Andrew C. G. "Andy" Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director and author. He is popularly known for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he earned several nominations and the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Two Towers. He also earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for his portrayal of Ian Brady in the British television film Longford.
In 2011, Serkis will reprise his role as Gollum in The Hobbit. Also in 2011, Serkis will play Caesar in the new Planet of the Apes film, Rise of the Apes. Serkis will also co-star as Captain Haddock in the upcoming Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn film.
Serkis was born and brought up in Ruislip Manor, Middlesex. His mother, Lylie, was English, and his father, Clement Serkis, was an Armenian gynaecologist born in Iraq. He was educated at St Benedict's School, Ealing and at Lancaster University where he studied visual art, a member of The County College, and was also a part of the student radio station Bailrigg FM.
Serkis' 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).