Elijah Wood

Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) is a U.S. actor of English, Irish, German and Polish descent. He is the middle of three children born to Warren and Debbie Wood, who nicknamed Elijah "Spark Plug" because he was a manically energetic child. He has a brother Zack, a video game producer and seven years his senior, as well as a younger sister Hannah, a poet and actress who has had small roles in a number of his films.

Trivia

Wood is a huge music buff who claims to own something in the range of 3,000 CD's, and claims his favorite band to be the Smashing Pumpkins.

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He briefly dated German actress Franka Potente and model and singer Bijou Phillips. He is currently dating a New York music student but she rarely appears with him in public and they do not want their relationship in the spotlight. During a recent interview with Conan O'Brien, he laughed off long-standing rumors that he is gay, even recommending one website which makes such claims, calling it "hilarious".

Related Topics:
Franka Potente - Bijou Phillips - Conan O'Brien

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Wood is a Catholic and claims to still pray every night.

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While filming The Faculty he learned that casting had begun for New Zealand director Peter Jackson?s epic production of J.R.R. Tolkien?s classic novel trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Wood immediately had his friend, director George Huang, film an audition tape of him running in the fields with crudely made Hobbit feet, and sent the tape to Jackson. Despite Jackson?s initial assertion that all of the Hobbit characters would be played by British actors, he was immediately won over by Wood?s audition and the American Wood was cast in the lead role of Tolkien?s diminutive hero Frodo Baggins. Jackson later said he could not possibly imagine another actor in the world who would be better-suited to Frodo.

Related Topics:
The Faculty - Peter Jackson - J.R.R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings - Hobbit - Frodo Baggins

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The cast of the Rings movies was nominated for Best Ensemble Acting at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for three years in a row. They finally won in 2003, for the third film The Return of the King. For his performance as Frodo Baggins, Elijah Wood was nominated by the MTV Movie Awards and for the final installment, , he was nominated for a British Academy Award for Best Actor.

Related Topics:
Screen Actors Guild Awards - The Return of the King - Frodo Baggins - MTV Movie Awards

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In an interview about his latest film Everything Is Illuminated, director Liev Schreiber commented that his leading man Elijah Wood has a "generosity of spirit" and a "sincere goodness as a human being".

Related Topics:
Everything Is Illuminated - Liev Schreiber

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