Biography for
Dominic Monaghan
Date of Birth
8 December 1976, Berlin, Germany
Birth Name
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan
Nickname
Dom
Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)
Mini Biography
Dominic Monaghan is best-known for his role in the movie adaptations of "Lord of the Rings". Before that, he became known in England for his role in the British television drama "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates" (1996). He was studying English Literature, Drama and Geography at Sixth Form College when he was offered the co-starring role in the series, which ran for four seasons. His other television credits include _"This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper" (2000) (mini)_ and a leading role in _Monsignor Renard (1999)_, a series starring John Thaw.
On the stage, Monaghan has performed in the world premiere UK production of The Resurrectionists, Whale and Annie and Fanny from Bolton to Rome. Since watching Star Wars when he was six years old, Dominic has been consumed by films. His other obsessions include writing, music, fashion, playing/watching soccer and surfing. Utilizing his writing skills, he and LOTR co-star Billy Boyd are collaborating on a script.
Born and raised in Berlin, Monaghan and his family moved to England when he was twelve. In addition to speaking fluent German, he has a knack at impersonations and accents. He frequently returns to his hometown of Manchester, England.
Trivia
Kept a pair of the latex Hobbit feet used in LotR.
Was given the Lord of the Rings book to him by his father when he was 15, who said: 'I'll give you six months to read it' - Dominic read it in two.
Bought a forest in India in early 2003, to help protect the environment.
Speaks fluent German.
Surfs.
Auditioned for Hetty Wainthropp three times in four weeks before finally getting the part.
Has a love for insects.
His mother, Maureen, is a nurse and his father, Austin, is a teacher. While in Germany Austin taught Science for the British armed forces.
Attended Aquinas College, a Catholic sixth form school in Stockport
Did karate as a child
Originally auditioned for the role of Frodo Baggins in the LOTR trilogy
In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), in the first scene with Gollum and Bilbo Baggins, Andy Serkis who plays Gollum wasn't on set for the shooting of that scene, so Dominic filled in for him. It was his only interaction on screen with Ian Holm (Bilbo).
Has a habit of writing on his hands, which he shares with Chris Martin of Coldplay, who happens to be one of his favorite bands.
Wrote and recorded the vocals for the tracks "Shadow" and "Maybe", and co-wrote and recorded "Half Fling" with Elijah Wood on Viggo Mortensen's album 'Pandemoniumfromamerica'.
Used to be roommates with Mackenzie Astin, the brother of his co-star from LOTR, Sean Astin. He now lives on his own in Hollywood Hills.
His brother, Matthew, is one year older than him.
Previous jobs before acting included sorting mail at a Post Office, working in British Home Stores and working as a saute chef at a place called Quincey's in Didsbury, Manchester.
According to The Toronto Star (December 12, 2003), Monaghan fell so in love with surfing that he moved to Los Angeles and found a place to live 25 minutes from a beach.
Likes Radiohead, Coldplay, The Beatles and The Smiths.
While filming the Lord of the Rings-trilogy, he got rid of his fear of heights by joining Orlando Bloom when he went bungee jumping.
Owns a leaf-mantis named Gizmo, a Black Widow spider named Witchitar and an albino snake named Blink
Is marginally the tallest of the 4 principal actors to play a hobbit in "The Lord of the Rings" films.
His favorite football club is Manchester United and his favorite players include Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Eric Cantona and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Is a video game fanatic and often hosts gaming parties at his house
The producers of "Lost" were so impressed with Dom they rewrote the part of Charlie to be a 20-something guy (it was originally intended to be a middle aged rock star who had faded from glory).
Shares a birthday with his fellow co-star from the hit series Lost, Ian Somerhalder.
Shares a birthday with Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen
Attended St. Anne's R.C High School in Stockport, England where his uncle has just retired as Headteacher
Of the three British cast members of "Lost", the others being Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Naveen Andrews, he is the only one to play an English character on the show. Ironically, Monaghan is the only one of the three to not have been born in Britain, rather having been born when his parents were working in Berlin, Germany.
