Where original Lord of the Rings cast are now as Rings of Power airs – from Question Time row to dating Beckham’s pal
IT'S been more than 20 years since Frodo Baggins set out on his quest to destroy the 'precious' ring and destroy its evil creator Sauron.
Now fans are eagerly anticipating a new spin-off series - Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - in the hope it will be as epic as Peter Jackson's original films.
The show, which kicks off on September 2 on Amazon Prime, elaborates on the original books by J.R.R. Tolkien and is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth.
The original Lord of the Rings flick - The Fellowship of the Ring - launched the careers of stars and Viggo Mortensen, who were joined by a cast of famous faces.
Here we take a look at what the stars who played the Fellowship crew are up to now.
Elijah Wood - Frodo Baggins
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American actor Elijah, now 41, played Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which catapulted him to stardom after a string of previous child acting roles from the age of eight.
He went on to appear in a range of films including Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sing City and Green Street, and leant his voice to Mumble in Happy Feet.
Elijah founded a record label - Simian Records - in 2005 but it was dissolved 10 years later after only bagging two bands for its roster.
He dated the drummer of punk band Gogol Bordello, Pamela Racine, for five years but allegedly broke it off in 2010 because he "didn't want to settle down".
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He now shares a son with Danish producer Mette-Marie Kongsved. They have been together for five years after meeting on the set of I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore in 2017.
Elijah caused a media storm in 2016 when he suggested child star sexual abuse was more rife in Hollywood than had been reported.
He told The Sunday Times: "There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind. There is darkness in the underbelly."
Viggo Mortensen - Aragorn
Now 63, Viggo achieved Hollywood hunk status thanks to his role as brave warrior Aragorn.
He often performed his own stunts - and didn't go without injury - and bought two horses which he rode and bonded with while filming the trilogy.
Roles in films A History of Violence, Eastern Promises and Captain Fantastic followed, as well as a handful of theatre performances.
The Danish-American star was married to punk rocker Exene Cervenka for a decade between 1987 and 1997, and they share a son, Henry. He's been with Spanish actress Ariadna Gil - 10 years his junior - since 2009.
Viggo has been nominated for three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards and four Golden Globe Awards, and won a Screen Actors Guild Award.
In 2018, Viggo was forced to apologise after using the N-word during a live panel while promoting his film Green Book, for which he was tipped for an Oscar, but controversially lost out to Rami Malek, sparking rumours of a snub. The film itself won Best Picture.
He also blasted criticism that the film played into a white saviour narrative, claiming it was "inaccurate, mendacious and...based on a load of bulls***".
Liv Tyler - Arwen Undómiel
Lord of the Rings was the second major film role for Liv, after she starred alongside Bruce Willis in Armageddon.
She went on to land parts in Jersey Girl, The Incredible Hulk and Ad Astra, as well as HBO series The Leftovers, among others.
Like her dad, Aerosmith legend Steven Tyler, Liv, now 45, is a singer and appeared as a guest vocalist on The Lemonheads' album Varshons in 2009. She released her debut single Need You Tonight in 2011.
She was married to Brit musician Royston Langdon, with whom she shares a son, for five years; they divorced in 2008. She began dating David Beckham's pal, sports agent David Gardner, in 2014, and the couple were engaged within a year and welcomed two children.
After revealing her hellish battle with Covid in January 2021, Liv and David split two months later after seven years together.
Liv has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the US since 2003.
Andrew Serkis - Gollum
Brit Andy, now 58, is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, best known for his work in animation and voice acting.
His fame as Gollum saw him go on to star in 13 Going on 30 and King Kong, as well as Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll which bagged him a Best Actor BAFTA nomination. He also played Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot.
Andy ventured into directing with the 2017 film Breathe, followed by Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle - in which he also played Baloo.
He's been married to fellow actress Lorraine Ashbourne since 2002 and recently accompanied her to the Bridgerton premiere - she plays Mrs Varley in the period drama.
The couple share three children who have all followed their parents into acting. His daughter Ruby Ashbourne Serkis starred in the Netflix series The Letter For The King - in which Andy played her on-screen dad.
