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Revised: April 2008.

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Elijah Wood is a critically acclaimed American actor, said to be one of the finest of his generation. Many know him as the hobbit Frodo from Lord of the Rings, but what many do not know is that he started out as a child model and his career took off at the young age of eight. Elijah, recently turned 27, has won 16 awards, been a part of Academy Awarded films such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Avalon, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the Ice Storm. He has worked with famous faces such as Ang Lee, Christina Ricci, Sigourney Weaver, Josh Hartnett, Peter Jackson, Robert Rodriguez, David Morse, Macaulay Culkin, Bruce Willis, Tobey Maguire, Morgan Freeman, Salma Hayek, Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Mandy Moore, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Kirsten Dunst and Lindsay Lohan. Elijah is one of the most respected actors in today's film industry, but like all actors, he started from the bottom with an empty resumé. This biography will guide you through his life, from the very beginning, to where he is today.

Early Life

Elijah Jordan Wood, who has English, Irish, Polish and German ancestry, was born to Debra Krause and Warren W. Wood on 28 January 1981, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. His parents, both delicatessen operators, ran a deli in the town, situated a few hundred miles west of Chicago. Being the middle child, Elijah has two siblings. His older brother Zachariah, 7 years his senior, born in 1974, works as a video game producer in San Diego, and Elijah’s 2-year older sister Hannah, born 1983, is doing acting and poetry. His mother Debbie is a Catholic and Elijah was raised a catholic by her, but he himself does not practise the religion.

(Rolling Stone Magazine, 14 March 2002) His Catholic mother favored biblical names. His older brother was Zachariah, his younger sister would be Hannah. He got Elijah. "He was a prophet," Wood says, "a messenger of God." This Elijah does not imagine himself a messenger of God and has not stayed close to organized Catholicism, but he does try to pray every night before he goes to sleep. He used to feel guilty if he passed out without praying, but these days he's more phlegmatic . "If I pass out," he says, "I pass out. It happens."

As he used to climb everything, the energetic little boy was given the nicknames Monkey and Spark Plug by friends and family. At the tender age of 2 the unspeakably adorable kid locked his mother Debbie out of the house, climbed into the cupboards and trashed the kitchen, while she witnessed the incident through the locked glass door. While destroying the kitchen he was smiling, as if he knew perfectly well what he was doing.

Already at an early stage of his life, Elijah began acting in school plays. In elementary school, aged 6, he appeared in the school’s adaption of The Sound of Music. The following year he could be seen in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the Marion Creative Council production of  See How They Run, in addition he took piano lessons. His mother Debbie soon enrolled him at Avant Studios in 1988, a local modelling school and agency located in Cedar Rapids. In January 1989 Debbie brought Elijah to Los Angeles where he was to attend the International Modelling And Talent Association Convention. Among hundreds of other hopeful children and adults, Elijah was spotted by Gary Scalzo, who later became Elijah’s talent manager.

Re-locating to Los Angeles

In 1988 mother Debbie, along with her children, re-located to Los Angeles, father Warren later joined them, and landed a job with Federal Express, then selling air-purification systems. Elijah's career began with modeling after which he moved on to local commercials. Shortly after his move to Los Angeles, within a six months period to be precise, Elijah was given a small role in Paula Abdul's music video, Forever Your Girl, directed by David Fincher (the same Fincher who would later make Seven and Fight Club). Debbie enrolled Elijah at St Patrick's Catholic School at Arroyo Grande, but it would get complicated at times as he was often working on film sets. Three years later Elijah chose to drop out and was home schooled instead. The Wood family sold the deli in Cedar Rapids, and were now set on a future in Los Angeles.

