Andy Serkis
Encyclopedia
Andrew Clement G. "Andy" Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director and author. He is popularly known for playing (through motion capture
) Gollum
in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
, for which he earned several award nominations, including the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Two Towers. He played the title role in the 2005 King Kong remake
and earned a Golden Globe Award
nomination for his portrayal of Ian Brady in the British television film Longford
.
Serkis' other roles have included Caesar in the 2011 film Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Captain Haddock
in Steven Spielberg
's The Adventures of Tintin (2011). In 2012, he will reprise the role of Gollum for The Hobbit.
Many of Serkis' most prominent roles, including those in The Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, have involved him being the subject of motion capture
to animate and voice a computer-generated
character.
in west London. His mother, Lylie (née Weech), was English and taught disabled children; his father, Clement Serkis, was an Iraq
i-born gynaecologist of Armenian descent. His family's original surname had been "Sarkisian".
Serkis was educated at St Benedict's School
, Ealing
, and then started studying visual arts at Lancaster University
, choosing theatre as a second subject so he could design posters. Serkis was a member of The County College
, and part of the student radio station Bailrigg FM
.
As part of the first year of his visual arts course at Lancaster University, Serkis had to choose a secondary subject as part of a broad-range based arts foundation. He chose to study theatre and joined the Nuffield Studio, getting involved designing and producing plays. Having agreed to act in a couple of productions, towards the end of his first year he played the lead role in Barrie Keeffe
's play Gotcha
, as a rebellious teenager holding a teacher hostage. As a result he changed his major subject in the subsequent two years to acting, constructing his modular Independent Studies Degree around acting, set design studying Stanislavski and Brecht
, and minor modules in art and visual graphics.
, spent 18 months acting in a broad range of productions from Brecht
through Shakespeare to modern British playwrights.
After 18 months, and having gained his Equity card, Serkis joined a series of touring companies, including productions of: Bouncers opposite Hull Truck; Florizel in The Winter's Tale
; and the fool in King Lear
with Max Stafford-Clark
. In the early 1990s he settled in London, and took roles in Dogboy, the Royal Court Theatre
's production of Mojo, Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist
, and Wilson Milam
's 1997 production of Hurlyburly
at the Queen's Theatre
, Shaftesbury Avenue
, opposite Rupert Graves
and David Tennant
.
Like many British actors, Serkis made the move to television through the BBC
, appearing in the joint BBC/HBO production of Einstein and Eddington
. Serkis played Albert Einstein
, following the development of his theory of relativity, while David Tennant played British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington
. Serkis joined director Mike Leigh
's ensemble for two film productions, and appeared in the 1999 romantic comedy Loop
alongside Susannah York
.
Serkis's most critically acclaimed roles have been Sméagol/Gollum
, in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy
(2001–03), the title character in the 2005 version
of King Kong
, in which he provided both the voice and movements for the CGI character as well as the ship's cook, and as 1970s new wave star Ian Dury
in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
(2010).
His work on The Lord of the Rings started a debate on the legitimacy of CGI-assisted acting. Some critics felt Serkis should have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
, since his voice, body language, and facial expressions were used. There is the argument that his CGI actions were partially, or in some cases fully, animated without his movements, but the same is true for actors in a traditional movie with CGI (uncredited, Serkis also voices the Witch King of Angmar, as well as several orc
characters).
Serkis worked with game developers Ninja Theory
on the 2007 release Heavenly Sword
, providing the motion capture and voice for King Bohan (the game's main villain), as well as acting as Dramatic Director for the game. He has played 30 roles in film and television productions. One of his earliest feature film appearances was alongside Sacha Baron Cohen
in The Jolly Boys' Last Stand
.
Serkis was cast as serial killer
Ian Brady in the BAFTA-nominated Longford
, co-starring Samantha Morton
as Myra Hindley and Jim Broadbent
as Lord Longford
. The film was attacked by relatives of Brady's and Hindley's victims. The mother of Keith Bennett, whose body has never been found, publicly criticized Serkis for requesting a meeting with Brady in preparation for the role. Serkis only portrayed Brady in two scenes in the film – both while he was in prison and meeting with Longford, urging him not to support Hindley as she is a manipulative woman who will "destroy" him.
In 2006, Serkis appeared in the role of Mr Grin in the film rendition of Anthony Horowitz
's Alex Rider
novel Stormbreaker
. In 2006, he was in the film The Prestige
as Mr. Alley, assistant to Nikola Tesla
, and as the voice of Spike, one of the henchrats in the Aardman Animations
film Flushed Away
. In 2006 Serkis appeared in Jim Threapleton
's improvised feature film, Extraordinary Rendition, which premiered in 2007.