In 2018 Andy spoke out against new rules being put forward for filming sex scenes in the wake of #MeToo, claiming too much censorship stifles creativity.
Billy Boyd - Peregrin 'Pippin' Took
Billy, now 53, is a prolific stage and screen actor and also fronts a band called Beecake - whose album Soul Swimming topped MySpace charts in 2010.
After his star turn as a hairy-footed hobbit in Lord of the Rings, he topped a list of the 100 Most Eligible Men in Scotland in 2002.
In 2010 he said he never made any cash from appearing in Lord of the Rings, claiming he was an unknown actor who did it "for peanuts and food".
Billy is proud of his Glaswegian roots and fronted a campaign for VisitScotland in 2008.
Billy is also an avid surfer and has a Grade 7 in foil fencing. He and the other actors of 'The Fellowship' all share a tattoo of the Elvish word for nine, written in the Tengwar script (bar John Rhys-Davies, whose stunt double got the tattoo instead).
He's been married to actress Alison McKinnon since 2010 and they share a son, Jack.
Sean Astin - Samwise Gamgee
American actor Sean, now 51, has continued to work in film and TV, with roles in 50 First Dates and the series 24.
He's also expanded his career into producing and voice-overs, and narrated the US version of Meerkat Manor.
Sean married producer Christine Harrell in 1992 and they have three daughters - one of which had a cameo on Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Elanor, Samwise's daughter.
He's outspoken in his political views and has actively campaigned for US Democrats John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.
Dominic Monaghan - Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck
Dominic went on to star as Charlie Pace in Lost, and also landed roles in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Edge of the World.
He dated his Lost co-star Evangeline Lilly, but in 2013 took to Twitter to announce they were over and called her a cheater.
The British actor famously got into a spat with his Lost co-star Matthew Fox in 2012, claiming the actor "beats women" during a rant in which Dominic disclosed he didn't like him.
In 2013 it was alleged Dominic sent a slew of vile texts to a woman after she allegedly turned him down for sex.
He reportedly hit back, claiming she'd been calling him for over two years when he'd asked her not to contact him.
A lover of the outdoors, Dominic, now 45, once bought a mango-tree forest in India. It's believed he's currently single.
John Rhys-Davies - Gimli
Welsh actor John, now 78, had a slew of acting credits behind him before Lord of the Rings.
He's lent his distinctive voice to video games and animated TV shows including Hades in Justice League and Man Ray in SpongeBob SquarePants.
John married Suzanne Wilkinson in 1966 and they share two sons. They legally separated in 1985 but remained legally married and he cared for her until she died from Alzheimer's in 2010.
He began dating journalist Lisa Manning - with whom he shares a daughter - in 2004 and they split their time between New Zealand and the Isle of Man, where he lends his voice to the local tourist board for adverts and attractions.
John was an outspoken supporter of Brexit and was branded "thuggish and sexist" by some BBC viewers after an appearance on Question Time in 2019.
He shouted "oh, woman!" at fellow panellist Caroline Lucas MP during a discussion about Donald Trump's victory in the US election.
Ian Holm - Bilbo Baggins
Brit actor Ian was knighted in 1998 for his contribution to theatre and film, and was Harold Pinter's favourite actor.
An established star of the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving into screen work, Ian reprised his role as Bilbo in the subsequent Hobbit films.
He was married four times - first to Lynn Mary Shaw, which lasted 10 years, then to Sophie Baker for four, Downton Abbey actress Penelope Wilton for 11, and artist Sophie de Stempel - a life model of Lucian Freud.
Ian had two daughters from his first marriage, a son from his second and a son and daughter from his 15-year relationship with photographer Bee Gilbert.
He was treated for prostate cancer in 2001 and later diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He passed away in June 2020 aged 88.
Cate Blanchett - Lady Galadriel
Cate has enjoyed a stellar acting career, bagging two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as three Golden Globes.
She won a host of new fans thanks to her role as elf leader Galadriel in Lord of the Rings.
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The Aussie, now 53, has been married to playwright Andrew Upton since 1997 and has four children.
She is outspoken about feminism and politics, and claimed she was sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein during a chat with Variety in 2018.