During his teens, Hugo Weaving showed early promise in theater productions. He then graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, a college well-known for other alumni such as Mel Gibson and Geoffrey Rush. Since then, the veteran English actor has had a steadily successful career in the film, television, and theater industries. More recently, roles in films such as The Matrix trilogy as Agent Smith and The Lord of the Rings trilogy as Lord Elrond have considerably raised his international profile.
Weaving's famous and irreplaceable role in The Matrix movies have made him one of the greatest sci-fi villains of the 21st Century. In addition to his live-action appearances, Weaving has had several voice-over roles in films like Babe (1995), Happy Feet (2006), and the Transformers live-action movie franchise as Megatron. He's also made the rounds on the small screen — a recent example is Patrick Melrose, where he plays the despicable father of Benedict Cumberbatch's titular character. In honor of the celebrated character actor, here's a closer look at Weaving's finest big-screen efforts to date.
5 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
To say The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King stole the show at the 76th Academy Awards is an understatement. The 3.5-hour epic received 12 Oscar nominations and won in 11 categories, including Best Picture. It has the tremendous benefit of bringing the narrative and character arcs from the preceding Lord of the Rings movies to a close. As the trilogy concluded, there was indeed a bittersweet feeling, and we can't wait for the highly anticipated Amazon Prime series to keep the franchise going.
Weaving plays Elrond Half-elven in all three films in the original trilogy. His eloquently spoken character has both Men and Elves as ancestors, as he's the bearer of the elven-ring Vilya, the Ring of Air, and master of Rivendell, where he has lived for thousands of years through the Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth. Scholars have commented on Elrond's archaic style of speech, and Weaving brilliantly brings the character to life on-screen. The epic flashback scene where he tries in vain to get his comrade to "destroy" the ring is just one Weaving highlight from the trilogy. The Return of the King takes the cake when it comes to best of the trilogy of O.G. films.
4 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
With a contract to perform a drag show way out in the Australian desert, Bernadette (Terence Stamp), Tick (Hugo Weaving) and Adam (Guy Pearce) each have a personal reason for wanting to leave the safety of Sydney. This is the unique plotline of The Adventures of Priscilla. Christening their battered tour bus "Priscilla," the wickedly funny drama queens head for the outback, where their spectacular adventures are more than matched by their spectacular outfits. The film has since achieved cult status over the years and inspired a musical version, which opened in Sydney in 2006.
"I think that film came out at the right time, when it could be embraced by a vast majority of people," Weaving once told Yahoo about the film. "Maybe five years before, it wouldn’t have been. It was a watershed year in the sense of embracing drag queens in a really celebratory way, and not just as a political protest."
3 Proof (1991)
Proof is a black comedy about a blind man named Martin (Weaving), who takes photographs as "proof" that the world really is as others describe it to him. The film explores his antagonistic relationships with Celia (Geneviève Picot), who cleans and cooks for him and habitually rearranges the furniture in the house, and with Andy (Russell Crowe), a friend he thinks he can trust. The film overall is a fun ride from start to finish, especially to see younger Weaving and Crowe sinking their teeth into juicy roles.
2 V for Vendetta (2005)
Based on the British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, V for Vendetta is set in a dystopian future British society filled with corruption and nothing but terror to live in, in turn, leading to a fundamental revolution. Natalie Portman takes on the role of the protagonist, Evey Hammond. This is yet another phenomenal performance by Portman, but equally magnetic on screen is Weaving. Their chemistry is palpable. It's telling that Weaving's performance is terrific, since we can't even see his face behind that iconic mask of his.
1 The Matrix (1999)
We all know the premise of The Matrix — it revolves around computer hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) who finds himself joining the resistance to help overcome the Matrix. The timeless film has earned acclaim for its inventive mix of kung fu action, elaborate special effects, and philosophical and existential themes. It also helped establish Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss, but Weaving steals the show as Agent Smith. Thanks to his obvious dedication to the "simulated" character, it's no surprise that he reappeared in the next two sequels. Fans still point to the original Matrix, however, as a benchmark of the sci-fi action genre.