Making his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future II (1989), Wood landed a succession of subsequent larger roles, and became a critically acclaimed child actor. His performance in The War gained him a nomination for a 'Young Star Award' (for which he was nominated five times, and won once), and Roger Ebert said in his review of the film that Elijah Wood has emerged, I believe, as the most talented actor in his age group, in Hollywood history.

His role as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings made him a star, but he has resisted typecasting by recently choosing varied roles, such as a stalker in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a mute cannibal in Sin City and a eccentric collector in Everything Is Illuminated.