The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King had an enormous cast filled with the biggest actors and actresses of the time, and many of them are still finding success two decades later. The movie was the third installment in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and since it was the culmination of such a massive story, it featured most of the characters that had appeared in the narrative up to that point. The ensemble was hugely impressive and massively talented, brimming with recognizable faces that have since reached even greater heights.
Lord of the Rings was a huge stepping stone for many of these actors, allowing them to really get their careers started in the most mainstream way possible. Of course, the film also featured plenty of veteran names in the industry whose careers were already well underway, but it was this mix of new and old talent that made the project so exciting to watch. As for what proceeded its impressive box office gains, the movie’s stars experienced varying levels of success in the entertainment industry after Return of the King.
18 Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins)
Frodo was the protagonist of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, played by fairly unknown actor Elijah Wood. It was the first recognizable role of his career, and although it pushed him to huge levels of fame, he’s been fairly conservative in the roles he’s chosen since. His biggest characters include protagonist Todd in Dirk Gently’s Detective Agency and Walter in Yellowjackets. He also reprised the role of Frodo for a short appearance in the first of Jackson’s adaptations of The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
17 Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf The White)
Gandalf is a hugely important character throughout Tolkien’s works, portrayed in the Lord of the Rings movies by British actor Sir Ian McKellen. Outside the franchise, McKellen is best known for his theater work – particularly his roles in Shakespeare plays. However, his on-screen career has been just as impressive, appearing as the main antagonist Magneto in the X-Men franchise and even playing Gandalf once again throughout The Hobbit trilogy. He also had supporting roles in high-profile movies such as Cats and the live-action Beauty and the Beast remake.
16 Karl Urban (Éomer)
Since appearing as the Marshal of Rohan in Lord of the Rings, Karl Urban has been in several great movies including Star Trek, Thor: Ragnarok, and Dredd. However, in recent years, it’s been his role as protagonist Billy Butcher in Amazon’s The Boys that’s given his career a powerful resurgence. The show has reached a high degree of popularity thanks to its subversive representation of superhero culture, which goes against everything that audiences are used to – and Urban’s performance in particular really captures that dark cynicism that the show is known for.
15 Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee)
Samwise Gamgee was a fan-favorite character throughout Lord of the Rings, and his arc really peaked in Return of the King as he carried Frodo to the peak of Mount Doom and arguably saved Middle-Earth. The character was played by Sean Astin, whose career began with a breakout role in The Goonies back in 1985. Since Lord of the Rings, Astin’s roles have been much less frequent than the majority of his co-stars – until he played Bob in season two of Netflix’s Stranger Things. The character only stuck around for a season, but it was great for audiences to see Astin back on their screens.
14 Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn)
Viggo Mortensen played the character of Aragon in Return of the King, the long-awaited King that’s mentioned in the title. His arc throughout the trilogy was one of the most interesting to follow, and Mortensen always found new ways to bring the character to life. In comparison to his co-stars, he’s had one of the most successful careers in the aftermath of Lord of the Rings, starring in plenty of movies such as Captain Fantastic and Green Book. The actor even secured an Oscar nomination for his lead role in the latter.
13 Andy Serkis (Gollum)
Although Andy Serkis was famously mocked for playing Gollum, the actor clearly took this character in his stride and has since filled an extremely valuable space as Hollywood’s go-to name for motion-capture performances. He’s played iconic roles such as Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequels, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy, and Baloo in Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. On the live-action side, he also portrayed the characters of Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther and Kino Loy in Andor.
12 John Rhys Davies (Gimli)
John Rhys Davies is another actor whose career was already in its prime before Lord of the Rings. Prior to starring in the iconic trilogy, Rhys Davies had already played characters such as Sallah in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Professor Arturo in Sliders. Gimli was arguably the actor’s last huge role, as his career slowed down considerably after Return of the King. He notably returned to the Indiana Jones franchise as Sallah for a brief appearance in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.
11 Liv Tyler (Arwen)
Prior to playing Arwen in The Lord of the Rings movies, The majority of Liv Tyler’s most famous roles came in the late 1990s. However, the success of Lord of the Rings actually led to her being cast as Betsy Ross in The Incredible Hulk – a role that she’ll be reprising in Captain America: Brave New World over 15 years later. In between that time, Tyler has appeared in a small number of productions, with her biggest project from this period being Ad Astra.
