Andy Serkis – biography, photos, movies, personal life, wife and children, height and weight 2020

Biography of Andy Serkis

British actor and film director Andy Serkis participated in more than 70 films in total, but became famous throughout the world after his role as Gollum in the film epic “The Lord of the Rings.” The character was filmed using motion capture technology. Being one of the pioneers of this technology, he subsequently returned to it more than once in other projects (“King Kong”, “Planet of the Apes”) and, already as a director, worked on films using it (“Mowgli”, “Animal Farm” ).

In the photo: Andy Serkis

Theater and films

Andy chose theater arts as an elective subject so that he could draw posters for upcoming performances. Later, the young man joined the Nuffield studio, where he developed plays.

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Andy Serkis in the film “Planet of the Apes”
Later, Andy began to appear on stage as an actor: he played the main role in the play “Pounded” by English playwright Barry Keeffe. In his youth, the artist played in Faust by Johann Goethe and Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

The short actor (Andy’s height is 173 cm, weight is about 70 kg) almost every year received offers from eminent directors and moved with great strides across the expanses of cinema, wandering from one project to another. For his skill, he has been nominated more than once for the prestigious Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy awards.

Serkis made his first creative experiments in the world of show business in the late 80s, when he starred in the TV series “The New Politician.” In 1994, he appeared in the cast of Gabriel Axel's drama The Prince of Jutland. Subsequent projects did not have high ratings and did not bring the expected fame to the actor.

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Andy Serkis at work
In 2001, Andy caught his luck by the tail: he appeared in the big-budget cult film based on the novel by John Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” which received worldwide recognition and fame among avid critics and film fans. He played the iconic character of the trilogy - the skinny and long-eyed Gollum, who carefully guarded “his treasure.”

To create this fictional creature, Motion Capture technology was used: Serkis was dressed in a special suit with sensors, and his body movements were recorded by a computer program and converted into a 3D model. Although Andy was not present in the film "in person", it was really difficult to transform into the mysterious Gollum.

Firstly, Sméagol has intermittent and galloping speech, as well as a hoarse and extravagant voice, in which the smallest emotions are conveyed, be it lust, fear or hatred. Secondly, the hero experiences a split personality, and thirdly, he is unusually flexible: Gollum was constantly spinning and jumping.

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Andy Serkis and his roles
After the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, film fans believed that Andy deserved an Oscar, but the Film Academy did not consider it possible to award him, since, according to the commission, this role did not meet all evaluation criteria. Serkis also acted as a motion capture actor in the new part of King Kong (2005) and the science fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), where he played the primate Caesar, the instigator of the ape rebellion.

In 2006, Andy's fortune smiled again. He appeared in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed thriller The Prestige, starring world-class stars: Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, David Bowie and Scarlett Johansson. In the film Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll, Serkis not only played the main character, rock musician Ian Dury, but also acted as a producer.

A significant role for Andy was the image of Captain Haddock in Steven Spielberg’s family comedy “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.” Serkis' character was once again created using motion capture technology.

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Andy Serkis as Gollum and Martin Freeman
Later, the film “Avengers: Age of Ultron” was added to the list of the artist’s works. In the superhero blockbuster, Andy embodied the image of Ulysses Klaue on the screen. Serkis also played this character in “Black Panther,” where Martin Freeman acted as his partner.

In 2020, Andy made his debut as a director. He released the melodrama “Breathe for Us.” The film is dedicated to the biography of an English lawyer who, after suffering from an illness, was completely paralyzed and put on an artificial respiration device. A year later, Serkis presented the adventure drama Mowgli, in which he himself took part in dubbing the role of the bear Baloo.

The actor took up voice acting at the beginning of his career. The characters of “The Simpsons”, animated films “Rush Away!”, “Union of Animals” and others speak in his voice.

