The Lord of the Rings
16 members
Peter Jackson mixed legends like Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee with near-unknowns, shipped them all to New Zealand for over a year, and got back one of cinema's most iconic ensembles. They got matching tattoos. Half of them became stars.
Members (16)
Elijah Wood
45
Frodo Baggins
Ian McKellen
86
Gandalf
Viggo Mortensen
67
Aragorn
Orlando Bloom
49
Legolas
Cate Blanchett
56
Galadriel
Sean Astin
55
Samwise Gamgee
Liv Tyler
48
Arwen
Hugo Weaving
66
Elrond
Sean Bean
67
Boromir
Dominic Monaghan
49
Merry
Ian Holm†
1931-2020
Bilbo Baggins
Christopher Lee†
1922-2015
Saruman
Karl Urban
53
Eomer
Martin Freeman
54
Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit)
Andy Serkis
61
Gollum
John Rhys-Davies
81
Gimli
Aftermath
Ian McKellen reprised Gandalf for all three Hobbit films, anchoring the prequel trilogy just as he did the original.
Cate Blanchett returned as Galadriel in all three Hobbit films, expanding a role that doesn't appear in Tolkien's Hobbit novel at all.
Martin Freeman played young Bilbo in The Hobbit trilogy, creating a direct narrative link between both Middle-earth film series.
Viggo Mortensen earned an Oscar nomination for Eastern Promises just four years after the trilogy wrapped.
Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd stayed close enough to keep a group chat called 'Shire Folk'.