And I'm eternally grateful towards Sean Bean. For years I hated Boromir. But after seeing LotR for the first time, I began to understand him. Tolkien says he's a good Man, but I didn't believe him. Sean Bean made me Boromir's goodness believable.

Yes, I think Sean Bean did more than any other performer to elevate the worth of his character of film, vis-a-vis the books. What other characters lost, he definitely gained. When I read the book now, I always see Bean in the role. What a [positive] difference it has made to my reading of the story.