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Actor Andy Serkis
The actor takes great responsibility when portraying characters using computer technology. In an interview, Serkis noted that he played Gollum in the same way as Shakespeare’s characters in the theater. According to Andy, the script is important for a successful film. Only films based on fascinating stories become blockbusters.

early years

Date of birth: April 20, 1964. Place of birth: West London. Father is gynecologist Clement Serkis, a native of Iraq and Armenian by nationality. Mother, Lily, a native Englishwoman, worked as a speech pathologist at a school for retarded children. In addition to Andy, there were four more children in the family.

Andy Serkis in his youth and now

The future actor spent his childhood not far from London, in the small town of Ruislip. Since his father often traveled to work in the Middle East, in his youth Andy visited the largest cities in the region - Baghdad, Damascus and others. He studied at school named after. St. Benedict, it was there that he developed an interest in art, initially intending to become an expressionist artist.

After leaving school, he entered the painting department at Lancaster University. Taking drama as an optional subject, he soon became interested in it and began participating in performances at his local Nuffield studio.

Andy Serkis has Armenian roots in his family

After graduating from university, Andy became a regular actor at the Dukes Theater in Lancaster. He subsequently played in many theaters in Great Britain, including leading roles in such plays as Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Faust. In 1990, he settled in London and participated in a number of productions at the Royal Court Theatre.

Biography

Born 04/20/1964, Ruslip, Mydlesex, UK
British actor

Winner of the Saturn Prize

The beginning of the way

Andy Serkis, full name Andrew K.G. Serkis was born on April 20, 1964 in Ruslip, the English county of Mydlesec, in the family of an Englishwoman, a teacher of retarded children, and an Armenian, a native of Iraq, who works as a doctor. Andy has been painting since early childhood, dreaming of becoming an artist. After graduating from St Benedict's School in Ealing, he attended Lancaster University, where his interest in theater was awakened.

After graduating from university, Andy Serkis began acting at the Dukes Theater in Lancaster. He has many theatrical works, the actor has worked in almost all famous English theaters, and among his works there were significant and very serious roles in “King Lear”, “Othello”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Macbeth”, “Faust” "and other performances. Since 1985, Andy Serkis has played in theaters in Manchester, West Yorkshire, and since 1997 on the London stage.

Film career

In 1994, Andy Serkis made his big screen debut with the role of Thorsten in the film The Prince of Jutland. Even the wildest dreams of many famous actors did not reach the heights that Andy Serkis managed to reach. He was trusted to play leading roles in the television films “Audiver Twist” and “Arabian Adventures”, and on the big screen the actor starred in such films as: “Career Women”, “Among Giants”, “Pandemonium”, “Billy Fingal”, “The Avenger” .

"Lord of the Rings"

Andy Serkis is a famous stage actor, but he agreed to play a character that was partly computer-generated. Andy, dressed in a special suit covered with sensors, gave his plasticity and voice to the hero of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Gollum, thanks to whom the actor gained popularity and fame. Andy Serkis' performance impressed the director so much that in the process of working on computer effects, they tried to make Gollum as similar to the actor as possible. Actors: Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Sean Austin played the main roles. Andy Serkis surprisingly has a split personality. The viewer knew absolutely exactly who was in front of him at the moment - a great acting success.

Possessing powerful energy, Andy Serkis has always created strong characters on screen, giving them a strong personality. This was the case with the main role of Carlo in the 2004 thriller “The Damned” and in the remake of the famous “King Kong”, released in 2005. Among the actor's significant works is Mr. Eley in the 2006 film adaptation of Christopher Priest's science fiction novel The Prestige. Andy Serkis's acting work included more than fifty roles, including roles played in 2006 in such films as “The Power of Art” and “Stormbreaker.” The following actors were involved in this adventure movie: Alex Pettyfer, Sarah Bolger, Robert Durley and Jimmy Carr.

For his role as serial killer Ian Brady in the 2007 crime film Longford, Andy Serkis received a Golden Globe and British Academy Award nomination. Serkis always preferred being tired from work than from not having it, which is why he filmed a lot and fruitfully. 2008 brought the actor the leading role of Albert Einstein in the historical drama Einstein and Eddington. Andy Serkis played in a duet with David Tennant. The creator of the theory of relativity, which revolutionized ideas about the world, a convinced pacifist Albert Einstein, came to Berlin in pre-war 1914 to head a physics research institute.

