Below is a compiled list of the most interesting facts about Andy Serkis. Check it out!
English film actor, director and author Andy Serkis is known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for such computer-generated characters as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), the eponymous King Kong in the 2005 film, Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), Captain Haddock / Sir Francis Haddock in Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011) and Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015). Serkis earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for his portrayal of serial killer Ian Brady in the British television film Longford (2006), and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his portrayal of new wave and punk rock musician Ian Dury in the biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010). In 2015, he had a small role in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Serkis has his own motion capture workshop, The Imaginarium Studios in London, which he will use for his directorial debut, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018).
Interesting Facts about Andy Serkis
- Based the voice of Gollum on the sounds his cats made while coughing up furballs.
- “The Imaginarium” London-based production and performance capture studio, is headed by Serkis and his friend and business partner Jonathan Cavendish.
- Completing and Directing Motion Capture for Playstation 3’s game ‘Heavenly Sword’ at Weta Digital in Wellington, New Zealand. Plays the Character of ‘King’ in the game.
- Owns one of two prop rings used in “Lord of the Rings.” The other went to Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins.
- As of 2019, he has appeared in 4 films that were Oscar nominated for Best Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), and Black Panther (2018). Of these, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) is a Best Picture winner.
- Uses his “Gollum” voice on his children, for fun and/or when they misbehave.
- His performance as Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is ranked #10 on Premiere Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
- Has thrice co-starred with Jamie Bell: Deathwatch (2002), King Kong (2005) and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011).
- September 2004 – Attended the Armaggeddon Pulp Culture Expo Convention in Wellington, New Zealand as a Lord of the Rings guest
- Has three children, a daughter, Ruby, and two sons, Sonny and Louis Ashbourne Serkis (born 19 June, 2004), the latter of whom starred in the film The Kid Who Would Be King (2019).
- Has twice played computer-generated apes: in “King Kong” (as the giant title character) and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (as Caesar, the chimpanzee who leads the rebellion).
- Born to Lylie (Weech), a British mother who taught handicapped children, and Dr. Clement Serkis, a gynaecologist (born in Iraq of Armenian descent) who opened a hospital in Baghdad and was briefly imprisoned under Saddam Hussein’s regime, Andy attended St. Benedict’s School, Ealing, London, a Roman Catholic school.
Personal Quotes by Andy Serkis
I’d like to think that we strive in film and theatre to tell great stories, and I believe in the power of storytelling in our culture.
Andy Serkis
Both my parents are Catholic and staunch believers. I’m not a Catholic now, but I still carry part of it with me.
Andy Serkis
An actor finds things in the moment with a director and other actors that you don’t have time to hand-draw or animate with a computer.
Andy Serkis
In terms of animation, animators are actors as well. They are fantastic actors. They have to draw from how they feel emotionally about the beat of a scene that they’re working on. They work collaboratively.
Andy Serkis
My dad was working abroad, in Iraq, and he was a doctor. We used to go and visit him, in Baghdad, off and on. For the first ten years of my life, we used to go backwards and forwards to Baghdad, so that was quite amazing. I spent a lot of time traveling around the Middle East.
Andy Serkis