Serkis appeared in Sugarhouse
, a low-budget independently made film, playing local crime lord Hoodwink, who terrorises an east London housing estate. For the role, Serkis shaved his head and had sessions lasting 20 hours each to have temporary tattoos stencilled onto his body. The film premiered at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival and released in the UK on 24 August 2007.
In 2007, Serkis provided the voice over for Monkey Business
, Five broadcast for three weeks from 13–31 August 2007. This series is about Monkey World
, the popular ape
and monkey
sanctuary
and zoo
near Wool, Dorset
. Serkis will reunite with Peter Jackson as a cast member in Jackson's and Steven Spielberg
's Tintin trilogy, based on The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn. Filming began in January 2009. Filming was due to begin in September 2008 but was delayed due to Universal pulling out of backing the project. In 2008, Serkis appeared as Rigaud in the BBC Television
adaptation Little Dorrit
.
In 2009, Serkis voiced the role of the demon Screwtape
in Focus on the Family
's Radio Theatre audio drama of The Screwtape Letters.
In 2010, Serkis was cast as William Burke for the John Landis
film Burke and Hare
opposite Simon Pegg
.
In 2010, Serkis features in the TV series The Accused, in "Liam's Story", written by Danny Brocklehurst
and Jimmy McGovern. He plays "Caesar" in the 20th Century Fox science-fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
In January 2011, it was confirmed that Serkis would reprise the role of Gollum
in the two-part The Hobbit films which will be released in 2012 and 2013.
, North London
with his wife, actress Lorraine Ashbourne
, and their three children: Ruby (b. 1998), Sonny (b. 2000) and Louis (b. 2004).
Serkis was a vegetarian but started to eat fish during the filming of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He writes about it in his book Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic
, published in 2004.
Serkis was born to Catholic parents and though he has been described as an atheist since his teenage years, he is drawn to the karmic possibilities of energy transference, specifically "the idea that your energy lives on after you".
Serkis is an Arsenal F.C.
supporter.
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
) Gollum
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
, for which he earned several award nominations, including the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Two Towers. He played the title role in the 2005 King Kong remake
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
and earned a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nomination for his portrayal of Ian Brady in the British television film Longford
Longford (film)
Longford is a 2006 drama television film directed by Tom Hooper and written by Peter Morgan.The film centres on Labour Party peer Lord Longford and his campaign for the parole of Moors Murderer Myra Hindley....
.
Serkis' other roles have included Caesar in the 2011 film Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Captain Haddock
Captain Haddock
Captain Archibald Haddock is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé...
in Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's The Adventures of Tintin (2011). In 2012, he will reprise the role of Gollum for The Hobbit.
Many of Serkis' most prominent roles, including those in The Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, have involved him being the subject of motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
to animate and voice a computer-generated
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
character.
Early life
Serkis, one of five children, was born and brought up in Ruislip ManorRuislip Manor
Ruislip Manor is an area of Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It is located approximately north west of Charing Cross.-History:The area was originally owned by King's College, Cambridge, as a part of the Manor of Ruislip...
in west London. His mother, Lylie (née Weech), was English and taught disabled children; his father, Clement Serkis, was an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i-born gynaecologist of Armenian descent. His family's original surname had been "Sarkisian".
Serkis was educated at St Benedict's School
St Benedict's School
St Benedict's School is a co-educational independent Roman Catholic school situated in Ealing, West London. The school is part of Ealing Abbey and is governed by the Abbot and monks of Ealing. As the only day school of the English Houses of the English Benedictine Congregation, the school does not...
, Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, and then started studying visual arts at Lancaster University
Lancaster University
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at...
, choosing theatre as a second subject so he could design posters. Serkis was a member of The County College
The County College
The County College, mostly known as County College, is a constituent college of the University of Lancaster. The establishment of the college was financed through the benefaction of Lancashire County Council and it is named after it...
, and part of the student radio station Bailrigg FM
Bailrigg FM
Bailrigg FM is the radio station for Lancaster University, operating in a music radio format predominantly featuring indie music. During evening and weekend hours programming moves to specialist content where the presenter is free to play whatever they wish...
.