Originally auditioned for the role of Sawyer on "Lost" before being asked to read for the role of Charlie.
Is a fan of Manchester United.
Personal Quotes
"I won't miss having to stand for two hours at 4:30 a.m. and having freezing cold glue applied to my feet. I won't miss two-hour drives to work or long, long, long, days sitting in my trailer waiting... waiting... waiting. I won't miss glue in my ears. But I would do it all again tomorrow."
"For Merry, losing Pippin is like losing his strength, the other side of his personality." - On Merry and Pippin's strong friendship in LotR.
"I hold Treebeard (In The Lord of the Rings) quite close to my heart. He takes things very slowly -- he knows that he'll live forever, so he can spend as much time as he wants mulling things over. I'm turned on by that because I don't think that way."
"I think deep down I've always wanted to be an actor. It was the one thing in school that I was undoubtedly enthusiastic about and good at. I coasted along being good at German, Geography, English and football but there wasn't anything that I could really call my thing, my niche."
"I'd love to play a gangster but I think people might say I looked a bit too young and cheeky to play a character who'd just blown someones head off!"
If I could uninvent anything, I would uninvent Hitler's mum, guns and broccoli.
I would like to be remembered as someone who could make people laugh. I would just like to be remembered really.
"I do quite like all the screaming crowds. I'm a big fan of the ladies, so to have them come to me without any real effort is amazing." [December 11, 2003]
[on his friendship with Billy Boyd, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom:] "We all look after each other and support each other. Billy and I went down to Mexico to see Orlando Bloom when he was working on Troy (2004), we went to see Billy in a play, and I went to see Elijah when he was filming in New York. We all just look after each other, and hopefully that will continue to happen. We're a brotherhood, a fellowship." [December 11, 2003]
[re jokes about "where the Two Towers were really located," that is, rumors about gay affection among the hobbits:] "I think it's because we're all young, good-looking guys. We're kind of cheeky, and we're very physically tactile with one other. I love those guys. I don't (have) any qualms about it. They're my brothers, and I don't have any problem showing affection for men. I'm aware of my own sexuality enough to be free with people." [quoted in MX (Melbourne, Australia), December 16, 2003]
[after the last press junket for LOTR:] "I certainly grew up a lot on the movie. I arrived in New Zealand when I was 21 and now I'm 27. It's a defining point in any young man's life. I just did a massive overhaul of every facet of my personality and worked out who I was going to become." [December 18, 2003]
[on his character the hobbit Meriadoc Brandybuck:] "You don't really see war through the eyes of a hobbit too much in the movie, but Merry becomes a warrior. To see Merry ... covered in blood, sweat and tears, and living the terrible reality, was really traumatic." [December 14, 2003]
[about a game called "Tig" made up as a prank on Elijah Wood early in the shooting of "The Lord of the Rings":] "So we -- the three of us [Billy Boyd, Monaghan, and Sean Astin] -- were constantly getting it right. And every time Elijah tried a new way of tigging, we'd say, 'No, Elijah, you can't tig on a tog, you can't tag on a tig, you have to do an elephant impression if you're gonna tig Billy." (He adds that the prank went on for a year before the three 'fessed up.) [December 14, 2003]
[on hearing that Elijah Wood told a reporter that Monaghan, Wood, and Billy Boyd were considering sharing a home in New Zealand:] "He has all these grand plans. We did look at property in New Zealand. What we're going to do first, correct me if I'm wrong, is we're going to buy property in our respective territories. Billy is going to buy a beautiful little cottage in Edinburgh and Elijah is going to buy some in L.A." (Boyd corrected him, "Glasgow!") [December 12, 2003]
[when asked what he remembered most about filming "Lord of the Rings":] "We loved to surf over there. It's something that we'll take with us for a long time in the future. We plan our holidays around breaks and places to surf. When Billy [Billy Boyd] is in town I surf quite a lot, because it's hard to go surfing on your own. You can do it, but it's not as much fun." [December 12, 2003]
"I have been heartbroken once and it has affected all my relationships from there on. But now I look at it as a occupational hazard. If you are in the meat market at some point you are gonna get mad cows disease."
