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, and Cate Blanchett were on board for the trilogy. Their performances, along with their co-stars, are what made the trilogy so wonderful. Here’s how the performances in the Lord of the Rings trilogy rank.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
15 Brad Dourif
New Line Cinema
The character Wormtongue, portrayed by Brad Dourif, is just as slimy as he sounds. His purpose is to poison the mind of the king of Rohan. Dourif’s performance as one of the many villains of the trilogy is brief but eerie. In The Two Towers, Wormtongue slithers around the castle casting shadows and doubt over Théoden. He even lurks and lingers around the king’s niece, Éowyn, sending chills down anyone’s spine.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
14 Viggo Mortensen
Aragorn is the prodigal son of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He has a claim to the throne of Gondor and, should he claim the throne, he will bring peace to all of Middle Earth. Though, for much of the trilogy, Aragorn goes by his chosen name, Strider. In the novel, Aragorn is a warrior first and a leader second, which Viggo Mortensen takes seriously in the films. His portrayal of a confident warrior and a struggling leader merges in Return of the King when Aragorn fulfills his destiny.
13 Elijah Wood
Even though Elijah Wood hadn’t finished reading the book, as he told Esquire, his portrayal of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is nothing short of brilliant. In the book, Frodo is much older when he embarks on his journey to destroy the one ring. Wood’s portrayal of the hobbit is deeply emotional. His performance is captivating, especially in The Two Towers, where he is caught between trusting Gollum and Sam once they are separated from the Fellowship.
12 Dominic Monaghan
Meriadoc Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) is the cousin of Frodo and best friends with Pippin. He’s not a complete troublemaker, but he does begin as one. Monaghan portrays this prankster-to-warrior of a hobbit exceptionally well in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Meriadoc, or Merry, joins Frodo and Sam on their journey, but is captured by Orcs. After his escape, he chooses to fight and, with the help of Éowyn, he helps to defeat Sauron’s army at Gondor. In fact, the scene where Merry is attempting to wield a sword truly encapsulates Monaghan’s performance.
11 Hugo Weaving
The multi-franchise king of Hollywood may be done with the Lord of the Rings franchise — as he told Variety in 20202 — but Hugo Weaving’s performance as Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell in the trilogy is spectacular. Elrond is a staunch ruler and protector of the Elves and the power of the ring. Though he may want a particular path for his daughter, he comes from a place of love. A scene that epitomizes Weaving’s performance is when he recalls the ring falling into the hands of men.
10 Ian Holm
The character who starts the entire journey is Bilbo Baggins. While the younger version of Bilbo is portrayed by Martin Freeman in The Hobbit tirlogy, the older is portrayed by Ian Holm. Bilbo is featured at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring and the end of Return of the King. Yet Holm gives audiences two memorable scenes. The first is at his birthday party, delivering a hilarious speech, picked right from the book. But the second scene, where he becomes angry with Frodo at Rivendell, sends chills up anyone’s spine.
9 John Rhys-Davies
Another multi-franchise king in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is John Rhys-Davies, who portrays a Dwarf of the House of Durin. Gimli is stubborn, but will protect those he swears to protect, even an Elf. Rhys-Davies was a gift to the franchise, especially when Gimli was rejoicing at reuniting with his family in the Mines of Moria. The passion behind his speech was matched by the sorrowful actualization of his entire family being slaughtered.
8 Billy Boyd
Peregrin “Pippin” Took is another cousin of Frodo’s and the Shire’s master prankster. He isn’t the brightest Took of the Shire, but he has the biggest heart. When Pippin is asked by Gandalf to keep an eye on Denethor, he sings a song for the nobleman. According to Geeks of Doom, actor Billy Boyd sings the song entitled “The Edge of Night.” Boyd also gives a brilliant performance of Pippin being possessed by Sauron in The Two Towers.
7 John Noble
John Noble portrays the vile Steward of Gondor, Denethor II, who refuses to surrender the throne of Gondor to Aragorn. Because of his pride, he refuses to accept that his second son, Faramir, is still alive. He chooses to cremate himself and Faramir against Pippin’s protests. While Noble’s performance of the vile Steward is award-worthy, the epitome of vileness is in this scene.
6 Andy Serkis
Warner Bros. Pictures
Gollum is a hobbit who becomes physically and mentally corrupted by the ring. Andy Serkis, who portrays the creature, told The Guardian that his scenes were filmed separately while other actors acted alongside a tennis ball on a stick. Since Gollum is so consequential to Frodo’s journey, so many scenes showcase Serkis’ acting skills. In a scene from The Fellowship of the Ring, Gollum speaks to himself in a haunting performance from the actor.
5 Ian McKellen
Yet another multi-franchise king, Ian McKellen portrayed Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White, who is the resurrected form of the Grey. As the wizard who arrives precisely when he intends, Gandalf took a particular interest in hobbits and was a designated protector of Frodo. McKellen’s performance is summarized by his commanding voice in The Two Towers when he casts out the evil that took hold of King Théoden of Rohan.
4 Christopher Lee
The late Christopher Lee was a long-time fan of the Tolkien books, and when he was cast as Saruman, he had some peculiar advice for the director regarding stabbings, as seen on YouTube. Saruman is the most enlightened wizard, but falls prey to Sauron’s lies. Lee’s performance as the turned wizard is nothing short of horrifying, especially when overlooking the orcs he is creating for Sauron.
3 Sean Astin
The bravest of hobbits, Samwise “Sam” Gamgee is portrayed by Sean Astin. Of all the hobbits, Sam has the largest arc as he begins as a timid friend, but grows into the fiercest protector of Frodo. Aside from the “po-ta-toes” scene in The Fellowship of the Ring, Astin brings passion and determination when battling the giant spider before carrying Frodo to Mount Doom in The Return of the King.
2 Miranda Otto
Éowyn is the niece of King Théoden of Rohan, though she is far from a princess. Of the few women in the trilogy, Miranda Otto carries the weight of princess-turned-warrior. When Gondor needs protecting, she disguises herself and Pippin to fight against Sauron’s army. Not only does she defeat a Nazgûl single-handedly, her “I am no man” delivery is one of the top cinematic moments in history.
1 Cate Blanchett
Galadriel is an elf entrusted with one of the nine rings. Portrayed by Cate Blanchett, the Lady of the Woods makes a few appearances in the trilogy. In true Blanchett fashion, the scene in The Fellowship of the Ring with Frodo at her Mirror is thrilling. Her presence as a prophetess, foreseeing her future as the wielder of the one ring scratches the surface of her acting prowess.