As part of the first year of his visual arts course at Lancaster University, Serkis had to choose a secondary subject as part of a broad-range based arts foundation. He chose to study theatre and joined the Nuffield Studio, getting involved designing and producing plays. Having agreed to act in a couple of productions, towards the end of his first year he played the lead role in Barrie Keeffe
Barrie Keeffe
Barrie Colin Keeffe is an English dramatist and screenwriter, best known for his screenplay for the 1981 film The Long Good Friday....
's play Gotcha
Gotcha
In programming, a gotcha is a feature of a system, a program or a programming language that works in the way it is documented but is counter-intuitive and almost invites mistakes because it is both enticingly easy to invoke and completely unexpected and/or unreasonable in its outcome.-Equality...
, as a rebellious teenager holding a teacher hostage. As a result he changed his major subject in the subsequent two years to acting, constructing his modular Independent Studies Degree around acting, set design studying Stanislavski and Brecht
Brecht
Brecht is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Brecht proper, Sint-Job-in't-Goor and Sint-Lenaarts. On January 1, 2006 Brecht had a total population of 26,464...
, and minor modules in art and visual graphics.
Career
In his third year at college, Serkis joined the backstage team at the local Dukes Playhouse to earn his Equity card. On graduation, although advised to take a one year post-graduate acting course, he joined Dukes as an actor, and under director Jonathan Petherbridge who used workshops based upon the methods of Augusto BoalAugusto Boal
Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical popular education movements...
, spent 18 months acting in a broad range of productions from Brecht
Brecht
Brecht is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Brecht proper, Sint-Job-in't-Goor and Sint-Lenaarts. On January 1, 2006 Brecht had a total population of 26,464...
through Shakespeare to modern British playwrights.
After 18 months, and having gained his Equity card, Serkis joined a series of touring companies, including productions of: Bouncers opposite Hull Truck; Florizel in The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
; and the fool in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
with Max Stafford-Clark
Max Stafford-Clark
Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart Stafford-Clark is an English Theatre Director.-Life and career:He went to school at Felsted and Riverdale Country School in New York City. He has worked as a theatre director since he left Trinity College, Dublin.His directing career began as associate director of...
. In the early 1990s he settled in London, and took roles in Dogboy, the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
's production of Mojo, Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
, and Wilson Milam
Wilson Milam
Wilson Milam is an American theatre director from Bellevue, Washington. He is a founding member and Artistic Director of The Hired Gun Theatre Company....
's 1997 production of Hurlyburly
Hurlyburly
Hurlyburly is a dark comedy play by David Rabe, first staged in 1984.-Plot:More than three hours long, Hurlyburly focuses on the intersecting lives of several low- to mid-level Hollywood players in the 1980s. Fueled by massive amounts of drugs, they attempt to find some meaning in their isolated,...
at the Queen's Theatre
Queen's Theatre
The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...
, Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major street in central London, England, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, that runs in a north-easterly direction from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus....
, opposite Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as DI Lestrade in the critically acclaimed television series Sherlock.-Early life:...
and David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
.
Like many British actors, Serkis made the move to television through the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, appearing in the joint BBC/HBO production of Einstein and Eddington
Einstein and Eddington
Einstein and Eddington is a British single drama produced by Company Pictures and the BBC, in association with HBO. It featured David Tennant as British scientist Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, and Andy Serkis as Albert Einstein...
. Serkis played Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, following the development of his theory of relativity, while David Tennant played British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington
Arthur Stanley Eddington
Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, OM, FRS was a British astrophysicist of the early 20th century. He was also a philosopher of science and a popularizer of science...
. Serkis joined director Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh
Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
's ensemble for two film productions, and appeared in the 1999 romantic comedy Loop
Loop (film)
Loop is a 1997 British romantic comedy feature film produced by Tedi De Toledo and Michael Riley, written by Tim Pears and is the debut film of director Allan Niblo....
alongside Susannah York
Susannah York
Susannah York was a British film, stage and television actress. She was awarded a BAFTA as Best Supporting Actress for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for the same film. She won best actress for Images at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival...
.
Serkis's most critically acclaimed roles have been Sméagol/Gollum
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
, in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
(2001–03), the title character in the 2005 version
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
of King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
, in which he provided both the voice and movements for the CGI character as well as the ship's cook, and as 1970s new wave star Ian Dury
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (film)
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is a 2010 biopic of Ian Dury, starring Andy Serkis as Dury. The film follows Dury's rise to fame and documents his personal battle with the disability caused by having contracted polio during childhood. The effect that his disability and his lifestyle have upon his...
(2010).
