Although Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings relied on an ensemble cast, therefore making it difficult for any one actor to stand out, the performers in the films proved their worth before and after the fantasy franchise. None of the people in the series stood out as A-listers, but that helped the audience not get distracted from the great story on the screen.
Find here the best movies and shows The Lord of the Rings actors participated in outside of the world of orcs and the Shire!
1. Elijah Wood – Yellowjackets (2021-present)
Elijah Wood played Frodo in his early 20s. The blue-eyed star has spent the rest of the ensuing years of his career doing voice acting and cropping up obscure stories, something that certainly plays to his strengths. Wood plays Walter in the Showtime series Yellowjackets. Walter’s quirky, even psychotic tendencies made the second season even crazier than the first.
2. Sean Astin – Rudy (1993)
Sean Astin’s filmography shines as bright as any other Lord of the Rings actors. Astin’s familiarity with the fantasy genre led to him playing a side character in Stranger Things 2, but his best role stands out as the underdog college football player, Rudy Ruettiger.
3. Ian McKellan – Richard III (1995)
Ian McKellan lends a powerful presence to all of his characters. When he appears on the screen, audiences feel comforted and percolated. McKellan used to perform in a lot of classical plays and films, with his take on the Shakespearean play Richard III taking home audience admiration for years afterward.
4. Hugo Weaving – Proof (1991)
Hugo Weaving dove into genre work when he played Agent Smith in The Matrix before landing Elrond in The Lord of the Rings. Fans should acquaint themselves with his best rom-com, Proof, if they want a change of pace with no science fiction or fantasy elements involved.
5. Billy Boyd – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Billy Boyd embraced the adventure genre even after trekking from the Shire to Gondor in The Lord of the Rings. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World allowed viewers into the fictionalized, engaging world of the Napoleonic Wars the same year that The Return of the King was released.
6. Dominic Monaghan – Lost (2004-2010)
Dominic Monaghan went the television route after playing Merry in The Lord of the Rings. Lost turned into the last network TV phenomenon in the mid-2000s, and Monaghan provided his typical jest and timing to the adventure/fantasy series.
7. Liv Tyler – The Leftovers (2014-2017)
Liv Tyler infuses Arwen with an angelic presence in The Lord of the Rings. She juxtaposes these vibes on the underrated HBO standout The Leftovers. In a show without a true antagonist, Tyler forms the easiest person to root against, a cult leader with no restrictions on how far she’ll go.
8. Viggo Mortensen – The Road (2009)
Viggo Mortensen could have been one of Hollywood’s big stars after playing Aragorn. He instead decided to take mid-sized main character roles in unique genre films. One of his best ones is The Road, a film based on Cormac McCarthy’s story of the unstoppable power of paternal love during the apocalypse.
9. Christopher Lee – Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002)
The late Christopher Lee birthed legendary villains his entire career. At the same time he played Saruman in The Lord of the Rings, Lee performed as Count Dooku in Star Wars. Lee proved that age really is just a number by introducing his greatness to an entirely new generation of fans.
10. Orlando Bloom – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Orlando Bloom belted his talent into movie theaters worldwide in 2003 with The Return of the King and the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Bloom displays natural star charisma and gets to speak much more in the Johnny Depp-led series than in Tolkien’s work.
11. Sean Bean – Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
Sean Bean made a habit out of blazing through the first part of a fantasy series only to be written out immediately. Bean’s portrayal of Ned Stark in the first season of Game of Thrones reminded viewers of Bean’s immense talent in the fantasy genre.
12. Andy Serkis – Andor (2022-present)
Andy Serkis comes to mind anytime someone wants to know who portrays a stop-motion character, but his live-action appearance in Andor deserves awards recognition. During the prison storyline late in season one, Serkis plays Kino Loy.
13. Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine (2013)
Cate Blanchett’s post The Lord of the Rings career presented the most opportunities for adulation, with Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine winning her an Academy Award. The film grapples with social and family dynamics in upper-class American society as two sisters from different ends of the financial spectrum live together.
14. John Rhys-Davies – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
John Rhys-Davies voices a lot of video game characters and animated favorites, but sticking with movies shines the spotlight on his beloved 1980s role as Sallah in the Indiana Jones movies. Rhys-Davies always perfects the lovable sidekick role.
15. Karl Urban – The Boys (2019-present)
Karl Urban’s character in The Boys couldn’t contrast more with his place in The Lord of the Rings if he tried. Urban portrays Billy Butcher, a man hellbent on exposing the truth behind the evil superhero company, Vought International, no matter what it takes to accomplish the goal.
16. Miranda Otto – War of the Worlds (2005)
Miranda Otto stole hearts worldwide as the brave niece of Rohan royalty in LOTR, and she stayed in the fantasy/science fiction genre two years later with Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. Otto plays the mother in a film about a father and his two children escaping the gigantic clutches of alien invaders.
17. Ian Holm – Chariots of Fire (1981)
Chariots of Fire changed the trajectory of sports movies forever when it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Ian Holm plays one of the trainers in a movie about two Olympic runners from the early 20th century with very different motivations for claiming a gold medal.
18. David Wenham – 300 (2006)
Zack Snyder brings comic book flair to the battlefields of Sparta in this violent affair loosely based on the real war between the Persians and the Spartans. David Wenham captured a lot of fans’ love playing Faramir, and he stays in the hero role here, playing Dilios, a brave soldier who fought to the death against Persia.
19. John Noble – Fringe (2008-2013)
John Noble delivers a memorable performance as Lord Denethor in The Return of the King by making audiences hate the tyrant’s unethical leadership. He took on a very different role while maintaining a crazy exterior as a scientist in the FOX drama Fringe. Noble excels in niche supporting roles such as these.
20. Thomas Robins – King Kong (2005)
Thomas Robins made quite the impression on Peter Jackson during his three minutes as Déagol The Return of the King. Robins cameos as a bystander in Jackson’s King Kong film just two years later, something only true fans will notice.
21. Bernard Hill – Titanic (1998)
Bernard Hill forces audiences to love King Théoden with his innate leadership qualities despite some of the monarch’s flaws in The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Hill played the captain of the titular ship in James Cameron’s Titanic just five years earlier.
22. Brad Dourif – Deadwood (2004-2007)
Among Lord of the Rings actors, Brad Dourif might be the guy audiences look at and say, “I know him!” every time he appears in another favorite movie or show. Dourif etched himself into The Two Towers as the unforgettable Wormtounge and followed up with a supporting role as the moral doctor in HBO’s period piece Deadwood.