Andy Serkis also became known to a wide audience thanks to his participation in the 2009 film “Inkheart” and the musical film “Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll” by Mat Whitecross in 2010 and the film of the same year “Tintin”.

"The Hobbit"

Famous actor Andy Serkis will take part in the work on Peter Jackson's film "The Hobbit" as a second director, and will also revive his character - Gollum. The main roles in the film will be played by the following actors: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett. Peter Jackson's new film The Hobbit will be split into two parts, with the first episode released in 2012 and the second in 2013.

Personal life

Everything is fine in the actor’s personal life. Andy Serkis and his lovely wife Lorraine Ashbourne have three children.

Interesting Facts

In 2008, Andy Serkis was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in the mini-series Longford.

Andy Serkis is a Saturn Award winner for his supporting role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and his character Gollum won an MTV Film Award for Best Virtual Character.

Andy Serkis has played more than 30 roles in film and television.

Despite some critics claiming that Andy Serkis deserved an Oscar for his portrayal of Gollum, the Academy decided that he did not qualify because the actor had to be physically present on screen.

In the film adaptation of King Kong, Andy Serkis was filmed moving King Kong, and the actor also played the cook Lumpy in this film.

Author – GRETA STAR

Sources of information: “Andy Serkis”, translation, Wikipedia website. “Andy Serkis”, article, Kino-theater website. Based on network materials.

Film actor career

In 1994, Andy Serkis made his film debut with a small role in the adventure film “The Prince of Jutland.”

Andy Serkis in his debut film "The Prince of Jutland"

After that, he had many roles (“Career Women” (1997), “Among Giants” (1998), “Pandemonium” (2000), etc.), but Serkis was made world famous by Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy based on the book series of the same name J. Tolkien.

Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson

Viewers remembered the role of the half-mad Gollum, one of the key characters, a villain with an ugly appearance created using computer graphics. And the prototype for its modeling was Andy, dressed in a special suit equipped with sensors, which made it possible to record movements, converting them into a three-dimensional model. In addition, he also voiced his character.

According to Andy, he takes this character extremely seriously, but the transformation into him during filming was not immediately successful. The imitation of the voice turned out to be especially difficult; it greatly strained the vocal cords, and in order not to seize them, the actor had to “drink whole liters of lemon juice with ginger and honey.”

Andy Serkis as Gollum In this image, the actor performed in all parts of The Lord of the Rings, as well as in the series of films based on The Hobbit (the first part was released in 2012), which also told the backstory of his character. If in the first part Serkis found the most difficult physical exercises: he had to squat a lot, dive for fish, wheeze, tearing his vocal cords, then while working on “The Hobbit” he had to work hard to outdo the many parodies of Gollum, because the character became truly iconic .

Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis

But over the past ten years, motion capture technology has become much more advanced. While working on The Lord of the Rings, scenes with Serkis' character were filmed separately, but in The Hobbit he interacted with Martin Freeman's character and others on an equal basis, thereby creating the notorious "cinema chemistry." And Gollum’s facial expressions, according to the audience, also became more expressive.

On the set of the movie "King Kong"

In 2005, Serkis, using the same technology, became King Kong in the film of the same name, while simultaneously playing a human role in it. And in 2011, he had to reincarnate in a similar way in the film “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.” Andy Serkis on the set of War for the Planet of the Apes. In 2011, 2014 and 2020, Serkis, already familiar with both motion capture technology and the role of giant apes, played a key character - the intelligent gorilla Caesar - in the Planet of the Apes film series. " His hero is a wise and prudent strategist, forced to take revenge on people after the murder of his family, and the viewer saw the formation of Caesar as a person.

