Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. is a Danish-American actor. Mortensen was born October 20, 1958, in New York City. His mother, Grace Gamble (née Atkinson), was American, and his father, Viggo Peter Mortensen Sr., is Danish; the two met in Norway. He made his film debut in Peter Weir’s 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of subsequent years, including The Indian Runner (1991), Carlito’s Way (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), Daylight (1996), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), G.I. Jane (1997), A Perfect Murder (1998), A Walk on the Moon (1999), and 28 Days (2000).
Aside from acting, his other artistic pursuits include fine arts, photography, poetry, and music. In 2002, he founded the Perceval Press to publish the works of little-known artists and authors.