Editing Viggo Mortensen (section)

=== 1980s–1990s: First films ===
Mortensen's first film role was in the [[Woody Allen]] film ''[[The Purple Rose of Cairo]]'' (1985), but his scenes were deleted from the final cut.<ref>{{cite news |last=Valiente |first=Alexa |date=July 20, 2016 |title=Viggo Mortensen Once Didn't Know He Was Cut From a Woody Allen Film Until Its Release |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/viggo-mortensen-cut-woody-allen-film-release/story?id=40712577 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=July 21, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721124049/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/viggo-mortensen-cut-woody-allen-film-release/story?id=40712577 |archive-date=July 21, 2016 }}</ref> He was one of the four finalists to play the title role of [[Tarzan]] in the adventure film ''[[Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes]]'' (1984), though the role eventually went to [[Christopher Lambert]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Galloway |first=Stephen |date=July 1, 2016 |title=The Secrets Behind That Other Tarzan Movie — The One That Earned a Dog a Screenwriting Oscar Nomination |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/greystoke-inside-story-1984-tarzan-908081/ |access-date=March 29, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref>

His first onscreen appearance was playing an [[Amish]] farmer in [[Peter Weir]]'s ''[[Witness (1985 film)|Witness]]''. He was cast because the director thought he had the right face for the part. Although he was simultaneously cast as a soldier in [[Shakespeare in the Park (New York City)|Shakespeare in the Park]]'s production of ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'', he chose to work on ''Witness'' instead, citing a desire to try something new. Mortensen credited that decision and the positive experience on the film as the start of his film career.<ref name="dvdextra">{{cite AV media |people=Keith Clark and Jon Mefford |year=2005 |title=Witness |chapter=Between Two Worlds: The Making of ''Witness'' |medium=DVD |publisher=Paramount Pictures |oclc=949729643}}</ref> Also in 1985, he was cast in the role of Bragg on the TV series ''[[Search for Tomorrow]]''.

Mortensen's 1987 performance in ''[[Bent (play)|Bent]]'' at the [[Coast Playhouse]], Los Angeles, won him a [[Drama-Logue Award|Dramalogue Critics' Award]]. The play, which revolves around homosexual prisoners in a [[concentration camp]] in Nazi Germany, was known for the leading performance by [[Ian McKellen]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Arkatov |first=Janice |date=April 3, 1987 |title=A GAY GROUND-BREAKER |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-04-03-ca-2360-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=July 27, 2015}}</ref> with whom Mortensen later costarred in the film trilogy ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings]]''. The same year, Mortensen starred as Jerome Stample in the black comedy ''[[Salvation!]]'' <ref>{{cite news |last1=Canby |first1=Vincent |title=TV Evangelism is satirized in "Salvation!" |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/31/movies/tv-evangelism-is-satirized-in-salvation.html |access-date=November 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=May 31, 1987}}</ref> alongside Exene Cervenka, and played Burke, a professional car thief in ''[[Prison (1987 film)|Prison]]''. He also guest starred as a police detective on the hit TV series ''[[Miami Vice]].''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/miami-vice-reboot-nbc-vin-diesel-1202506455/ |title='Miami Vice' Reboot in Works at NBC From Vin Diesel |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=August 2, 2017 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=August 2, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802212049/https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/miami-vice-reboot-nbc-vin-diesel-1202506455/ |archive-date=August 2, 2017}}</ref> In 1988, Mortensen played a minor part as Green, the abusive husband of Jewel ([[Molly Ringwald]]), in ''[[Fresh Horses (film)|Fresh Horses]]''. The following year, Mortensen appeared in a minor role as Hans in ''[[Tripwire (film)|Tripwire]]''.

