**Elijah Wood** (born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1981) is an American actor and film producer. He began his career as a child actor, gaining recognition for roles in films such as *Parenthood* (1989) and *The Good Son* (1993).

He achieved worldwide fame by portraying the protagonist Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's *The Lord of the Rings* trilogy (2001-2003), a role that cemented his status as a fantasy genre icon.

Following the success of Frodo, Wood has demonstrated remarkable versatility, often choosing darker or more complex roles to distance himself from his innocent image. He has starred in films such as *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* (2004), *Sin City* (2005), and the gritty *Green Street Hooligans* (2005). He is known for portraying characters who are sensitive and sometimes vulnerable, but also unsettling or morally ambiguous, as in the thriller *Maniac* (2012). His career is characterized by a predilection for independent cinema and unconventional roles.