Andy Serkis in the movie "Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll"

At the same time, he filmed a lot in the traditional way. His most famous works from 2004 to 2017 include the television series “Little Dorrit” (2008), the films “Longford” (2007), “Einstein and Eddington” (2008), “Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll.” "(2010). Significant works were roles in the new part of the Star Wars epic - The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017).

The most interesting

Actresses who mutilated themselves for the sake of a role (06.12.2017)

Actresses with big noses (03/22/2018)

His character was an emotional teenager who caught teachers kissing, after which they were trapped as Andy's character locked them in the room where they were. Now the young man felt superior to the teachers and began to accuse them of treating him poorly.

Serkis loved being on stage. For this reason, he decided to concentrate his studies on theater arts. His main book teachers at that time were Brecht and Stanislavsky. Andy actively studied acting and surprised teachers with his talent.

Later he appeared on stage in performances based on famous literary works - Macbeth (Shakespeare), Faust (Goethe) and other classics.

First successes

The biography of Andy Serkis in cinema today consists of over 70 works in films of various genres, some of which can be called real masterpieces of world cinema. Serkis is short - 173 centimeters.

Every year, famous film directors invite him to appear in their films, so unemployment and lack of offers definitely do not threaten him. The actor has been repeatedly nominated for the prestigious Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.

He began acting in films in 1994. He was first seen in The Prince of Jutland. This adventure drama was directed by Gabriel Axel. On the set, Serkis met with up-and-coming Hollywood stars Kate Beckinsale and Christian Bale. From 1987 to 1992, the actor played in a small role in the television project “The New Politician”.

In 1995, he could be seen in “The Next Room.” This film is about investigative journalism. In 1997, he played Mr. Evans in Career Women, and the following year, he played Leo King in The Sweetie Barrett Story. In the second half of the nineties there were other films with the participation of Serkis.

"Lord of the Rings"

Andy Serkis' film biography took a sharp turn in 2001, when the first part of The Lord of the Rings, entitled The Fellowship of the Ring, was released. This big-budget cult film is based on the novel of the same name by John Tolkien. The film was extremely popular among viewers of all ages. In this film, Serkis was lucky enough to star alongside Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and other Hollywood stars. The viewer does not see the actor himself on the screen. Peter Jackson used only his movements and voice. In The Lord of the Rings, Serkis became the treacherous Gollum, in search of “his charm.”

To create this creature on screen, the filmmakers used Motion Capture technology. Andy was on set wearing a suit that contained sensors that recorded his every move. For this, a special computer program was developed, which, using 3D modeling, turned Serkis into a disgusting creature.

"Lord of the Rings" filming

The actor himself is not visible in the film. Transformation into an admirer of “charm” was not easy for him. While voicing his character, Andy spoke intermittently, his words seemed to jump. Now he is known for his extravagant, hoarse voice, which has become Serkis' calling card. Gollum's voice is filled with numerous emotions.

He can hate and lust. Another difficulty in working on this role was related to the character's split personality. In addition, on the set, the actor had to use all his innate plasticity, jump and spin.

Many fans of the film believed that Serkis was required for this role, but film academics objected. They justified the impossibility of such an undertaking by certain criteria by which actors applying for this prestigious award are evaluated.

In any case, the photo of Gollum spread all over the world. During this period, Andy Serkis's personal life also changed. He met his future wife, Lorraine Ashbourne.

Other projects

As a story and character director, Andy has worked on several video games, most notably Heavenly Sword (2007) and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (2010).

On the set of the film “Breathe for Us”

Andy Serkis has also directed films. These are “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (here he acted as second director), “Breathe for Us” (2017) and “Mowgli” (2019). If he described “Breathe for Us” as a “chamber love story,” then “Mowgli” is a “classic epic using motion capture.” Andy Serkis, in the voice of Gollum, reads messages from Donald Trump from Twitter While participating in one of the American television programs “The Late Show” in July 2020, Andy Serkis, in the voice of Gollum, read messages from Twitter of US President Donald Trump.