Talent-manager Gary Scarzo and Debbie were carefully choosing lower budget productions, wanting to be sure they were making the right choices, and not rushing into something too big at an early stage of Elijah’s career. As a result Elijah was given the lead role in a TV production, namely Child in the Night, in which he portrayed a young child who had witnessed the gruesome murder of his father. Film work followed, and Elijah, nearly 10 at the time, was given a role in Barry Levinson's Avalon, the 3rd film in the Baltimore trilogy, which portrays the lives of Russian-Jewish immigrants. Elijah’s mature performance received a lot of recognition, and he was nominated for a Young Artist Award. The film itself became an instant success and was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Elijah continued playing the smart kid in adult films, and without any formal training of any kind, he moved on to the Le Grand Chemin remake Paradise (1991) starring Melanie Griffith and Thora Birch. Elijah was given good reviews and was nominated for a Young Artist Award once again.

After three years in Los Angeles, Debbie replaced Gary Scalzo and took over his talent-manager position. 1992 was a great year for Elijah, who appeared in four additional productions. At the early age of 11, Elijah had landed himself two lead roles, one in Richard Donner’s beautiful Radio Flyer starring Joseph Mazello and Lorraine Bracco, and for this performance was awarded a Young Artist Awards. Forever Young followed, starring Mel Gibson and Jamie Lee Curtis. It was in this production Elijah felt his confidence drop when some scences required extensive ad-libbing.

As an 11-year old kid who spent much of his time on film sets, shooting, Elijah was mostly surrounded by adults and he felt lonely at times, had second thoughts about his decision concerning dropping high school, and felt worried about missing out on that ”ordinary” youth other ”normal” kids have. Elijah says he even considered to quit acting, however, after contemplating, came to the conclusion that it was all worth it and changed his mind.

I really felt the lack of friends and that social situation of being with people my own age. I just didn't have anyone to hang out with. Ultimately I felt like I enjoyed what I was doing much more than what I was missing. /../ There are these kinds of social cliques [high school], and do you belong, do you not belong? It's such fucking bullshit, it really is...

Growing Up

In 1993, a 12-year-old Elijah was given the lead role in The Adventures of Huck Finn, and the same year he acted alongside Macaulay Culkin in the psychological thriller The Good Son. One year later, he could be seen in the critical success The War also starring Kevin Costner, a production many consider to be Elijah’s best child film. Elijah was praised for his performance, awarded a Young Star Award nomination and was said to "have emerged as the most talented actor in his age group, in Hollywood history" (quoting Roger Ebert). The same year he appeared in North, alongside Bruce Willis in a bunny suit. Unlike The War, this production was a huge flop and received bad critique, nevertheless Elijah yet was awarded good criticism for his performance, and was even said to be the only good thing to come out of the whole production.

When Elijah was 15 years old (1996), his parents decided to go separate ways and got a divorce, whereupon Warren moved back to Cedar Rapids. Elijah had never really had a close relationship with his father, and after the split, they rarely spoke to eachother.

He was always physically there as a father, but never emotionally there. I was not raised by my dad. Someone can physically be somewhere and not actually emotionally be present. He just wasn't capable... how can I put this? He just wasn't an emotional guy. You look at the idea of a mother, and the mother kind of nurtures you and cares about you and is concerned with every detail of your life and upbringing... and my dad just wasn't. He was incapable of it. The relationship was never bad. It just wasn't there. I think some of that also had to do with the fact that I was gone a lot. I have to thank my mom for everything in my life, the person I am today. She sort of overcompensated to raise the family, so I never felt a lack. /../ I didn't really feel the need to call him. We don't really stay in contact. It's off and on.

1995 brought the Irish band The Cranberries’ Ridiculous Thoughts, another music video Elijah appeared in. The following year he could be seen in Flipper (1996) – a remake of the 1963 production, in which Elijah portrays Sandy, a teenage boy who spends his summer at his uncle’s (Paul Hogan) after his parents’ divorce, where he encounters and befriends a bottlenose dolphin. It was in Flipper Elijah was scripted to have his first onscreen kiss. The scene was later cut out of the final version.

After earning many splendid reviews, Elijah continued his acting, taking on more mature roles, like Ang Lee’s drama The Ice Storm (1997), based on the 1994 novel by Rick Moody. The production became a huge success and features an ensemble cast of Kevin Kline, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Sigourney Weaver. The film’s release was limited, and was a box office disappointment when it only grossed $7.8 million on a budget of $18 million. Nevertheless, The Ice Storm received good criticism by audience and critics, and in March 2008 a special two-disc DVD set was released.

