Viggo Mortensen, A History of Violence

Viggo Mortensen, who stars in David Cronenberg's well-received A History of Violence, has carved out a career as the thinking person's sex symbol. Although born in Manhattan in 1958 to a Danish father and an American mother, he grew up mostly in South America. He made his film debut with a small role in Peter Weir's 1985 Witness and received his first real critical notice as the drug addict brother in Sean Penn's 1991 directorial debut, The Indian Runner. Whether as Gwyneth Paltrow's deceitful artist lover (in A Perfect Murder) or Diane Lane's extramarital fling (in A Walk on the Moon), Mortensen's sensitivity combined with his finely chiseled features has made for memorable movie moments. His last-minute casting as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy cemented his global standing.

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