His work on The Lord of the Rings started a debate on the legitimacy of CGI-assisted acting. Some critics felt Serkis should have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
, since his voice, body language, and facial expressions were used. There is the argument that his CGI actions were partially, or in some cases fully, animated without his movements, but the same is true for actors in a traditional movie with CGI (uncredited, Serkis also voices the Witch King of Angmar, as well as several orc
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
characters).
Serkis worked with game developers Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory, Ltd. is a video game developer based in Cambridge, England. Originally founded as Just Add Monsters in March 2000, the company was purchased by former Argonaut Games CEO Jez San in November 2004...
on the 2007 release Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword is a video game developed by Ninja Theory exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe...
, providing the motion capture and voice for King Bohan (the game's main villain), as well as acting as Dramatic Director for the game. He has played 30 roles in film and television productions. One of his earliest feature film appearances was alongside Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...
in The Jolly Boys' Last Stand
The Jolly Boys' Last Stand
The Jolly Boys Last Stand is a low budget British comedy feature starring Andy Serkis and Milo Twomey. British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen appears in a minor role...
.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Ian Brady in the BAFTA-nominated Longford
Longford (film)
Longford is a 2006 drama television film directed by Tom Hooper and written by Peter Morgan.The film centres on Labour Party peer Lord Longford and his campaign for the parole of Moors Murderer Myra Hindley....
, co-starring Samantha Morton
Samantha Morton
Samantha Jane Morton is an English actress and film director. She began her performing career with guest roles in television shows such as Soldier Soldier and Boon before making her film debut in the 1997 drama film This Is the Sea, playing the character of Hazel Stokes...
as Myra Hindley and Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent
James "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
as Lord Longford
Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford
Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford KG, PC , known as the Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician, author, and social reformer...
. The film was attacked by relatives of Brady's and Hindley's victims. The mother of Keith Bennett, whose body has never been found, publicly criticized Serkis for requesting a meeting with Brady in preparation for the role. Serkis only portrayed Brady in two scenes in the film – both while he was in prison and meeting with Longford, urging him not to support Hindley as she is a manipulative woman who will "destroy" him.
In 2006, Serkis appeared in the role of Mr Grin in the film rendition of Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...
's Alex Rider
Alex Rider
Alex Rider is a series of spy novels by British author Anthony Horowitz about a 14-15 year old spy named Alex Rider. The series is aimed primarily at young adults. Nine novels have been published to date, as well as three graphic novels, three short stories and a supplementary book...
novel Stormbreaker
Stormbreaker (film)
Stormbreaker is a 2006 British spy film based on Anthony Horowitz's novel of the same name, the first novel in the Alex Rider series. It stars newcomer Alex Pettyfer as the teenage spy alongside actors Mickey Rourke and Bill Nighy...
. In 2006, he was in the film The Prestige
The Prestige (film)
The Prestige is a 2006 mystery thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from Christopher Priest's 1995 novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century...
as Mr. Alley, assistant to Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, and as the voice of Spike, one of the henchrats in the Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations, Ltd., also known as Aardman Studios, or simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The studio is known for films made using stop-motion clay animation techniques, particularly those featuring Plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit...
film Flushed Away
Flushed Away
Flushed Away is a 2006 computer animated British film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell. It is a partnership between Aardman Animations of Wallace and Gromit fame, and DreamWorks Animation, and is Aardman's first completely computer-animated feature as opposed to the usual stop-motion.The film...
. In 2006 Serkis appeared in Jim Threapleton
Jim Threapleton
James Edward "Jim" Threapleton . Threapleton has worked as an assistant director on many films, including Hideous Kinky....
's improvised feature film, Extraordinary Rendition, which premiered in 2007.
Serkis appeared in Sugarhouse
Sugarhouse (film)
-Plot:Sugarhouse tells the story of Tom , a middle class British man who attempts to make a mysterious purchase from a crack addict, portrayed by rapper and actor Ashley Walters. The intended purchase is complicated by the involvement of a local drug dealer named Hoodwink, portrayed by Andy Serkis...
, a low-budget independently made film, playing local crime lord Hoodwink, who terrorises an east London housing estate. For the role, Serkis shaved his head and had sessions lasting 20 hours each to have temporary tattoos stencilled onto his body. The film premiered at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival and released in the UK on 24 August 2007.
In 2007, Serkis provided the voice over for Monkey Business
Monkey Business (TV series)
Monkey Business is a long-running TV series about the exploits of various primates who reside at Monkey World, a rescue centre and sanctuary for primates in Dorset, United Kingdom. The series features Jim and Dr. Alison Cronin, directors of Monkey World, as they travel around the world rescuing...