10 Miranda Otto (Éowyn)
Despite ultimately ending up with Arwen, Aragorn was a great romantic match for Éowyn, and many of their scenes together in Return of the King prove that. Her character might have been underused in the end, but Miranda Otto’s performance ensured that she was just as memorable as the other women of the movies. Since Return of the King, Otto has starred in plenty of acclaimed projects such as The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Talk to Me, where she’s always been a standout member of the cast.
9 Dominic Monaghan (Merry Brandybuck)
The character of Merry Brandybuck, another of the hobbits who was a part of the original Fellowship of the Ring, was played by Dominic Monaghan. Since the success of the trilogy, Monaghan has played various other characters including Charlie in Lost and Seth in Pet. The actor continues to discuss his time working on Lord of the Rings and is an active participant in conventions and online discussions with fans.
8 Billy Boyd (Pippin Took)
Merry’s best friend Pippin was played by Billy Boyd in all three Lord of the Rings movies. His most notable work outside of the three movies was the role of Glen in Seed of Chucky, which was released the following year. Much like Monaghan, Boyd is an active member of the Tolkien fandom and embraces his history in the movies.
7 Orlando Bloom (Legolas)
Even when Lord of the Rings was first released, Orlando Bloom was already one of the most famous members of the ensemble cast. But in the years that followed, Bloom soared to new levels of popularity thanks to his starring role as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. There were many other actors that almost played Will Turner, but Bloom’s fame – thanks to Lord of the Rings – surely played a large role in his casting. Since then, he’s appeared in plenty of other movies including Kingdom of Heaven and Gran Turismo. Additionally, Bloom starred in Amazon Prime Video’s two-season series, Carnival Row, which wrapped up in March 2023.
6 Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)
Cate Blanchett is another member of the Lord of the Rings cast who was already fairly well known before the trilogy reached its peak, but her stardom has only increased since then. She appeared briefly throughout the movies as a powerful elf named Galadriel, but since then, she’s adopted roles such as Hela in Thor: Ragnarok and Irina Spalko in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. She’s almost been nominated at the Oscars eight times, winning twice for Blue Jasmine and The Aviator.
5 Hugo Weaving (Elrond)
Hugo Weaving played Elrond, the leader of the elves, throughout the Lord of the Rings movies. The actor has a strong theatrical background and has been starring in plays for over five decades now, but his on-screen career also picked up after the success of Lord of the Rings. He landed important roles as V in V For Vendetta and Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger, both of which quickly became iconic characters. Most recently, Weaving has been spending his time playing lead roles in Australian films.
4 John Noble (Denethor)
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John Noble played Denethor, the Steward of Gondor, in Return of the King before gaining even more fame for his role as Walter Bishop in the long-running television show Fringe. The actor also joined The Boys in 2020, causing a Lord of the Rings reunion by playing the father of Karl Urban’s character Billy Butcher. Although many fans argue that the Lord of the Rings movie ruined Denethor’s death, there’s no denying that Noble made the character stand out with his iconic performance.
3 Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm)
Bilbo Baggins doesn’t have a huge role in Return of the King, but it’s made memorable by the presence of screen legend Ian Holm. The actor was previously known for his starring role in classic movies Alien, Chariots of Fire, and The Fifth Element, but Bilbo Baggins quickly became his most beloved character. Holm followed up the Lord of the Rings trilogy with projects such as Ratatouille and The Day After Tomorrow, before sadly passing away in June 2020.
2 David Wenham (Faramir)
Faramir was the second son of Denethor, played by David Wenham. The actor received plenty of acclaim for his iconic performance, which led to his casting in plenty of mainstream movies such as 300 and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, where he played The Narrator and Scarfield respectively. Wenham also made an appearance in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic as Hank Snow.
1 Bernard Hill (Theoden)
Theoden was the King of Rohan in both The Two Towers and Return of the King, played by British actor Bernard Hill. Before starring in the beloved trilogy, Hill was known for his appearances in Titanic and Shirley Valentine, having already proven himself to be a gifted and well-regarded actor. In the aftermath of Lord of the Rings, he continued to land major roles – mostly in British TV series. These included Samuel in From There To Here, Father Greaves in Unforgotten, and Len Russell in Hope and Wire.
