Called "the best kisser in Hollywood" by co-star Sandra Bullock (2000, 28 Days)" and named one of Entertainment Weekly's top 12 performers of 2001, good-looking actor Viggo Mortensen (1958-) has caused hearts to flutter as Aragorn in the fantasy classic Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

"The experience of having done it was worth it," he explained. "If you're that long in New Zealand, with that group of people, telling this story, and haven't learned something or gotten some joy out of it, you've wasted your time."

Born in New York City, he grew up in South America. Mortensen made his screen debut in 1985's Witness (w/Harrison Ford) then co-starred with a list of beauties including Nicole Kidman in (1996, Portrait of a Lady), Demi Moore (1997, G.I. Jane), Gwyneth Paltrow (1998, A Perfect Murder), and Diane Lane (1999, A Walk on the Moon).

"We all purposely keep secrets. I'm an actor so I'm definitely not in the truth business," he once said.

The rugged actor has captured a range of characters with an unmistakable edge and unforgettable passion. Critics love him. So do his co-stars. Michael Douglas praised him as "a method-actor in a leading man's body."

A published poet, jazz musician, photographer, and painter (that was his work in A Perfect Murder), Mortensen speaks fluent English, Spanish, and Danish. "If I could make money on poetry," he said, "I would still act. When they work, they work on the same level."

"Being an artist is being an artist. So just be."

Do the right thing.