(On the late, great John Thaw) Not only did I admire the work John had done but also what he had achieved in his lifetime. As a man, he was incredibly nice and was totally giving as an actor. We had some stressful scenes together (in Monsignor Renard) including the one towards the end where my character breaks down in front of the priest and begs his forgiveness. John was nothing but supportive. At the time he was quite ill and yet didn't allow that to affect his performance. I was really upset when John died because I would've loved to have worked with him again and show my gratitude for how he helped me out as a young actor.
"I've always had itching feet. I like being on the move every couple of years." [Knoxville News-Sentinel, Sept 24, 2004]
[on being intrigued by the part of the tortured Charlie in the TV series "Lost" (2004):] "The frustration of Charlie's situation means he has a lot going on in his head. He lives in his head quite a lot. He's a drug addict, and drug addicts, by nature, are a selfish lot. It's a little like life imitating art. I'm not there now, but I can remember what it was like, being a little bit out there on a limb. He had it all, and now he's facing all this (stuff). [Dom's word was probably "shit."] Knoxville News-Sentinel, Sept 24, 2004
[Interviewer reports Monaghan sneaking away briefly from an ABC party and lighting up a cigarette, to talk of his recent past:] "It's hard to imagine that this was happening to someone who was in one of the biggest movies of the year before. But I would not give up that time for anything in the world. I remember writing in my journal that I was going through this growing experience because of it. I came back down to Earth with a bump." [Knoxville News-Sentinel, Sept 24, 2004]
[on the period after shooting The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003):] "My first year in Los Angeles was pretty hellish. I came over here after the high point of 'Lord of the Rings,' and I saw all my friends jumping around to jobs, and I had nothing." ... "My manager at the time was not doing anything for me, and I kind of got into a little bit of a funk. I was living in a [lousy] house in a [bad] part of town. I didn't have a car, and living in L.A. without a car, well, is difficult. I couldn't get a car because I didn't have an American bank account and could not get credit. It's harder to get credit than what you might think. So at that point, I was just hanging out at my place all day, playing 'Grand Theft Auto III.' I was waiting for the phone I didn't have to ring." [Knoxville News- Sentinel, Sept 24, 2004]
"Charlie was a 45-year-old rocker who had been spat out the other side - they were looking at someone like John Hannah. My pitch was, 'Wouldn't it be a more interesting character if he was someone who has barely scratched the surface of what he could be?' I had a lot of frustration and confusion about my career that I transplanted into Charlie." - on his character Charlie from "Lost"
Where Are They Now
(March 2006) Currently filming episodes of "Lost" in Hawaii
Filmography
Actor:
In Production
2000s
1990s
I Sell the Dead (2007) (filming) .... Arthur Blake
"Lost" .... Charlie Pace (69 episodes, 2004-2007)
- Through the Looking Glass (2007) TV Episode .... Charlie Pace
- Greatest Hits (2007) TV Episode .... Charlie Pace
- The Man Behind the Curtain (2007) TV Episode .... Charlie Pace
- The Brig (2007) TV Episode .... Charlie Pace
- D.O.C. (2007) TV Episode .... Charlie Pace
(64 more)
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II - Rise of the Witch King (2006) (VG) (voice) .... Meriadoc Brandybuck
"The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" .... Chris Wellington (1 episode, 2006)
- Episode #2.147 (2006) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Chris Wellington
Shooting Livien (2005) .... Owen Scott
The Purifiers (2004) .... Sol
Spivs (2004) .... Goat
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) .... Merry
... aka Herr der Ringe: Die Rückkehr des Königs, Der (Germany)
... aka The Return of the King (USA: short title)
An Insomniac's Nightmare (2003) .... Jack
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) .... Merry
... aka Herr der Ringe: Die zwei Türme, Der (Germany)
... aka The Two Towers (USA: short title)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) .... Merry
... aka The Fellowship of the Ring (USA: short title)
... aka The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Motion Picture (USA: promotional title)
"Monsignor Renard" (2000) (mini) TV Series .... Etienne Pierre Rollinger
This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (2000) (TV) .... Jimmy Furey
"Hetty Wainthropp Investigates" .... Geoffrey Shawcross / ... (20 episodes, 1996-1998)
