Viggo Mortensen, Renaissance Man

Best know for his role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Viggo Mortensen first flexed his acting chops in Witness.  Since then he’s played diverse parts, culuminating in some stunning work for director David Cronenberg in A History of Violence and Eastern Promises.  He was nominated for an Oscar for the latter portrayal.

Throughout his career, he’s always been known as a modern day Renaissance man.  For one thing, he speaks three languages fluently (English, Danish and Spanish) while being conversational in French and Italian.

For another he blends elements of poetry, music, photography and painting in creative works of each of these media.

Ten years ago, he founded  Perceval Press which he describes as a “small, independent publisher specializing in art, critical writing, and poetry. The intention of the press is to publish texts, images, and recordings that otherwise might not be presented.”

Here then is a true DaVinci — a modern-day Renaissance Man who is flexing his many, considerable talents in interesting ways — and fostering the creativity of others along the way.