The Paramount Pictures’ science fiction Deep Impact (1998) followed, in which Elijah plays Leo Beiderman, a high school student who accidentally discoveres a comet which is to collide with Earth and cause extinction. Deep Impact was released merely two months before the competing Armageddon, starring future co-star Liv Tyler, and was, even though said to be more scientifically relevant, beaten by Armageddon.
Next came Robert Rodriguez’s scifi/horror The Faculty (1998), which turned out to be a huge success. Elijah, acting alongside Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Usher, future co-star Josh Hartnett, future co-star Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen and Robert Patrick, Elijah plays a high school teenage dork who ends up fighting off aliens.

Lord of the Rings

During The Faculty shooting, Elijah heard about Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. He sent in his own audition tape to New Line, filmed by his friend and director George Huang (Swimming With Sharks), and in July 1999 he landed the part of Frodo Baggins, being the first actor to be cast. Other cast members include Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Viggo Mortensen, and Cate Blanchett.

All three films were shot simultaneously; the filming began in October 1999 and was completed in 2000, in beautiful New Zealand where all three flicks were shot at over 150 different locations. The blockbusters were a huge financial success with a budget of $270 million, and are considered to be one of the biggest movie projects in history. The trilogy won 17 Academy Awards, and was praised especially for the cast and digital special effects. His 16 months in New Zealand were, to say the least, fun-filled.

(Rolling Stone Magazine, 14 March 2002) Mostly, what one hears from those who shared his company in New Zealand are testaments to Wood's maturity. It is Wood who describes a rare exception to this - a night out in Wellington drinking vodka and cranberry juice that ended with Wood and fellow hobbit Dominic Monaghan climbing up a fountain statue that had been annoying Wood and pissing in it as Liv Tyler,

I want porn and chocolate!

cast as Arwen the elf princess, looked on and said (Wood does a high-pitched Tyler impression), "Guys, what are you doing? Did you just piss in the fountain?" He enjoys this story. "Funny though," he says. "Good memories."

We don't want to lose our connection with New Zealand - I love the country and I love Wellington and I want to go back. I would love to have a place to live there if I do go back for any period of time. It would just be a time share. It makes the most sense for us to go in on a place, 'cause then we can get a great place. We could be there together and have holidays there, or if I wanted to go there and live there for a little while I could.

Famously, the actors' bond was cemented when they all got tattoos showing the number nine written in Elvish. Roger's Tattoo Parlour in Wellington opened specially for them one Sunday morning. Wood opted for a spot just below his waistline on the right. "I certainly held his hand while he was having his tattoo done," McKellen recalls. "Not that he was not feeling brave, but we were all chums down there."

Post-Lord of the Rings

After the success of The Lord of the Rings, Elijah wanted to presume smaller roles. He was also seeking varied roles in order to avoid being typecasted.

My philosophy has always been to try to put myself into roles and films that are different. That intensified after 'Lord of the Rings' because it was so massive, but it's something I've always believed in - wanting to change people's perceptions and challenge myself as an actor.

Next Elijah could be seen in the direct-to-video Try Seventeen (All I Want) starring Mandy Moore, Elizabeth Perkins who once again played his mother, and future girlfriend Franka Potente. The film centres around Jones Dillon, a college-dropout who moves into an old flat where he meets the aspiring actress (Moore) and high tempered photographer (Potente).

Michel Gondry’s Academy Award-winning Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind followed, featuring an ensemble cast of Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson and Kirsten Dunst. In Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Elijah plays the dork Patrick, an employee of Lacuna Inc (a firm that deals with targeted memory erasure) who falls in love with Clementine (Winslet), one of Lacuna's clients, and tries to seduce her. In Liev Schreiber's based-on-a-novel Everything Is Illuminated (2004), Elijah played a Jewish man on a journey, seeking for the woman who saved his grandfather during the Second World War.

