Andy Serkis

Andy Serkis 2003 in Wellington

Andy Serkis (born April 20, 1964) is a British actor and director of Armenian descent.

Serkis was born and brought up in Ruislip, Middlesex, England. He attended Lancaster University. His most memorable and critically acclaimed roles have been Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (2001–2003) and Kong in the 2005 version of King Kong, where he provided the voice and movements for the CGI characters.

His acclaimed work on the trilogy set off a debate on the legitimacy of CGI-assisted acting. Many critics felt Serkis should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance but some believed incorrectly that the Academy ruled that he did not qualify because he never physically appeared onscreen. There is no such prohibition and, as a matter of fact, Serkis appeared onscreen as Sméagol before he became Gollum, and as Lumpy the Cook in the 2005 version of King Kong.

Continuing the development of Performance capture as an art form, Serkis is working with game developers Ninja Theory on the 2007 release of Heavenly Sword.

He has played over 30 other roles in film and television productions throughout his career.

Serkis was cast as the Moors Murderer, Ian Brady in Longford, co-starring Samantha Morton as Myra Hindley and Jim Broadbent as Lord Longford. The film was attacked by relatives of the victims [1]. The mother of Keith Bennett, whose body has never been found, blasted Serkis when he requested a meeting with Brady in preparation for the role.

One of his earliest feature film appearances was alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in "The Jolly Boys Last Stand" [2] - Now considered a British cult comedy classic.

Serkis has recently appeared in the role of Mr Grin in the film rendition of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider novel Stormbreaker.

Serkis lives in North London with his wife, actress Lorraine Ashbourne and their three young children Ruby, Sonny and Louis.

Selected filmography

• Muybridge (2007) as Erickson
• Inkheart (2006) as Capricorn
• Sugarhouse Lane (2006) as Hoodwink
• Rendition (2006)as Lead Interrogater
• Longford (British TV drama) (2006) as Ian Brady
• Stormbreaker (2006) as Mr. Grin
• The Prestige (2006) as Mr. Alley
• Flushed Away (2006) (voice) as Spike
• King Kong (2005) as King Kong and Lumpy the cook
• Stories of Lost Souls (2005) as Granny, Rastafarian and Hunter Jackson
• Blessed (2004) as Father Carlo
• 13 Going on 30 (2004) as Richard Kneeland
• Standing Room Only (2004) as Granny, Rastafarian and Hunter Jackson
• Spooks (2004 - series 3, episode 8) (TV) as Riff
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as Sméagol (aka Gollum), Witch-king of Angmar (voices)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) as Sméagol (aka Gollum)
• Deathwatch (2002) as Pvt. Thomas Quinn
• 24 Hour Party People (2002) as Martin Hannett
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) as Sméagol (aka Gollum)
• The Escapist (2001) as Ricky Barnes
• Jump (2000) as Shaun
• Shiner (2000) as Mel
• Pandaemonium (2000) as John Thelwall
• The Jolly Boys' Last Stand [3] (2000) as Spider
• Arabian Nights (2000) (TV) as Kasim
• Oliver Twist (1999) (TV) as Bill Sikes
• Topsy-Turvy (1999) as John D'Auban
• Shooting the Past (1999) (TV) as Styeman
• Five Seconds to Spare (1999) as Chester
• Touching Evil III (1999) (mini) TV Series as Michael Lawler
• The Tale of Sweety Barrett (1998) as Leo King
• The Jump (1998) (TV) as Steven Brunos
• Among Giants (1998) as Bob
• Clueless (1998) as David
• Insomnia (1998) as Harry
• Mojo (1997) as Potts
• The Pale Horse (1997) (TV) as Sergeant Corrigan
• Career Girls (1997) as Mr. Evans
• Loop (1997) as Bill
• Stella Does Tricks (1996) as Fitz
• The Near Room (1995) as Bunny
• Finney (1994) TV Series as Tom
• Grushko (1994) (TV) as Pyotr
• Prince of Jutland (1994) as Torsten

Other works

• Heavenly Sword, a Playstation 3 title planned for release at the console's November launch. He stars as King Bothan, voicing him and providing a basis for his in-game face. He also acts as the dramatic director on the project.

External links

• Official homepage
• Andy Serkis at IMDb
• Andy Serkis Interview
• The Jolly Boys Last Stand