, Five broadcast for three weeks from 13–31 August 2007. This series is about Monkey World
Monkey World
Monkey World is a ape and monkey sanctuary and rescue centre near Wool, Dorset, England...
, the popular ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
and monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
and zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
near Wool, Dorset
Wool, Dorset
Wool is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. The village has a population of 4,118 , though the population has fluctuated over the past 15 years, due to the proximity of military institutions, reaching a high of 4,300 in 1992. The village lies at a historic bridging point on the...
. Serkis will reunite with Peter Jackson as a cast member in Jackson's and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's Tintin trilogy, based on The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn. Filming began in January 2009. Filming was due to begin in September 2008 but was delayed due to Universal pulling out of backing the project. In 2008, Serkis appeared as Rigaud in the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
adaptation Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit (TV serial)
Little Dorrit is a 2008 British television serial directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence. The teleplay by Andrew Davies is based on the serial novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, originally published between 1855 and 1857....
.
In 2009, Serkis voiced the role of the demon Screwtape
Screwtape
Screwtape is a character in the book The Screwtape Letters and the sequel essay Screwtape Proposes a Toast , both of which written by Christian author C. S. Lewis. A devil, Screwtape holds the position of Senior Tempter and Undersecretary of his department...
in Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
's Radio Theatre audio drama of The Screwtape Letters.
In 2010, Serkis was cast as William Burke for the John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
film Burke and Hare
Burke and Hare (film)
Burke and Hare is a British black comedy film, loosely based on the Burke and Hare murders. Directed by John Landis, the film stars Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as William Burke and William Hare respectively. It was Landis's first feature film release in twelve years, the last being 1998's Susan's...
opposite Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
.
In 2010, Serkis features in the TV series The Accused, in "Liam's Story", written by Danny Brocklehurst
Danny Brocklehurst
Danny Brocklehurst is a BAFTA and International Emmy -winning English screenwriter. Brocklehurst worked as a journalist for several years before becoming a full-time screenwriter.He has written acclaimed television drama...
and Jimmy McGovern. He plays "Caesar" in the 20th Century Fox science-fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
In January 2011, it was confirmed that Serkis would reprise the role of Gollum
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
in the two-part The Hobbit films which will be released in 2012 and 2013.
Personal life
Serkis lives in Crouch EndCrouch End
Crouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
with his wife, actress Lorraine Ashbourne
Lorraine Ashbourne
Lorraine Ashbourne is an English stage, film and television actress.-Career:She has appeared on British television series and television movies, including: The Street,True Dare Kiss, Thin Ice, In a Land of Plenty,...
, and their three children: Ruby (b. 1998), Sonny (b. 2000) and Louis (b. 2004).
Serkis was a vegetarian but started to eat fish during the filming of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He writes about it in his book Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic
Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic
Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic is a memoir written by actor Andy Serkis about his adventures playing Gollum in New Line Cinema's Lord of the Rings film trilogy...
, published in 2004.
Serkis was born to Catholic parents and though he has been described as an atheist since his teenage years, he is drawn to the karmic possibilities of energy transference, specifically "the idea that your energy lives on after you".
Serkis is an Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
supporter.
Won
- Evening Standard British Film Awards 2010 Best Actor – Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.
- Empire Inspiration AwardEmpire AwardsAn Empire Award is an accolade bestowed by Empire, Britain's biggest selling film magazine, to recognize excellence of professionals in the locale and global film industry. The awards are voted for by readers of the magazine and in an annual ceremony, the Empire Awards, the winners are presented...
2010Empire Awards 2010The 15th Empire Awards , honoring the best in film in 2009, were held on March 28, 2010 at the Grosvenor House Hotel and hosted by Dara Ó Briain. Below is a complete list of nominees and winners...
Nominations
- Golden Globe 2008 Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – Longford
- Primetime Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy AwardThe Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
2009 Best Supporting Actor in a TV Movie or Mini Series - "Longford" - BAFTA 2010 Leading Actor – Sex & Drugs & Rock & RollSex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (film)Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is a 2010 biopic of Ian Dury, starring Andy Serkis as Dury. The film follows Dury's rise to fame and documents his personal battle with the disability caused by having contracted polio during childhood. The effect that his disability and his lifestyle have upon his...
