Gandalf is a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He is a wizard, one of the Istari order, and the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring.
2. Aragorn
Casting Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn was a stroke of genius. Before Fellowship, Mortensen was known as an arthouse darling; here, he is every bit the Hollywood leading man.
3. Gollum
A quietly tragic figure at the heart of The Lord of the Rings – and a small chance encounter in The Hobbit – Gollum was the perfect mascot for Middle Earth,
4. Samwise Gangee
A bastion of unfettered loyalty and perseverance, Sean Astin’s trusty hobbit Sam Gangee is arguably the moral centre of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
5. Saruman
With Ian McKellen in the role of Gandalf, Lord of the Rings needed an equally formidable thespian in the role of his nemesis, Saruman.
6. Boromir
All the best characters in Lord of the Rings tended to have compelling arcs. Though Boromir’s (Sean Bean) played out over the course of just a single film, it remains one of the narrative high points of the story.
7. Legolas
True, Orlando Bloom’s performance as the fair-haired archer Legolas could charitably be described as “wooden”.