Mortensen made three film appearances in 1990: Edward "Tex" Sawyer, a member of a cannibalistic family in ''[[Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III]]'', John W. Poe in ''[[Young Guns II]]'', and Cameron Dove, a military veteran suffering from radiation poisoning in ''[[The Reflecting Skin]]''. ''The Reflecting Skin'' was Mortensen's first film to premiere at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Volmers |first1=Eric |title=Reflecting on Alberta's strangest movie, 1990's The Reflecting Skin |url=https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/movies/reflecting-on-albertas-strangest-movie-1990s-the-reflecting-skin |access-date=November 17, 2024 |publisher=Calgary Herald |date=March 11, 2016}}</ref> The following year, Mortensen starred as Frank Roberts in [[Sean Penn]]'s directorial debut [[The Indian Runner]]. [[Sandy Dennis]], who played Frank Roberts's mother in the film and was a personal friend of Mortensen, was dying of ovarian cancer during filming. Mortensen described the filming experience as having an "undercurrent of loss," and wrote the poem "For Sandy Dennis" in her honor.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mortensen |first1=Viggo |title=Missing Sandy Dennis |url=https://www.focusfeatures.com/article/missing_sandy_dennis |access-date=November 18, 2024 |work=www.focusfeatures.com |publisher=Focus Features |date=August 7, 2008 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1992, Mortensen starred in ''[[Ruby Cairo]]'' alongside [[Liam Neeson]] and [[Andie MacDowell]]. Although Ruby Cairo was Mortensen's highest-budget film at this point in his career, it was a commercial failure, bringing in only 608,000 on its 24 million dollar budget.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ruby Cairo (1993) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ruby-Cairo#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |access-date=28 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Elley |first1=Derek |title=Ruby Cairo |url=https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/ruby-cairo-2-1200432311/ |website=Variety |date=5 May 1993}}</ref> The next year, the film was recut and given the title ''Deception''. Several scenes were reshot for ''Deception'', including a sex scene between Mortensen and MacDowell, which was removed and replaced with a less intimate dialogue on a balcony.

By the mid-1990s, Mortensen was consistently making several film appearances a year. During this time, Mortensen was frequently cast in crime dramas such as Lalin Miasso in ''[[Carlito's Way]]'', Carl Frazer in ''[[The Young Americans (film)|The Young Americans]]'', Nick Davis in ''[[American Yakuza]]'', and Guy Foucard in ''[[Albino Alligator|Albino Aligator]]''.

Other films from that time include [[Jane Campion]]'s ''[[The Portrait of a Lady (film)|The Portrait of a Lady]]'', where he played Caspar Goodwood, a love interest of the film's protagonist,  Isabel Archer ([[Nicole Kidman]]).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maslin |first1=Janet |title=Henry James, not too literally |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/27/movies/henry-james-not-too-literally.html |access-date=26 November 2024 |agency=New York Times |date=December 27, 1996}}</ref> He also acted in ''[[Crimson Tide (film)|Crimson Tide]]'', ''[[Daylight (1996 film)|Daylight]]'', ''[[A Walk on the Moon]]'',  ''[[The Passion of Darkly Noon]]'', ''[[28 Days (film)|28 Days]]'', and ''[[The Prophecy]]'', with [[Christopher Walken]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Applebaum |title=Mortensen's battle scars |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2544149.stm |work=BBC News |date=December 5, 2002 |access-date=August 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619150324/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2544149.stm |archive-date=June 19, 2004 |url-status=live}}</ref>

With a budget of $50 million, [[G.I. Jane|''G.I Jane'' (1997)]] was Mortensen's biggest budget film appearance prior to his role in ''Lord of the Rings''.<ref>{{cite web |title=G.I. Jane (1997) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/GI-Jane-(1997)#tab=summary |website=The Numbers}}</ref> Although the film earned his co-star, [[Demi Moore]], a [[Golden Raspberry Awards|Golden Raspberry Award]] for her role, Mortensen's performance as Command Master Chief John James 'Jack' Urgayle was favorably received.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Malsin |first1=Janet |title='G.I. Jane': A Heroine Who's More Like Tarzan |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/gi-jane-film-review.html |access-date=3 December 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=22 August 1997}}</ref>

In 1998, Mortensen appeared in remakes of two [[Alfred Hitchcock]] movies: ''[[Psycho (1998 film)|Psycho]]'' and ''[[A Perfect Murder]]'' (which was a remake of ''[[Dial M for Murder]]'').