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Prince of Jutland Prince of Jutland Prince of Jutland is a 1994 film adaptation of the Danish legend of prince Amleth, drawing upon the 11th century works of Saxo Grammaticus, which was also the inspiration for Shakespeare's Hamlet.... |
Torsten | |
| 1995 | The Near Room | Bunny | |
| 1996 | Stella Does Tricks Stella Does Tricks Stella Does Tricks is a 1996 film about a young Glaswegian girl Stella, played by Kelly Macdonald, working as a prostitute in London.The film was the first feature film directed by Coky Giedroyc, inspired her previous work making documentaries about homeless people in Glasgow, Manchester, and... |
Fitz | |
| 1997 | Mojo | Potts | |
| Career Girls Career Girls Career Girls is a 1997 film by Mike Leigh which tells the story of two women, who reunite after six years apart. The film stars Katrin Cartlidge and Lynda Steadman... |
Nick Evans | ||
| Loop Loop (film) Loop is a 1997 British romantic comedy feature film produced by Tedi De Toledo and Michael Riley, written by Tim Pears and is the debut film of director Allan Niblo.... |
Bill | ||
| 1998 | The Tale of Sweety Barrett | Leo King | |
| Among Giants Among Giants Among Giants is a 1998 British film directed by Sam Miller, and written by Simon Beaufoy, fresh from his success with The Full Monty. It is set in Yorkshire, and stars Pete Postlethwaite, Rachel Griffiths and James Thornton... |
Bob | ||
| Clueless | David | Short film | |
| Insomnia | Harry | Short film | |
| 1999 | Topsy-Turvy Topsy-Turvy Topsy-Turvy is a 1999 musical drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and stars Allan Corduner as Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W. S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. The story concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert... |
John D'Auban John D'Auban Frederick John D'Auban was an English dancer, choreographer and actor of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Famous during his lifetime as the ballet-master at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he is best remembered as the choreographer of many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas.After performing as a... |
|
| Five Seconds to Spare | Chester | ||
| 2000 | Jump | Shaun | |
| Shiner Shiner (2000 film) Shiner is a 2000 released film written by Scott Cherry and directed by John Irvin and starred Michael Caine and Martin Landau.The story centers on Billy "Shiner" Simpson, played by Caine, a boxing promoter whose promising son he represents is killed. Simpson suspects a rival played by Landau and... |
Mel | ||
| Pandaemonium Pandaemonium (film) Pandaemonium is a 2000 film, directed by Julien Temple, screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce. It is based on the early lives of English poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, in particular their collaboration on the "Lyrical Ballads", and Coleridge's writing of Kubla Khan.The film was... |
John Thelwall | ||
| The Jolly Boys' Last Stand The Jolly Boys' Last Stand The Jolly Boys Last Stand is a low budget British comedy feature starring Andy Serkis and Milo Twomey. British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen appears in a minor role... |
Spider | ||
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Smeagól/Gollum Gollum Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings.... |
Nominated – SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| The Escapist | Ricky Barnes | ||
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Smeagól/Gollum Gollum Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings.... |
MTV Movie Award for Best Virtual Performance Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Empire Award for Best British Actor Empire Award for Best British Actor The Empire Award for Best British Actor was an Empire Award that was presented by Empire magazine to British actors working in the motion picture industry from the establishment of the Empire Awards in 1996 until the 10th Empire Awards in 2005... Nominated – OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor The Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor is an annual film award given by the Online Film Critics Society to honor the best supporting actor of the year.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated – SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| Deathwatch | Pvt. Thomas Quinn | ||
| 24 Hour Party People 24 Hour Party People 24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom... |
Martin Hannett Martin Hannett Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson... |
||
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings... |
Sméagol/Gollum Gollum Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings.... and Witch-king of Angmar Witch-king of Angmar The Witch-king of Angmar, also known as the Lord of the Nazgûl and the Black Captain among other names, is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. In Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, he is the chief of the Nazgûl , the chief servants... |
Empire Award for Best British Actor Empire Award for Best British Actor The Empire Award for Best British Actor was an Empire Award that was presented by Empire magazine to British actors working in the motion picture industry from the establishment of the Empire Awards in 1996 until the 10th Empire Awards in 2005... SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated – CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... Nominated – OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor The Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor is an annual film award given by the Online Film Critics Society to honor the best supporting actor of the year.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2004 | Blessed | Father Carlo | |
