30+ Photos of the Lord of the Rings Cast, Then and Now

Orlando Bloom (Legolas)

Orlando Bloom was seen in an episode of Midsomer Murders and even played the role of Todd Blackburn in Black Hawk Down. The Lord of the Rings became a turning point in his life as it helped showcase his acting talent.

Bloom bagged many contracts after The Lord of the Rings franchise; he was seen in movies like The Pirates of the Caribbean, The Three Musketeers, and The Kingdom of Heaven. He even acted in the Netflix series Easy and The Carnival Row on Amazon Prime.

Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins)

Elijah Wood’s acting credits before The Lord of the Rings were Paradise, Radio Flyer, and Flipper. He took on the role of Frodo Baggins. In one of his interviews, Wood stated that he was thrilled to play the part.

Ever since the franchise, Wood has continued acting in films like Celeste and Jesse Forever and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He has also been part of films like Come to Daddy, The Last Witch Hunter, and Happy Feet. He also appeared in a show called Wilfred.

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)

Cate Blanchett had already made her place in Hollywood for her notable performances in movies like The Gift and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Her role in Elizabeth captured international attention even landed her on the Oscar nomination list for the Best Actress category.

Post The Lord of the Rings, Blanchett became a well-known face in Hollywood. She was recently seen in Mrs.America, Hulu’s series, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette? She was also seen in movies like Blue Jasmine and The Aviator, for which she received two Academy Awards.

Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf the White)

Sir Ian McKellen was already one of the high-respected and well-known actors who had received the Golden Globe, Tony, and Olivier awards to his credit. His role as Gandalf, the White in The Lord of the Rings, was appreciated by all.

McKellen continued his acting career and acted in movies like Beauty and the Beast and The Da Vinci Code. He also worked in the X-Men franchise as Magneto and played the role of Gus the Theatre Cat in 2019 film Cats.

Miranda Otto (Eowyn)

Otto was already famous for being part of the cast in movies like What Lies Beneath, In the Winter Dark and Human Nature before she was cast as Eowyn in the second installment of the trilogy.

The roles kept coming for Otto even after she starred in the trilogy of the popular movie series. She bagged roles in Homeland, War of the Worlds, and Frankenstein. Recently, she was seen in the Netflix original The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.