Viggo Mortenson’s most famous movie role, by far, is the heroic Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings films, and his son, Henry Mortenson, even appeared in two separate cameos. Throughout Peter Jackson’s award-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, Aragorn, from the race of Men, is one of Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) companions who embarks on the perilous quest to destroy the One Ring in Mordor. Though lives are lost along the way, Frodo and co. are successful on their mission, and Aragorn in particular gets a happily ever after, marrying Arwen (Liv Tyler) and becoming King of Gondor.

Henry Mortensen was born on January 28, 1988, to father Viggo and mother Exene Cervenka, who is best known for singing in the California punk rock band, X. As a young boy, Henry had a few small parts in movies, playing “Homeless Child” in Floundering (1994) and Darin Hayes in Blue Tiger (also 1994). He even played Viggo’s on-screen son, Henry Ince, in 1995’s Crimson Tide. However, these roles likely pale in comparison when it comes to appearing in the epic Lord of the Rings movies, even for a couple of short cameos.

Henry Mortenson Played A Rohan Boy Recruit & An Orc In The Lord Of The Rings Franchise

His Uncredited Appearances Were In The Second & Third LOTR Films

Viggo Mortensen was a hero in front of and behind the camera in Lord of the Rings, as the modest actor famously repaired his own Aragorn costume during filming. However, he was an even bigger hero to his son, Henry Mortensen, for getting him not one but two cameos in the Lord of the Rings movies.

Henry Mortensen’s Lord of the Rings Cameos

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Rohan Boy Recruit

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Pelennor Orce

Henry’s first LOTR appearance was in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, in which he played a young Rohan recruit, helping to prepare for the Battle of Helm’s Deep. This is a pivotal battle in Lord of the Rings, in which the Rohan army decimates Saruman’s forces.

Henry was also granted the opportunity to play a Pelennor Orc in the Best Picture-winning Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Though it was an uncredited role, it’s very likely that the young Henry had the time of his life dressing up as a mythical creature in the fantastical world of Lord of the Rings.

Henry Mortenson Convinced His Father Viggo To Play Aragorn

Viggo Had Never Read Lord Of The Rings & Didn’t Know Who Aragorn Was

Henry Mortensen’s contributions to the Lord of the Rings movies weren’t his small cameos, however. Had it not been for him, his father Viggo very well may have not taken on the role of Aragorn. It’s been well-documented that Stuart Townsend was originally cast to play Aragorn, though Jackson believed he was too young for the role. When Viggo Mortensen was approached, he was initially skeptical about taking on the role.

Several other actors were approached to play Aragorn , including Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Crowe, and Nicolas Cag, who all turn the role down.

In a 2019 appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, Viggo said, “I’m a slow starter, and I’m very aware you have to be talked into most roles… … I hadn’t read the books, and I was a last-minute replacement. They were already filming.” However, an 11-year-old Henry knew exactly who Aragorn was, and was thrilled that he was the character his dad was up for. Viggo said,

They were already filming, and my son said, he was 11 at the time, he says ‘Dad, who are you playing?’ And I said, ‘It’s the guy, he’s with the small people in the woods.’… [Henry said] ‘Dad, that guy with the little people in the woods. He becomes the king!’

Viggo hadn’t realized he was being asked to play such a regal role, and with more encouragement from Henry — “You gotta do it! You gotta do it!“, the actor signed on to Peter Jackson’s project. Aragorn became the biggest role of Viggo Mortensen’s career, and he’s frequently spoken about his wonderful experience filming the Lord of the Rings movies, along with the myriad career opportunities it opened up for him. And it’s all thanks to his son, Henry.

Where Henry Mortensen Is Now

Viggo’s Son Continued To Act & Directed A Documentary

Henry Mortensen didn’t do a ton of acting immediately following his Lord of the Rings cameos, though he did keep busy. In 2010, he graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Archaeology. He also works for Percival Press, a publishing company co-founded by Viggo Mortensen that specializes in books of poetry, art, and critical writing (via Poetry Super Highway).

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The 2020s have seen Henry Mortensen slowly return to acting, mostly in lesser-known projects, though he did appear in the Zac Efron-starring The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022) as a “Baby Killer Protestor”. Henry has also launched a filmmaking career, and helmed the music documentary Skating Polly: Ugly Pop (2021). He’s come a long way since his Lord of the Rings cameos, and it will be exciting to see what Henry Mortensen does next.