| 13 Going on 30 13 Going on 30 13 Going on 30 is a 2004 American romantic comedy fantasy film starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. It has a similar premise to the classic short story Rip Van Winkle, in which a young person falls asleep and wakes up many years later as an older person... |
Richard Kneeland | ||
| Standing Room Only Standing Room Only (2004 film) Standing Room Only is a 2004 film directed by Deborra-Lee Furness and starring Hugh Jackman, Michael Gambon and Joanna Lumley.The film starts off with Larry, Michael Gambon character, walking up to a theatre door on an empty wet side street in what appears to be the West End... |
Granny, Rastafarian and Hunter Jackson | ||
| 2005 | King Kong King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong.... |
King Kong King Kong King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films... and Lumpy the Cook |
Utah Film Critics Association Award Utah Film Critics Association Awards 2005 The 1st Utah Film Critics Association Awards honoured the best film making of 2005.-Winners:*Best Actor:**Philip Seymour Hoffman - CapoteRunner-up: Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain*Best Actress:... for Best Supporting Actor |
| Stories of Lost Souls | Granny, Rastafarian and Hunter Jackson | ||
| 2006 | Extraordinary Rendition | Lead Interrogator | |
| Longford Longford (film) Longford is a 2006 drama television film directed by Tom Hooper and written by Peter Morgan.The film centres on Labour Party peer Lord Longford and his campaign for the parole of Moors Murderer Myra Hindley.... |
Ian Brady | Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor British Academy Television Award for Best Actor - 1950s :*1955 Paul Rogers — *1956 Peter Cushing — *1957 Michael Gough — *1958 Michael Hordern — *1959 Donald Pleasence — - 1960s :*1960 Patrick McGoohan — *1961 Lee Montague —... Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
|
| Stormbreaker Stormbreaker (film) Stormbreaker is a 2006 British spy film based on Anthony Horowitz's novel of the same name, the first novel in the Alex Rider series. It stars newcomer Alex Pettyfer as the teenage spy alongside actors Mickey Rourke and Bill Nighy... |
Mr. Grin | ||
| The Prestige The Prestige (film) The Prestige is a 2006 mystery thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from Christopher Priest's 1995 novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century... |
Mr. Alley | ||
| Flushed Away Flushed Away Flushed Away is a 2006 computer animated British film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell. It is a partnership between Aardman Animations of Wallace and Gromit fame, and DreamWorks Animation, and is Aardman's first completely computer-animated feature as opposed to the usual stop-motion.The film... |
Spike | Voice | |
| 2007 | Muybridge | Erickson | |
| Sugarhouse Sugarhouse (film) -Plot:Sugarhouse tells the story of Tom , a middle class British man who attempts to make a mysterious purchase from a crack addict, portrayed by rapper and actor Ashley Walters. The intended purchase is complicated by the involvement of a local drug dealer named Hoodwink, portrayed by Andy Serkis... |
Hoodwink | ||
| 2008 | The Cottage | David | |
| Inkheart Inkheart (film) Inkheart is a 2008 fantasy film directed by Iain Softley and starring Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis and Jim Broadbent. It is based on the novel with the same name by Cornelia Funke... |
Capricorn | ||
| 2009 | Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (film) Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is a 2010 biopic of Ian Dury, starring Andy Serkis as Dury. The film follows Dury's rise to fame and documents his personal battle with the disability caused by having contracted polio during childhood. The effect that his disability and his lifestyle have upon his... |
Ian Dury Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music... |
Evening Standard Film Award for Best Actor Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Best Actor in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.-Superlatives:... Nominated – BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film The British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film is an annual award given to the Best Actor who starred in a British independent film... |
| 2010 | Burke and Hare Burke and Hare (film) Burke and Hare is a British black comedy film, loosely based on the Burke and Hare murders. Directed by John Landis, the film stars Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as William Burke and William Hare respectively. It was Landis's first feature film release in twelve years, the last being 1998's Susan's... |
William Hare | |
| Death of a Superhero | Dr Adrian King | ||
| 2011 | Brighton Rock | Mr. Colleoni | |
| Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Caesar | ||
| The Adventures of Tintin | Captain Haddock Captain Haddock Captain Archibald Haddock is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé... /Sir Francis Haddock |
||
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Sméagol/Gollum Gollum Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings.... |
Filming. 2nd unit Director. |
| 2013 | The Hobbit: There and Back Again | Sméagol/Gollum Gollum Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings.... |
Filming. 2nd unit Director. |
