Viggo Mortensen: Early Life, Career, and Multilingual Talents

Viggo Mortensen: Early Life and International Upbringing

Viggo Mortensen was born on October 20, 1958, in Manhattan, New York. He has two younger brothers. His parents, Viggo P. Mortensen from Denmark and Grace from New York, met in Europe. They initially settled in New York, but while Viggo was still very young, the family moved to South America. There, Viggo's father managed farms and ranches in Argentina and Venezuela. His parents divorced in 1969, after which Viggo's mother took her three boys back to Watertown, New York. Viggo retains a fondness for South America and is a great fan of the Argentine soccer team San Lorenzo.

Education and Early Career Pursuits

Viggo was a good student at Watertown High School. He played on the tennis team and was captain of the swim team. While in high school, he took up photography and spent many hours taking pictures. After graduating in 1976, he went to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he earned degrees in Government and Spanish. With no career immediately presenting itself, Viggo moved to Denmark, where his father's family still lives. He began writing poetry and fiction, supporting himself with odd jobs, including dock worker and flower seller.

Acting Career, Marriage, and Multilingualism

Viggo continued to work at his craft, with a guest spot on television's Miami Vice and a role in the Search for Tomorrow soap opera. In 1987, he met Christine "Exene" Cervenka, lead singer for the punk rock band "X," on the set of Salvation!. They were married soon after, and their son, Henry Blake Mortensen, was born on January 28, 1988. The couple moved to Idaho for several years. In 1997, they split up and moved back to Los Angeles, where they share custody of Henry.

Viggo Mortensen's Language Skills

Partly as a result of his international upbringing and travels, Viggo is fluent in:

• English
• Spanish
• Danish

He can also converse in:

• French
• Italian
• Swedish
• Norwegian

He worked as a translator for the Swedish hockey team during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. He also learned some Maori while filming Lord of the Rings in New Zealand and studied the Lakota language for his role in Hidalgo.