- For Love nor Money (1998) TV Episode .... Geoffrey
- Blood Relations (1998) TV Episode .... Geoffrey Shawcross
- Mind over Muscle (1998) TV Episode .... Geoffrey Shawcross
- Digging for Dirt (1998) TV Episode .... Geoffrey Shawcross
- Family Values (1998) TV Episode .... Geoffrey Shawcross
(15 more)
Hostile Waters (1997) (TV) .... Sasha
... aka Im Fahrwasser des Todes (Germany)
... aka Péril en mer (France)
Soundtrack:
"Lost" (1 episode, 2007)
- Flashes Before Your Eyes (2007) TV Episode (performer: "Wonderwall")
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (performer: "The Green Dragon")
... aka Herr der Ringe: Die Rückkehr des Königs, Der (Germany)
... aka The Return of the King (USA: short title)
Self:
"The View" .... Himself (1 episode, 2007)
- Episode dated 22 May 2007 (2007) TV Episode .... Himself
"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" .... Himself (2 episodes, 2006-2007)
... aka Late Night with Conan O'Brien (Australia)
- Episode dated 21 May 2007 (2007) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 4 October 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" .... Himself (4 episodes, 2005-2007)
- Episode dated 14 May 2007 (2007) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 30 January 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 7 October 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 24 May 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
"Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show" .... Himself (3 episodes, 2005-2007)
- Episode dated 13 February 2007 (2007) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 11 January 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 29 April 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" .... Himself (5 episodes, 2004-2007)
- Episode dated 6 February 2007 (2007) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 31 May 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 25 May 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 29 April 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 15 October 2004 (2004) TV Episode .... Himself
The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2007) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
"The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" .... Himself / ... (5 episodes, 2005-2006)
- Episode #3.67 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself/Sean Connery
- Episode #3.62 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode #2.146 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode #2.21 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode #1.120 (2005) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Himself
"Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" .... Himself (1 episode, 2006)
... aka Live with Regis (USA: new title)
... aka Live with Regis & Kelly (USA: new title)
- Episode dated 3 October 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
Fire + Water: Anatomy of an Episode (2006) (V) .... Himself - Charlie Pace
"Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" .... Himself (1 episode, 2006)
- Episode #10.15 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
"Corazón de..." .... Himself (1 episode, 2006)
- Episode dated 11 January 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Himself
The 32nd Annual People's Choice Awards (2006) (TV) .... Himself
Rock & Ringers (2005) (V) .... Himself
"Mad TV" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
- Episode #11.2 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2005) (TV) .... Himself
Welcome to Oahu: The Making of the Pilot (2005) (V) .... Himself
Before They Were Lost: Personal Stories and Audition Tapes (2005) (V) .... Himself
The Ring Comes Full Circle (2005) (V) .... Himself
"Entertainment Tonight" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
... aka E.T. (USA: informal title)
... aka ET Weekend (Australia: weekend title)
... aka Entertainment This Week (weekend title)
... aka This Week in Entertainment (USA: weekend title)
- Episode dated 17 August 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
Du kommst nicht vorbei - Fans im Bann des Ringes (2005) (V) .... Himself
Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005) .... Narrator, Himself
"I Love the '90s: Part Deux" (2005) (mini) TV Series .... Himself
"Good Day Live" .... Himself (1 episode, 2004)
- Episode dated 14 October 2004 (2004) TV Episode .... Himself
"I Love the '90s" (2004) (mini) TV Series .... Himself
2004 MTV Movie Awards (2004) (TV) .... Himself - Winner
"On-Air with Ryan Seacrest" .... Himself (1 episode, 2004)
- Episode dated 12 March 2004 (2004) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Film Programme" .... Himself (1 episode, 2004)
... aka Film '72 (UK)