Everything Is Illuminated was followed by the very different Green Street Hooligans (2005) which deals with hooliganism. Elijah portrays Matt Buckner, a wrongfully expelled Harvard students who re-locates to London, where he gets involved with an English football firm. During the shooting of the film Elijah received am injury which left a visible scar just under his eyebrow. Both films received good reviews. Shooting took place in the Chez Republic and the UK respectively.

Elijah was to work with Robert Rodriguez once again, this time on critically acclaimed Sin City (2005), in which he was cast as the silent, cannibalistic Kevin the killer. The film is based on Frank Miller’s comics. Sin City received good criticism for its colouring process, most of the film was in black and white with select objects in colour. The film stars Jessica Alba, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Rosario Dawson (2-times co-star, Ash Wednesday), Josh Hartnett (2-times co-star, The Faculty), Jaime King, Brittany Murphy (2-times co-star, Happy Feet), Clive Owen and Bruce Willis (2-times co-star, North).

More film work followed, including Paris, je t'aime (2006), Bobby (2006) and Day Zero (2008). He also lent his voice to the animated Happy Feet character penguin Mumble, which topped the box office ($121.5 million in 17 days) and even beat James Bond Casino Royale.

What is he doing now?

Elijah recently finished the recording of some voice work for 9, an animated film by Tim Burton as well as the filming of The Oxford Murders (March 2007), a film adaption of the novel with the same name, in which Elijah plays a student who investigates a series of mathematically-based murders.

Future projects include Made in Japan and a film based on a novel, Black Wings Has My Angel. Elijah will co-produce the production, working alongside Anthony Moody and Rob Malkani.

Personal Life

Elijah, with his feet firmly on the ground, is known for being a very kind and down-to-earth fellow. He keeps a low profile and is protective of his private life. His friends and co-workers have extremely positive views on Elijah and even strangers and fans who meet him on the streets say they are amazed by how warm and polite he always is. If you want to find something dirty on Elijah, you will have to look forever.

In 2002 Elijah dated German actress Franka Potente, 7 years his senior, whom he met during the filming of Try 17. The couple ended their relationship later that year, but still remained friends. Old rumours say he dated Black and White co-star Bijou Phillips but these rumours turned out to be untrue, said so by Elijah himself at Howard Stern in 2005.

During the shooting of The Lord of the Rings Elijah, along with his co-stars, "The Fellowship" (Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan and Viggo Mortensen), tattooed the Quenya-mode Tengwar symbol for "nine" below his waist.

In 2003 Elijah suffered acute appendicitis and had to be hospitalized for a shorter period of time. The same year Elijah lived in New York, sharing a flat with his sister Hannah. Only a few months later he moved back to Santa Monica, California, into his mother's guest house, stating he could not justify paying the rent as he hardly spent any time in NYC. Elijah currently resides in Venice Beach, California.

As of April 2006 he is dating the band Gogol Bordello's dancer Pamela Racine, whom he was introduced to in 2004 by co-star Eugene Hutz, also a member of the band, on the set of Everything Is Illuminated. Every now and then Elijah attends Gogol Bordello's concerts.

Other Interests

Besides acting, Elijah possesses a huge love for music. In 2005 he launched his own record company, Simian Records, which has signed bands like The Apples in Stereo and Heloise and the Savoir Faire. In 2005 Elijah directed the music video Energy by The Apples in Stereo.

Simian is coming out of a direct need to do something on my own, to build something from the ground up that has nothing to do with the career that I've established for myself. To face something in your life where you're not being handed responsibility, you're creating it -- I think that's really important.

He has also contributed to the album pandemoniumfromamerica, in which he sings and plays instruments, an album by his Lord of the Rings co-star and friend Viggo Mortensen. Moreover, Elijah has admitted to owning over 3000 CDs and his favorite music bands include the Sundays, Smashing Pumpkins, the Beatles, Black Sabbath and Verbena (just to mention a few). In addition, Elijah has contributed with voicework for The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning and The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night - video games.

Elijah has supported charity campaigns such as Keep a Child Alive, ALDO/YouthAIDS and Project Last Stand.

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