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| Birth Name(s) : Andy Serkis |
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Full Andy Serkis Biography
Andy Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and director best known for his work with Peter Jackson.
Serkis was born and brought up in Ruislip Manor, Middlesex, England. His father is an ethnic Armenian doctor from Iraq; the family surname was originally "Serkisian", which is a variant of one of the most common Armenian surnames. He attended Lancaster University where he originally studied visual art. His most memorable and critically acclaimed roles have been Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (2001–03) and Kong in the 2005 version of King Kong, in which he provided the voice and movements for the CGI characters.Serkis in his CGI suit for King Kong
His acclaimed work on the trilogy set off a debate on the legitimacy of CGI-assisted acting. Many critics felt Serkis should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance since the movie used his voice, body language, and facial expressions. There is the argument that some of his CGI actions were partially, or in some cases fully animated, without his own movements, but the same can be said for actors in a traditional movie involving CGI. Some believed incorrectly that the Academy ruled that he did not qualify because he never physically appeared onscreen. There is no such prohibition, and in fact Serkis appeared onscreen as Sméagol before he became Gollum in the third film.
Continuing the development of Performance capture as an art form, Serkis is working with game developers Ninja Theory on the 2007 release of Heavenly Sword, providing the motion capture and voice for King Bohan, the games main villain, as well as acting as Dramatic Director for the game.
He has played over 30 other roles in film and television productions throughout his career. One of his earliest feature film appearances was alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in The Jolly Boys Last Stand.
Serkis was cast as the Moors Murderer 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 the victims. The mother of Keith Bennett, whose body has never been found, blasted Serkis when he requested a meeting with Brady in preparation for the role.
In 2006 Serkis appeared in the role of Mr. Grin in the film rendition of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider novel Stormbreaker. Also in 2006, he appeared in the film version of The Prestige as Mr. Alley, assistant to Nikola Tesla, and as the voice of Spike, one of the henchrats in the latest Aardman Animations film Flushed Away.
In 2006 Serkis further demonstrated his versatility through his work on Jim Threapleton's entirely improvised feature film debut Extraordinary Rendition. In the film he plays an interrogator working inside the CIA's controversial Extraordinary Rendition programme. The film will be premiered at festivals in summer 2007.
Serkis appeared in Sugarhouse a low-budget independently made film, playing local crimelord Hoodwink, terrorising an East London housing estate. For the role, Serkis shaved his head and underwent sessions lasting 20 hours at a time to have temporary tattoos stencilled onto his body. The film was premiered at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival and released in the UK on 24 August 2007.
Serkis has played the villain Capricorn in Inkheart, based on the novel of the same name by Cornelia Funke. The film also stars Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren and Paul Bettany. Directed by Iain Softley, it is due for release in 2008.
Serkis will be appearing in The Cottage, about two brothers who kidnap an underworld figure and then stumble on a dark rural secret. Directed by Paul Andrew Williams and co-stars Reece Shearsmith with Jennifer Ellison and Steve O'Donnell lending support.
Serkis has recently completed filmed Einstein and Eddington, a joint venture between HBO and BBC. He plays Albert Einstein. The film follows Einstein's development of his theory of relativity, and also show how British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington became the first person to understand the work of genius. Eddington will be played by Doctor Who star David Tennant. This would not be the first time that the pair have worked together, since they previously starred in the stage version of the play 'Hurlyburly' at the Queens Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue in 1997.
Serkis provides the voice over for Monkey Life, for Five (formerly known as Channel Five) broadcast for 3 weeks from 13-31 August 2007. This series is about Monkey World, the popular ape and monkey sanctuary and zoo near Wool, Dorset, England.
Serkis lives in Crouch End, North London with his wife, actress Lorraine Ashbourne and their three young children Ruby (b.1998), Sonny (b.2000) and Louis (b.2004). |
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