<Ul> <Li> Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins : a young hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo . Wood was the first actor to be cast on 7 July 1999 . Wood was a fan of the book , and he sent in an audition dressed as Frodo , reading lines from the novel . Wood was selected from 150 actors who auditioned , including Jake Gyllenhaal . </Li> <Li> Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey : an Istari wizard and mentor to Frodo . Sean Connery was approached for the role , but did not understand the plot , while Patrick Stewart turned it down as he disliked the script . Before being cast , McKellen had to sort his schedule with 20th Century Fox as there was a two - month overlap with X-Men . He enjoyed playing Gandalf the Grey more than his transformed state in the next two films , and based his accent on Tolkien . Unlike his on - screen character , McKellen did not spend much time with the actors playing the Hobbits ; instead he worked with their scale doubles . </Li> <Li> Sean Astin as Samwise `` Sam '' Gamgee : a hobbit gardener and Frodo 's best friend . Astin , who had recently become a father , bonded with the 18 - year - old Wood in a protective manner , which mirrored Sam 's relationship with Frodo . </Li> <Li> Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn II Elessar : a Dúnedain ranger , the descendant of Isildur , and heir to Gondor 's throne . Daniel Day - Lewis was offered the part at the beginning of pre-production , but turned it down . Nicolas Cage also received an offer , declining because of `` family obligations '' , while Vin Diesel , a fan of the book , auditioned for Aragorn . Stuart Townsend was cast in the role , before being replaced during filming when Jackson realized he was too young . Russell Crowe was considered as a replacement , but he turned it down after taking what he thought to be a similar role in Gladiator . Day - Lewis was offered the role for a second time , but declined again . Executive Producer Mark Ordesky saw Mortensen in a play . Mortensen 's son , a fan of the book , convinced him to take the role . Mortensen read the book on the plane , received a crash course lesson in fencing from Bob Anderson and began filming the scenes on Weathertop . Mortensen became a hit with the crew by patching up his costume and carrying his `` hero '' sword around with him off - camera . </Li> <Li> Billy Boyd as Peregrin `` Pippin '' Took : a hobbit who travels with the Fellowship on their journey to Mordor . </Li> <Li> Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc `` Merry '' Brandybuck : a distant cousin of Frodo . Monaghan was cast as Merry after auditioning for Frodo . </Li> <Li> John Rhys - Davies as Gimli : a dwarf warrior who accompanies the Fellowship to Mordor after they set out from Rivendell and a descendant of Durin 's Folk . Billy Connolly , who was considered for the part of Gimli , later portrayed Dáin II Ironfoot in Peter Jackson 's The Hobbit film trilogy . Rhys - Davies wore heavy prosthetics to play Gimli , which limited his vision , and eventually developed eczema around his eyes . </Li> <Li> Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf : a prince of the elves ' Woodland Realm and a skilled archer . Bloom initially auditioned for Faramir , who appears in the second film , a role which went to David Wenham . </Li> <Li> Sean Bean as Boromir : a prince of the Stewards of Gondor who journeys with the Fellowship towards Mordor . Bruce Willis , a fan of the book , expressed interest in the role , while Liam Neeson was sent the script , but passed . </Li> <Li> Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins : Frodo 's uncle who gives him the Ring after he decides to retire to Rivendell . Holm previously played Frodo in a 1981 radio adaption of The Lord of the Rings , and was cast as Bilbo after Jackson remembered his performance . Sylvester McCoy , who would later play Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit , was contacted about playing the role , and was kept in place as a potential Bilbo for six months before Jackson went with Holm . </Li> <Li> Liv Tyler as Arwen Undomiel : an elven princess of Rivendell and Aragorn 's lover . The filmmakers approached Tyler after seeing her performance in Plunkett & Macleane
who plays the hobbits in lord of the rings
Elijah Wood Sean Astin Billy Boyd Dominic Monaghan Ian Holm Andy Serkis