Television work
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Morris Minor and his Marvellous Motors | Sparky Plugg | TV series |
| Streetwise | Owen | TV | |
| 1992 | The Darling Buds of May The Darling Buds of May The Darling Buds of May is a British comedy drama which was first broadcast between 1991 and 1993 produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV Network. It is set in an idyllic rural 1950s Kent, among a large, boisterous family. The three series were based on the novels by H. E. Bates. Originally... |
Greville | TV series – Episode Le Grande Weekend |
| 1993 | Pie in the Sky | Maxwell | TV series – Episode Passion Fruit Fool |
| 1994 | Finney | Tom | TV series |
| Grushko | Pyotr | TV drama | |
| 1997 | The Pale Horse | Sergeant Corrigan | TV drama |
| 1998 | The Jump | Steven Brunos | TV drama |
| 1999 | Oliver Twist Oliver Twist (TV miniseries) Oliver Twist is a 1999 television mini-series produced by ITV based on the book Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.-Plot:The first episode revolved around Oliver's parents as they struggled to fight their love for each other... |
Bill Sikes Bill Sikes William "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character in the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.He is one of Dickens's most vicious characters and a very strong force in the novel when it comes to having control over somebody or harming others. He is portrayed as a rough and barbaric man. He is a career... |
TV serial |
| Shooting the Past Shooting the Past Shooting The Past is a television drama by Stephen Poliakoff, produced by TalkBack Productions for BBC Two and first shown in 1999. It was TalkBack's first drama production, the company being mainly known for its television comedy work... |
Styeman | TV drama | |
| Touching Evil III | Michael Lawler | TV mini-series | |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Kasim | TV mini-series |
| 2004 | Spooks Spooks Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a... |
Riff | TV series – Episode Celebrity |
| The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie... |
Cleanie | TV series – Episode Dude, Where's My Ranch? Dude, Where's My Ranch? "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode aired on April 27, 2003. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and was the first episode directed by Chris Clements.-Plot:... |
|
| 2006 | Simon Schama's Simon Schama Simon Michael Schama, CBE is a British historian and art historian. He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University. He is best known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC documentary series A History of Britain... Power of Art Simon Schama's Power of Art Power of Art is a BBC documentary series written and presented by Simon Schama. The series was broadcast in October and November 2006 on BBC2... |
Vincent Van Gogh Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is... |
TV series – Episode Van Gogh: Wheat Field with Crows |
| 2008 | Einstein and Eddington Einstein and Eddington Einstein and Eddington is a British single drama produced by Company Pictures and the BBC, in association with HBO. It featured David Tennant as British scientist Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, and Andy Serkis as Albert Einstein... |
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history... |
TV drama |
| Little Dorrit Little Dorrit (TV serial) Little Dorrit is a 2008 British television serial directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence. The teleplay by Andrew Davies is based on the serial novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, originally published between 1855 and 1857.... |
Rigaud | TV serial | |
| 2009 | The Screwtape Letters | Screwtape Screwtape Screwtape is a character in the book The Screwtape Letters and the sequel essay Screwtape Proposes a Toast , both of which written by Christian author C. S. Lewis. A devil, Screwtape holds the position of Senior Tempter and Undersecretary of his department... |
Audio drama |
| 2010 | Accused Accused (TV series) Accused is a British television anthology series. Written and created by Jimmy McGovern, it stars Christopher Eccleston, Benjamin Smith, Juliet Stevenson, Andy Serkis, Marc Warren and Naomie Harris as the accused in each episode. Filming for the series took place around Manchester between May and... |
Liam | written by Danny Brocklehurst Danny Brocklehurst Danny Brocklehurst is a BAFTA and International Emmy -winning English screenwriter. Brocklehurst worked as a journalist for several years before becoming a full-time screenwriter.He has written acclaimed television drama... |
Video games
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Heavenly Sword Heavenly Sword Heavenly Sword is a video game developed by Ninja Theory exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe... |
King Bohan | Game voice, motion capture |
| 2009 | Risen | The Inquisitor | Game voice |
| 2010 | Enslaved: Odyssey to the West | Monkey, The Pyramid | Game voice, motion capture, director, writer |
Other works
- His book Gollum: How We Made Movie MagicGollum: How We Made Movie MagicGollum: How We Made Movie Magic is a memoir written by actor Andy Serkis about his adventures playing Gollum in New Line Cinema's Lord of the Rings film trilogy...
(published 2004) explains how he created Gollum, which was originally a three-week voiceover job. - He played an abusiveDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
boyfriend in the music video for Neneh CherryNeneh CherryNeneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
's "Woman".