Selected filmography[ | ]

Filmography[ | ]

• Other roles
• 1994 - Prince of Jutland / Prince of Jutland
  -
  Thorsten
• 1994 - / Grushko
  (TV series) -
  Peter
• 1994 - / Finney
  (TV series) -
  Tom
• 1995 - / The Near Room
  -
  Bunny
• 1996 - / Stella Does Tricks
  -
  Fitz
• 1997 - Loop / Loop
  -
  Bill
• 1997 - Career Girls
  -
  Mr. Evans
• 1997 - / The Pale Horse
  (TV movie) - Sergeant Corrigan
• 1997 - / Mojo
  -
  Potts
• 1998 - / Insomnia
  -
  Harry
• 1998 - / Clueless
  -
  David
• 1998 - / Among Giants
  -
  Bob
• 1998 - / The Jump
  (TV movie) -
  Stephen Brunos
• 1998 - / The Tale of Sweety Barrett
  -
  Leo King
• 1999 - / Touching Evil III
  (mini-series) -
  Michael Lawler
• 1999 - / Five Seconds to Spare
  - Chester
• 1999 - / Shooting the Past
  (TV movie) -
  Stayman
• 1999 - Turvy / Topsy-Turvy
  -
  John D'Auban
• 1999 - / Oliver Twist
  (TV movie) -
  Bill Sykes
• 2000 - Arabian Adventures / Arabian Nights
  -
  Qasim
• 2000 - / The Jolly Boys' Last Stand
  -
  Spider
• 2000 - / Pandaemonium
  -
  John Thelwall
• 2000 – / Shiner
  – Chalk
• 2000 - / Jump
  - Sean
• 2001 - / The Escapist
  - Ricky Barnes
• 2002 - 24 Hour Party People
  -
  Martin Hannett
• 2002 - On Deathwatch / Deathwatch
  -
  Private Thomas Quinn
• 2004 - Spooks (
  TV movie) -
  Riff
• 2004 - / Standing Room Only
  -
  Granny, Rastafarian, Hunter Jackson
• 2004 - From 13 to 30 / 13 Going on 30
  -
  Richard Kneeland
• 2004 - Damned / Blessed
  -
  Father Carlo
• 2005 - / Stories of Lost Souls
  -
  Granny, Rastafarian, Hunter Jackson
• 2006 - / Longford - Ian Brady
• 2006 - Get Away! / Flushed Away
  -
  Spike (voice)
• 2006 - Prestige / The Prestige
  - Mr. Ellie
• 2006 - Stormbreaker -
  Mr. Green
• 2007 - / Muybridge
  - Erickson
• 2008 - / Einstein and Eddington
  - Albert Einstein
• 2008 - The Cottage
  - David
• 2008 - Little Dorrit / Little Dorrit
  - Rigo
• 2010 - Sex, drugs and rock and roll / Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll - Ian Dury
• 2010 - Hands and feet for love / Burke and Hare - William Hare
• 2011 - Death of a Superhero
  -

Director[ | ]

• 2012 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Second director
• 2017 - Breathe for us / Breathe
• 2018 - Mowgli / Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

Personal life of Andy Serkis

The actor has been married since 2002, his wife is actress Lorraine Ashbourne. The couple has three children - sons Louis and Sonny, and daughter Ruby. The couple lives in North London and devotes all their free time to raising children.

Andy Serkis with his wife and children

In a 2020 interview, Serkis boasted that he is happy in his family life and has sex 4-5 times a day.

Andy Serkis today

In 2020, another film in the world of Marvel was released – “Black Panther” with Chadwick Boseman, where Serkis played a supervillain named Klaw. At the same time, he was busy working on the film Mowgli. He not only sat in the director's chair, but also played the role of the bear Baloo. Trailer for Andy Serkis' film "Mowgli" Commissioned by Netflix in 2020, Serkis worked on the series "Animal Farm" based on the famous dystopia of George Orwell. The main characters of the book are animals, which means the film will be shot using motion capture, which Andy knows well.