... aka Film '73 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '74 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '75 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '76 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '77 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '78 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '79 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '80 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '81 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '82 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '83 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '84 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '85 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '86 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '87 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '88 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '89 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '90 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '91 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '92 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '93 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '94 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '95 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '96 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '97 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '98 (UK: new title)
... aka Film '99 (UK: new title)
... aka Film 2000 (UK: new title)
... aka Film 2001 (UK: new title)
... aka Film 2002 (UK: new title)
... aka Film 2003 (UK: new title)
... aka Film 2004 (UK: new title)
... aka Film 2005 (UK: new title)
... aka Film 2006 (UK: new title)
... aka Film 2007 (UK: new title)
- Episode dated 29 February 2004 (2004) TV Episode .... Himself
"Tinseltown TV" .... Himself (1 episode, 2003)
- Episode dated 27 December 2003 (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
The Lord of the Rings: The Quest Fulfilled (2003) (TV) .... Himself
"4Pop" .... Himself (1 episode, 2003)
- Kuninkaan paluu - tarun päätös (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
"Total Request Live" .... Himself (3 episodes, 2001-2003)
... aka TRL (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Total Request with Carson Daly (USA)
- Episode dated 16 December 2003 (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 19 November 2003 (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 14 December 2001 (2001) TV Episode .... Himself
"Filmland" .... Himself (1 episode, 2003)
- Filmland Special - Ringenes Herre: Kongen vender tilbage (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle-Earth (2003) (V) .... Himself
"The Sharon Osbourne Show" .... Himself (1 episode, 2003)
... aka Sharon (USA: short title)
- Episode dated 29 September 2003 (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
G-Phoria (2003) (TV) .... Himself
"Punk'd" .... Himself (1 episode, 2003)
- Episode #1.4 (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
"Player$" .... Himself (2 episodes, 2003)
- Grind (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
- Voodoo That You Do... with Hobbits! (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
A Day in the Life of a Hobbit (2002) (V) .... Himself
Making the Movie (2002) (TV) .... Himself
... aka Making the Movie: The Lord of the Rings (USA)
The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' (2002) (V) .... Himself
"Richard & Judy" .... Himself (1 episode, 2001)
- Episode dated 10 December 2001 (2001) TV Episode .... Himself
Quest for the Ring (2001) (TV) .... Himself/Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck
"SM:TV Live" .... Himself (1 episode, 2001)
... aka SM:TV (UK: short title)
... aka SM:TV Gold (UK: new title)
... aka Saturday Morning Television Live (UK: long title)
- Episode dated 12 August 2001 (2001) TV Episode .... Himself
National Geographic: Beyond the Movie - The Lord of the Rings (2001) (TV) .... Himself/Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck
Archive Footage:
De 'Los Serrano' a 'Cuenta atrás' (2007) (TV) .... Charlie Pace
Lost: The Answers (2007) (TV) .... Charlie Pace
The Lost Survival Guide (2006) (TV) .... Charlie Pace
Cinco caras de David LaChapelle, Las (2006) (TV) .... Charlie Pace
Lost: Revelation (2006) (TV) .... Charlie Pace
Lost: The Journey (2005) (TV) .... Charlie Pace
Destination: Lost (2005) (TV) .... Charlie Pace
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004) (VG) .... Monaghan
DNZ: The Real Middle Earth (2004) (TV) .... Himself
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (VG) (voice) .... Merry
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) (VG) .... Merry
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