Andy Serkis, English actor and director
Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director and producer. Best known for his work in performance capture, animation, and voice acting, Serkis is the recipient of numerous accolades, and is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.After acting in several minor roles primarily on British film and television, Serkis achieved fame after he played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film franchise (2001–2003). He then starred in the comedy 13 Going on 30 (2004) and portrayed the titular character in King Kong (2005). Serkis then appeared in a range of genres, including the thriller The Prestige and the animated comedy Flushed Away (both 2006), and portrayed serial killer Ian Brady in Longford (2006) and musician and actor Ian Dury in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010), for which he received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Serkis portrayed Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise (2011–2017), Captain Haddock / Sir Francis Haddock in The Adventures of Tintin (2011), and reprised his role as Gollum in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012). Serkis then played Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel films The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), Ulysses Klaue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Black Panther (2018), and Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman (2022).
Serkis began directing, beginning with Breathe (2017). He followed this with Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018), in which he also played Baloo, and the Sony's Spider-Man Universe film Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021). He owns the production company and motion capture workshop, The Imaginarium. In 2020, Serkis received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema.