Andy Serkis

Serkis was born on 20 April 1964 in Ruislip Manor in Middlesex (now Greater London).{{Cite news |last=Shoard |first=Catherine |title=Andy Serkis: Beastie boy |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=16 March 2008 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/3671900/Andy-Serkis-Beastie-boy.html |access-date=22 October 2010 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711201408/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/3671900/Andy-Serkis-Beastie-boy.html |archive-date=11 July 2009 |url-status=live }} He grew up in both Ruislip and Baghdad, Iraq.{{Cite news |last=McGrath |first=Nick |title=Andy Serkis: 'I used to walk on all fours preparing to be Gollum' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=6 March 2021 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/mar/06/this-much-i-know-andy-serkis-i-used-to-walk-on-all-fours-preparing-to-be-gollum |access-date=1 October 2021}} His mother, Lylie Weech, was half Iraqi and half English, and taught disabled children; his father, Clement Serkis, was an Iraqi-Armenian gynaecologist.{{cite news |author=xoanon |title=Andy Serkis Talks LOTR |website=TheOneRing.net |date=1 February 2001 |url=http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2001/02/02/27644-andy-serkis-talks-lotr-2/ |access-date=29 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412020650/http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2001/02/02/27644-andy-serkis-talks-lotr-2/ |archive-date=12 April 2011 |url-status=live }} His ancestors' original Armenian surname was "Sarkisian".{{Cite news |last=Nepales |first=Ruben V. |title=Only in Hollywood Andy Serkis: From Gollum, King Kong to Einstein |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |page=F2 |date=6 July 2007 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h1U1AAAAIBAJ&pg=3049,2317161&dq=another-passion-for-the-actor&hl=en |access-date=22 October 2010 |via=Google News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929131807/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h1U1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=gCUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3049,2317161&dq=another-passion-for-the-actor&hl=en |archive-date=29 September 2015 |url-status=live }} His father often worked abroad in the Middle East, while Serkis and his siblings were raised in Britain, with regular holidays in the Middle Eastern cities of Tyre, Sidon, Damascus and Baghdad. Both of his parents were devoutly Catholic.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/13/family-values-andy-serkis |location=London |newspaper=The Guardian |title=My family values; Andy Serkis, actor |first=Joanna |last=Moorhead |date=13 December 2008 |access-date=11 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415104401/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/13/family-values-andy-serkis |archive-date=15 April 2017 |url-status=live }}

Serkis was educated at St Benedict's School, Ealing. He studied visual arts and theatre as part of his degree at Lancaster University and graduated in 1985.{{Cite web |url=http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/articles/2014/from-lancaster-to-middle-earth/ |title=From Lancaster to Middle-earth |date=11 December 2014 |website=Lancaster University |access-date=12 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107032757/http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/articles/2014/from-lancaster-to-middle-earth/ |archive-date=7 January 2017 |url-status=live }} Serkis was a member of The County College and part of the student radio station Bailrigg FM.{{cite news |last=Lynn |first=Iain |date=14 November 2019 |title=Andy Serkis lands role as Alfred in new Batman film |url=https://www.lep.co.uk/whats-on/andy-serkis-lands-role-alfred-new-batman-film-1301765 |work=Lancashire Evening Post |access-date=14 November 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624222519/https://www.lep.co.uk/whats-on/andy-serkis-lands-role-alfred-new-batman-film-1301765 |archive-date=24 June 2021}} He joined the Nuffield Studio, getting involved in designing and producing plays.{{cite web |url=https://www.bafta.org/sites/default/files/uploads/heritagehandoutredshoes04.pdf |title=Andy Serkis Selects The Red Shoes |last=Kermode |first=Mark |date=15 January 2018 |website=British Academy Film Awards |access-date=15 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128054914/https://www.bafta.org/sites/default/files/uploads/heritagehandoutredshoes04.pdf |archive-date=28 January 2021}}

Having agreed to act in a couple of productions towards the end of his first year, Serkis played the lead role in Barrie Keeffe's play Gotcha as a rebellious teenager holding a teacher hostage. As a result, he changed his major subject to acting, constructing his Independent Studies Degree around acting and set design, studying Konstantin Stanislavski and Bertolt Brecht, and including minor modules in art and visual graphics.{{cite web |first=Ken |last=P. |url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/383/383888p1.html |title=An Interview with Andy Serkis (page 1) |website=IGN |date=27 January 2003 |access-date=21 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702050359/http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/01/27/an-interview-with-andy-serkis |archive-date=2 July 2015}} In his final year at Lancaster he adapted Raymond Briggs's graphic novel The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman, a satire about the Falklands War, as a one-man show, which he performed to acclaim.{{cite news |last=Aftab |first=Kaleem |date=25 October 2017 |title=Andy Serkis interview: How a colleague's family history led to his directorial debut |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/andy-serkis-breathe-andrew-garfield-claire-foy-jungle-book-king-kong-planet-of-the-apes-a8019676.html |work=The Independent |access-date=25 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025215133/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/andy-serkis-breathe-andrew-garfield-claire-foy-jungle-book-king-kong-planet-of-the-apes-a8019676.html |archive-date=25 October 2017}}

In his third year at university, Serkis joined the backstage team at the local Duke's Playhouse to earn his Equity card. On graduating, although advised to take a one-year post-graduate acting course, he joined Dukes as an actor. Under director Jonathan Petherbridge, who used workshops based on the methods of Augusto Boal, he spent 18 months acting in a broad range of productions from Brecht, Shakespeare and modern British playwrights.

After 16 months, and having gained his Equity card, Serkis joined a series of touring companies, including productions of: Bouncers opposite Hull Truck; Florizel in The Winter's Tale; and the fool in King Lear with director Max Stafford-Clark.{{cite web |first=Ken |last=P. |url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/383/383888p2.html |title=An Interview with Andy Serkis (page 2) |website=IGN |date=27 January 2003 |access-date=21 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821163107/http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/01/27/an-interview-with-andy-serkis?page=2 |archive-date=21 August 2016}} In the early 1990s he settled in London, and took a role in April De Angelis's Hush (Royal Court) as Dogboy. Also the Royal Court Theatre's production of Mojo, and Wilson Milam's production of Hurlyburly (1997) at the Queen's Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, with Rupert Graves and David Tennant.{{cite web |first=Ken |last=P. |url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/383/383888p3.html |title=An Interview with Andy Serkis (page 3) |website=IGN |date=27 January 2003 |access-date=21 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106081036/http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/01/27/an-interview-with-andy-serkis?page=3 |archive-date=6 January 2016}} Serkis also developed a career in television, appearing in small roles such as Greville in an episode of The Darling Buds of May (1992) and a criminal called Maxwell in an episode of Pie in the Sky (1994). Serkis joined director Mike Leigh's ensemble for two film productions, and appeared in the romantic comedy Loop (1997) alongside Susannah York. He played Dennis in a 1997 Radio 3 broadcast of Loot by Orton, repeated in 2017.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2017/33/loot Loot, BBC Media Centre notice] accessed 4 April 2025. Serkis portrayed Victorian choreographer John D'Auban in Topsy-Turvy, a 1999 film about Gilbert and Sullivan's creation of The Mikado.[https://www.tvguide.com/movies/topsy-turvy/cast/2000118669 "Topsy-Turvy – Full Cast & Crew"], TV Guide. Retrieved 24 October 2022 In 1999, Serkis played Bill Sikes in ITV's adaptation of Oliver Twist.{{cite news |last=Rosenfeld |first=Megan |date=7 October 2000 |title=A Grand 'Twist' For Oliver |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/10/07/a-grand-twist-for-oliver/390167d9-6250-4c35-9fcc-e79f2353c898/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=21 August 2011}} He appeared alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in The Jolly Boys' Last Stand in 2000.{{cite news |title=Win tickets to The Jolly Boys' Last Stand |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/aug/10/features |work=The Guardian |date=10 August 2000 |access-date=21 August 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509005040/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/aug/10/features |archive-date=9 May 2014}}

File:Andy Serkis 2003.jpg in Wellington in 2003]]

Serkis first came to wide public notice for his performance as Sméagol / Gollum, in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003), for which he provided motion-capture movements and voice for the CGI character. His work on The Lord of the Rings started a debate on the legitimacy of CGI-assisted acting. Producer Barrie M. Osborne campaigned for Serkis to have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as his voice, body language and facial expressions were used. The marketing director of New Line Cinema, Russell Schwartz, had likewise compared Serkis's motion capture presence to John Hurt winning Best Actor while wearing a latex mask in The Elephant Man.{{cite news |first=Oliver |last=Poole |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3589692/Can-Gollum-get-the-precious-Oscar-nod.html |title=Can Gollum get the precious Oscar nod? |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=10 February 2003 |access-date=21 August 2011 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809053502/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3589692/Can-Gollum-get-the-precious-Oscar-nod.html |archive-date=9 August 2011 |url-status=live }}

Serkis has performed motion-capture work in several other films, including the title character in the 2005 version of King Kong (in which he also played the ship's cook in live-action) and as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). He also worked with game developers Ninja Theory on the 2007 release Heavenly Sword, providing the motion capture and voice for King Bohan (the game's main villain).

In 2006, Serkis starred as serial killer Ian Brady in the BAFTA-nominated Longford, co-starring Samantha Morton as Myra Hindley and Jim Broadbent as Lord Longford. That same year, Serkis appeared in the role of Mr. Grin in Stormbreaker, the film rendition of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider novel. He also acted in the film The Prestige as Mr. Alley (assistant to Nikola Tesla), as the voice of one of the henchrats in the Aardman Animations film Flushed Away named Spike, and appeared in Jim Threapleton's improvised feature film Extraordinary Rendition, which premiered in 2007. In 2007, he appeared in Sugarhouse, a low-budget independently made film, playing local crime lord Hoodwink, who terrorises an east London housing estate. For the role, Serkis shaved his head and had sessions lasting 20 hours each to have temporary tattoos stencilled onto his body. The film premiered at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival and released in the UK on 24 August. Also that year, Serkis provided the voiceover for Monkey Life, on Five broadcast for three weeks from 13 to 31 August 2007. This series was about Monkey World, the popular ape and monkey sanctuary and zoo near Wool, Dorset. In the joint BBC/HBO production Einstein and Eddington, (2008) Serkis played Albert Einstein, following the development of his theory of relativity, while David Tennant played scientist Sir Arthur Eddington.{{cite web |title=Heroes to air near to US premiere |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7499980.stm |website=BBC News |access-date=7 August 2013 |first=Neil |last=Smith |date=10 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221623/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7499980.stm |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=live }} In 2008, Serkis appeared as Rigaud in the BBC Television adaptation of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit and as Capricorn in Inkheart, the film adaptation of Cornelia Funke's novel.{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/03/27/dickens_meets_lost_in_pbss_dorrit/ |title=Dickens meets 'Lost' in PBS's 'Little Dorrit' |first=Matthew |last=Gilbert |date=27 March 2009 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |access-date=12 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063337/http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/03/27/dickens_meets_lost_in_pbss_dorrit/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead}} In 2010, Serkis played 1970s new wave singer Ian Dury in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.{{cite web |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/04/andy-serkis-mines-ian-durys-c-word-ishness-in-sex-drugs-rock-roll |title=Andy Serkis Mines Ian Dury's C-Word-ishness in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll |last=Hogan |first=Mike |date=27 April 2010 |website=Vanity Fair |access-date=24 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224181006/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/04/andy-serkis-mines-ian-durys-c-word-ishness-in-sex-drugs-rock-roll |archive-date=24 February 2015}}

File:Andy Serkis Comic-Con 2011.jpg]]

Serkis reunited with Peter Jackson, as a cast member in Jackson's and Steven Spielberg's Tintin trilogy, based on The Adventures of Tintin. Serkis supplied the voice and motion capture performance of Captain Haddock as well as his ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock. Filming began in January 2009 and the film was released in 2011.{{cite magazine |first1=Jay A. |last1=Fernandez |first2=Borys |last2=Kit |title=Anchors aweigh for 'Tintin' |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=26 January 2009 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic323ae8a6486e91c8f3aab35cbff3722 |access-date=27 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131161003/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic323ae8a6486e91c8f3aab35cbff3722 |archive-date=31 January 2009 |url-status=dead}} Filming was due to begin in September 2008, but was delayed due to Universal pulling out of backing the project.{{cite web |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/10046/andy_serkis_interview_robert_rankin_the_hobbit_tintin_more.html |title=Andy Serkis interview: Robert Rankin, The Hobbit, Tintin & more! |website=Den of Geek |first=Martin |last=Anderson |date=15 February 2008 |access-date=12 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122073908/http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/10046/andy_serkis_interview_robert_rankin_the_hobbit_tintin_more.html |archive-date=22 January 2010 |url-status=live }}

In 2009, Serkis voiced the role of the demon Screwtape in Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre audio adaptation of C. S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters.{{cite web |url=http://www.screwtape.com/about |title=About the Audio Drama |website=Screwtape.com |access-date=12 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210185854/http://www.screwtape.com/about |archive-date=10 February 2010}} In 2010, Serkis was cast as William Hare, with Simon Pegg as Burke, in the John Landis black comedy film Burke and Hare based on the Burke and Hare murders in Scotland in 1828.{{cite web |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35442/new-burke-and-hare-casting-news |title=New Burke and Hare Casting News |first=Steve |last=Barton |date=20 January 2010 |website=Dread Central |access-date=12 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007061934/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35442/new-burke-and-hare-casting-news |archive-date=7 October 2012}} He also featured in the TV series The Accused, in "Liam's Story", written by Danny Brocklehurst and Jimmy McGovern. He played Caesar in the 20th Century Fox science-fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes.{{cite web |url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20743 |title=Andy Serkis Grabs a Banana and Becomes King of 'Planet of the Apes' |website=Bloody Disgusting |first=Brad |last=Miska |date=29 June 2010 |access-date=12 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703045235/http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20743 |archive-date=3 July 2010 |url-status=live}} Serkis was acclaimed for his performance as Caesar in 2011, and in a high-profile campaign by 20th Century Fox for him to be honoured with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, his co-star James Franco stated: "Andy Serkis is the undisputed master of the newest kind of acting called 'motion capture,' and it is time that Serkis gets credit for the innovative artist that he is."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jan/09/james-franco-andy-serkis-oscar |title=James Franco calls for Andy Serkis Oscar recognition for mo-cap turn |last=Child |first=Ben |date=9 January 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=12 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512115228/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jan/09/james-franco-andy-serkis-oscar |archive-date=12 May 2015 |url-status=live }} In 2010, Serkis played Monkey, the lead character along with Lindsey Shaw in the videogame Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.{{cite news |last=Arnott |first=Jack |date=8 November 2010 |title=Andy Serkis on Enslaved and acting in video games |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/nov/08/andy-serkis-enslaved-interview |work=The Guardian |access-date=30 June 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216170719/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/nov/08/andy-serkis-enslaved-interview |archive-date=16 December 2017}}{{cite web |last=Chester |first=Nick |date=27 September 2010 |title=Interview: Ninja Theory's Tameem Antoniades on Enslaved |url=https://www.destructoid.com/interview-ninja-theory-s-tameem-antoniades-on-enslaved-184933.phtml |website=Destructoid |access-date=30 June 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124164157/https://www.destructoid.com/interview-ninja-theory-s-tameem-antoniades-on-enslaved-184933.phtml |archive-date=24 January 2019}}

File:Andy Serkis (13925501886).jpg at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con]]

Serkis would reprise the role of Gollum in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first film in the three-part The Hobbit films. It was released in 2012, and the follow-ups were released in 2013 and 2014.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/jan/11/the-hobbit-ian-mckellen-andy-serkis |title=Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis sign up for The Hobbit |date=11 January 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=11 January 2011 |location=London |first=Ben |last=Child |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113213545/http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/jan/11/the-hobbit-ian-mckellen-andy-serkis |archive-date=13 January 2011 |url-status=live}} He was also the trilogy's second unit director, which included directing aerial shots and battle scenes.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/gollums-precious-moments-andy-serkis-unexpected-journey-from-the-lord-of-the-rings-to-the-hobbit-8390096.html |title=Gollum's precious moments: Andy Serkis's unexpected journey from The Lord of the Rings to The Hobbit |first=James |last=Mottram |newspaper=The Independent |date=7 December 2012 |access-date=7 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209021717/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/gollums-precious-moments-andy-serkis-unexpected-journey-from-the-lord-of-the-rings-to-the-hobbit-8390096.html |archive-date=9 December 2012 |url-status=live }} He was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2012/20120629a.html |title=Academy Invites 176 to Membership |website=The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=29 June 2012 |access-date=19 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702000236/http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2012/20120629a.html |archive-date=2 July 2012}} In 2014, Serkis reprised his role as Caesar in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,{{cite news |last1=Burr |first1=Ty |title=Andy Serkis breathes life into 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2014/07/10/andy-serkis-breathes-life-into-dawn-planet-apes/UUx0mDpE63IOXDt3yAmO3L/story.html |date=10 July 2014 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |access-date=3 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730033252/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2014/07/10/andy-serkis-breathes-life-into-dawn-planet-apes/UUx0mDpE63IOXDt3yAmO3L/story.html |archive-date=30 July 2014 |url-status=live }} and again in 2017 for War for the Planet of the Apes, the last of the trilogy.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/12/movies/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-review.html |title=Review: New 'Planet of the Apes' Makes You Root Against Your Species |first=A. O. |last=Scott |date=12 July 2017 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=14 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214035431/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/12/movies/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-review.html |archive-date=14 December 2017 |url-status=live }}

In Gareth Edwards' 2014 science-fiction monster film Godzilla, Serkis was the consultant on the film's motion capture sequences to "control the souls" of the creatures.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0S-y6VxlLY |title=Godzilla: Andy Serkis on Mo Cap & Monster's Motives — WonderCon 2014 |author=IGN |website=YouTube |date=4 April 2014 |access-date=23 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018215630/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0S-y6VxlLY |archive-date=18 October 2015 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG_tfx6nghE |title=Godzilla Director on Making the Monster Scary Again — IGN Conversations |author=IGN |website=YouTube |date=4 April 2014 |access-date=23 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426012336/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG_tfx6nghE |archive-date=26 April 2014 |url-status=live }} Serkis played Ulysses Klaue in Marvel Studios' Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and was also a motion capture consultant on the film.{{cite news |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/08/motion-capture-maestro-andy-serkis-on-dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-and-revolutionizing-cinema.html |title=Motion Capture Maestro Andy Serkis on 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' and Revolutionizing Cinema |last=Stern |first=Marlow |website=The Daily Beast |date=14 July 2014 |access-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708124610/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/08/motion-capture-maestro-andy-serkis-on-dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-and-revolutionizing-cinema.html |archive-date=8 July 2014 |url-status=live}} He reprised the role in Marvel Studios' Black Panther (2018), and provided the voice in the sixth episode of Marvel's What If...?.{{cite web |url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/marvel-what-if-andy-serkis-return-klaw-ulysses-klaue/ |title=Marvel Actor Teases MCU Return In Upcoming Project |last=Lovett |first=Jamie |date=12 July 2021 |website=ComicBook.com |access-date=7 September 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715030302/https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/marvel-what-if-andy-serkis-return-klaw-ulysses-klaue/ |archive-date=15 July 2021}} He played Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and reprised the role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017),{{cite web |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-vii-cast-announced |title=Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Announced |date=29 April 2014 |website=StarWars.com |access-date=11 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207160046/http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-vii-cast-announced |archive-date=7 December 2014 |url-status=live }} and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Serkis appeared as the Ghost of Christmas Past in the 2019 BBC/FX three-part miniseries A Christmas Carol.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/steven-knight-a-christmas-carol-dickens-adaptations-bbc-ridley-scott-tom-hardy-1202215436/|title=Steven Knight To Adapt Charles Dickens Novels For BBC One; Ridley Scott, Tom Hardy Exec Producing|first1=Nancy|last1=Tartaglione|work=Deadline|date=28 November 2017|access-date=4 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509140846/https://deadline.com/2017/11/steven-knight-a-christmas-carol-dickens-adaptations-bbc-ridley-scott-tom-hardy-1202215436/|archive-date=9 May 2019|url-status=live}} In 2019, it was announced that Serkis would play Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman (2022).{{cite web |url=https://comicbook.com/dc/news/batman-matt-reeves-confirms-alfred-andy-serkis/ |title=Batman Director Confirms Andy Serkis as Alfred |last=Aguilar |first=Matthew |date=13 November 2019 |website=ComicBook.com |access-date=10 May 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228220409/https://comicbook.com/dc/news/batman-matt-reeves-confirms-alfred-andy-serkis/ |archive-date=28 February 2021}}

In late 2015, it was announced that Serkis was working on a modern film adaptation of Rumpelstiltskin, titled Steelskin.{{cite web |last1=McHenry |first1=Jackson |title=Andy Serkis Is Making a Movie About Rumpelstiltskin, One of the Few Villainous Creatures Left for Him to Play |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/12/andy-serkis-is-directing-a-rumpelstiltskin-movie.html?mid=imdb |date=13 December 2015 |website=Vulture.com |access-date=14 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151216201141/http://www.vulture.com/2015/12/andy-serkis-is-directing-a-rumpelstiltskin-movie.html?mid=imdb |archive-date=16 December 2015 |url-status=live }} In addition to starring in the film, Serkis will serve as producer and director.

Serkis received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Daytime Fiction Program in 2021 for his role as Mayor of Mistrinaut, the father of his real life daughter Ruby's character, in the Netflix fantasy series The Letter for the King. Also for Netflix, Serkis is scheduled to star alongside Idris Elba and Cynthia Erivo in Luther: The Fallen Sun, a television film continuation of Elba's series, Luther.{{Cite web |title=Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis Join Idris Elba, Neil Cross in 'Luther' Movie for Netflix (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/cynthia-erivo-andy-serkis-join-luther-netflix-movie-1235012996/ |last=Kit |first=Borys |date=13 September 2021 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=13 September 2021}} In 2022, Serkis returned to the Star Wars franchise in a different, non-CGI role in the Disney+ television series Andor, as Kino Loy.{{cite web |last1=Makuch |first1=Eddie |title=Andor Actor Andy Serkis Discusses Kino Loy's Fate As Fans Hope For Answers In Season 2 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/andor-actor-andy-serkis-discusses-kino-loys-fate-as-fans-hope-for-answers-in-season-2/1100-6513081/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408025817/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/andor-actor-andy-serkis-discusses-kino-loys-fate-as-fans-hope-for-answers-in-season-2/1100-6513081/ |archive-date=8 April 2023 |date=7 April 2023 |url-status=live}}

In October 2024 it was revealed that Serkis would star as Renoir in the video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,{{Cite web |last=Editor |first=Ed Nightingale Deputy News |date=16 October 2024 |title=Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 trailer reveals Andy Serkis, Ben Starr, Charlie Cox, and more |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/clair-obscur-expedition-33-trailer-reveals-andy-serkis-ben-starr-charlie-cox-and-more |access-date=26 January 2025 |website=Eurogamer.net |language=en}} which released on 24 April 2025.{{Cite web |last=Editor |first=Ed Nightingale Deputy News |date=23 January 2025 |title=Belle Epoque RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 gets April release date |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/belle-epoque-rpg-clair-obscur-expedition-33-gets-april-release-date |access-date=26 January 2025 |website=Eurogamer.net |language=en}}

In 2011, Serkis founded The Imaginarium Studios with film producer Jonathan Cavendish. The Imaginarium is a production company and creative digital studio based in Ealing, London and is dedicated to inventing digital characters using performance capture technology, which Serkis has often worked with.{{cite web |title=Who We Are |url=http://www.theimaginariumstudios.com/who-we-are |website=The Imaginarium Studios |access-date=5 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031092554/http://www.theimaginariumstudios.com/who-we-are |archive-date=31 October 2012}} On 20 October 2012, the studio acquired rights to The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, and in 2023 was in production with a new motion capture adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Serkis served as the second unit director for The Hobbit films and made his directorial debut with Breathe (2017). He also directed and starred in the film, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.{{cite magazine |title=Andy Serkis to Direct 'Jungle Book' for Warner Bros. |url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/andy-serkis-to-direct-jungle-book-for-warner-bros-1201141202/ |first=Dave |last=McNary |date=20 March 2014 |magazine=Variety |access-date=21 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051739/https://variety.com/2014/film/news/andy-serkis-to-direct-jungle-book-for-warner-bros-1201141202/ |archive-date=22 December 2017 |url-status=live }} In August 2019, Serkis closed a deal to direct the superhero film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the sequel to Venom (2018).{{Cite web|date=5 August 2019|last=Kit|first=Borys|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/venom-2-andy-serkis-direct-1228724/|title=Andy Serkis Closes Deal to Direct 'Venom 2' (Exclusive)|access-date=9 May 2019|website=The Hollywood Reporter}} It was released in theatres in October 2021.{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=30 March 2021 |title='Venom: Let There Be Carnage' Release Date Pushed Back A Week |url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/venom-let-there-be-carnage-release-date-pushed-back-a-week-1234716867/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331122909/https://deadline.com/2021/03/venom-let-there-be-carnage-release-date-pushed-back-a-week-1234716867/ |archive-date=31 March 2021 |access-date=9 May 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}{{cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a860043/venom-2-release-date-cast-plot-trailer-spoilers-spider-man-tom-hardy/ |title=Venom 2 Let There be Carnage release date, cast and more |last1=Sandwell |first1=Ian |last2=Geisinger |first2=Gabriella |last3=Armitage |first3=Hugh |date=10 September 2021 |website=Digital Spy |access-date=14 September 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914121525/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a860043/venom-2-release-date-cast-plot-trailer-spoilers-spider-man-tom-hardy/ |archive-date=14 September 2021}} In April 2022, he was set to direct Animal Farm, an animated adaptation of George Orwell's novella of the same name.{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/andy-serkis-to-direct-animated-adaptation-of-george-orwells-animal-farm-1235005933/|date=19 April 2022|title=Andy Serkis Directing Animated Adaptation Of George Orwell Classic 'Animal Farm' Penned By Nicholas Stoller|first=Matt|last=Grobar|work=Deadline Hollywood}} In May 2024, it was announced that Serkis would direct, executive produce, and star in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum for Warner Bros. Pictures, a working title for a new instalment in the Lord of the Rings film series, with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens co-writing the screenplay and Jackson co-producing alongside Walsh and Boyens; the film is expected to be released in 2026.{{Cite web|last=Goldsmith|first=Jill|date=9 May 2024|url=https://deadline.com/2024/05/first-film-new-lotr-series-to-be-released-in-2026-warner-bros-1235909812/|title=Andy Serkis To Direct, Star In New 'Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum' Set For 2026 Release – Update|access-date=9 May 2024|website=Deadline Hollywood}}

Serkis made an appearance in the music video for Neneh Cherry's "Woman", portraying an abusive boyfriend, in 1996.{{Citation|title=Andy Serkis Recalls Miming Dangerously In Neneh Cherry's Music Video For 'Woman' {{!}} PeopleTV| date=31 December 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLHUff7rwaA|language=en|access-date=7 September 2021}} After portraying Gollum in The Lord of the Rings series, he published a memoir about his experiences, titled Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic, published in late 2004. In 2015, Serkis collaborated with rock band Coldplay in the making of the music video for "Adventure of a Lifetime". The group performed as chimpanzees with Serkis acting as a motion-capture consultant.{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/6777857/coldplay-monkeys-around-in-adventure-of-a-lifetime-video-watch |title=Coldplay Monkeys Around in 'Adventure of a Lifetime' Video: Watch |first=Mitchell |last=Peters |date=27 November 2015 |website=Billboard.com |access-date=28 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130024711/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/6777857/coldplay-monkeys-around-in-adventure-of-a-lifetime-video-watch |archive-date=30 November 2015 |url-status=live }}

In December 2018, he appeared in a video for People's Vote as UK Prime Minister Theresa May using the voice of Gollum, spoofing May's Brexit deal.{{cite news |url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1056483/Lord-of-the-Rings-Gollum-Andy-Serkis-Theresa-May-Brexit-deal-vote |title=Andy Serkis reprises Gollum for Theresa May Brexit deal parody |last=Simpson |first=George |date=9 December 2018 |publisher=The Express |access-date=10 December 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210080857/https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1056483/Lord-of-the-Rings-Gollum-Andy-Serkis-Theresa-May-Brexit-deal-vote |archive-date=10 December 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gollum-star-andy-serkis-releases-13711513 |title=Gollum star Andy Serkis releases hilarious Brexit deal parody of Theresa May |publisher=The Mirror |date=9 December 2018 |access-date=10 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210001055/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gollum-star-andy-serkis-releases-13711513 |archive-date=10 December 2018 |url-status=live }} He also appears in the BBC Earth programme, Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b3ljc3 "Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205092332/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b3ljc3 |date=5 February 2019 }}. BBC. Retrieved 4 February 2019

Serkis, together with fellow Lord of the Rings castmates Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban and Elijah Wood, plus writer Philippa Boyens and director Peter Jackson, on 1 May 2020 joined Josh Gad's YouTube series Reunited Apart, which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and promotes donations to non-profit charities.{{cite news |last=O'Kane |first=Caitlin |date=1 June 2020 |title=Actor Josh Gad reunites stars of "Lord of the Rings" while raising money for kids in need |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-josh-gad-reunites-stars-of-lord-of-the-rings-while-raising-money-for-kids-in-need/ |work=CBS News |access-date=2 June 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602044117/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-josh-gad-reunites-stars-of-lord-of-the-rings-while-raising-money-for-kids-in-need/ |archive-date=2 June 2020}}

Serkis and producer Andrew Levitas are creating a comic book series titled Eternus, about Heracles, the son of Zeus, trying to identify Zeus's killer. The first issue of the series was released on 3 August 2022.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/andy-serkis-tackles-greek-mythology-eternus/ |title=EXCLUSIVE: Andy Serkis Tackles Greek Mythology With New Series Eternus |last=Blum |first=Jeremy |date=1 July 2022 |website=Comic Book Resources |access-date=1 July 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220701172127/https://www.cbr.com/andy-serkis-tackles-greek-mythology-eternus/ |archive-date=1 July 2022}}

During the COVID-19 lockdown, on VE Day, Serkis read the entire book of The Hobbit to raise money for NHS Charities Together and Best Beginnings, a pregnancy charity of which he has been an ambassador. More than 650,000 people tuned in worldwide, and Serkis raised more than £283,000 ($351,000).{{cite news |title=Coronavirus: Andy Serkis reads entire Hobbit live online for charity |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-52568497 |work=BBC News |date=9 May 2020 |access-date=9 May 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509012803/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52568497 |archive-date=9 May 2020}} On 2 July 2020, HarperCollinsUK{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/HarperCollinsUK/status/1278640822892838912 |user=HarperCollinsUK |number=1278640822892838912 |date=2 July 2020 |title=We are delighted to announce the release of a brand-new audiobook of The Hobbit, read by @andyserkis |access-date=2 July 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702104544/https://twitter.com/HarperCollinsUK/status/1278640822892838912 |archive-date=2 July 2020}} announced that Serkis would professionally narrate The Hobbit again to be published for Audible. The audiobook was released on 3 September 2020 in the UK, published by HarperCollins, and 21 September in the US, published by Recorded Books. The cover art, by Alan Lee, was drawn specially for the release.{{cite AV media |people=Serkis, Andy (narrator) |date=2020 |title=The Hobbit |type=Audiobook |language=English |url=https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Hobbit-Audiobook/1705009050 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0008439415}}

On 7 July 2021, HarperCollinsUK and Recorded Books announced Serkis would follow up his narration of The Hobbit with a professional recording of all three The Lord of the Rings novels that were released on 16 September.{{cite web |title=Andy Serkis records Lord of the Rings audiobooks for HarperCollins {{!}} The Bookseller |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/andy-serkis-records-lord-rings-audiobooks-harpercollins-1267526 |last=Bayley |first=Sian |date=7 July 2021 |website=The Bookseller |access-date=9 July 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190124/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/andy-serkis-records-lord-rings-audiobooks-harpercollins-1267526 |archive-date=9 July 2021}} The CDs were released on 14 October 2021.{{cite web |url=https://geektyrant.com/news/andy-serkis-is-narrating-a-new-audiobook-version-of-the-lord-of-the-rings |title=Andy Serkis Is Narrating a New Audiobook Version of THE LORD OF THE RINGS |last=Williams |first=Tommy |date=12 July 2021 |website=GeekTyrant |access-date=12 July 2021}}

In 2022, Serkis recorded a new audiobook version of the Terry Pratchett Discworld book Small Gods with Bill Nighy and Peter Serafinowicz.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/27/small-gods-terry-pratchett-audiobook-review-andy-serkis-bill-nighy-peter-serafinowicz |title=Small Gods by Terry Pratchett audiobook review – terrifically narrated by Andy Serkis |last=Sturgis |first=Fiona |date=27 May 2022 |magazine=The Guardian |access-date=12 October 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007222529/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/27/small-gods-terry-pratchett-audiobook-review-andy-serkis-bill-nighy-peter-serafinowicz |archive-date=7 October 2023}}

File:Andy Serkis and Lorraine Ashbourne.jpg

Serkis married actress Lorraine Ashbourne in July 2002. He lives in Crouch End, North London with Ashbourne and their three children: Ruby (b. 1998), Sonny (b. 2000) and Louis (b. 2004), all of whom are actors.{{cite web |url=http://www.ageofthering.com/atthemovies/cast/andyserkis.php |title=Andy Serkis as Gollum and Smeagol |website=AgeoftheRing.com |date=1 May 2011 |access-date=1 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707094323/http://www.ageofthering.com/atthemovies/cast/andyserkis.php |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=live }} Louis and Ruby starred in the 2019 film The Kid Who Would Be King and the 2020 Netflix series The Letter for the King respectively. Serkis also starred alongside Ruby, and they played father and daughter.{{cite news |last=Olsen |first=Mark |date=25 January 2019 |title=Joe Cornish on the Brexit parallels of 'The Kid Who Would be King' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-joe-cornish-the-kid-who-would-be-king-20190125-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=27 January 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126200421/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-joe-cornish-the-kid-who-would-be-king-20190125-story.html |archive-date=26 January 2019}} Louis also voiced Bhoot in Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, which was directed by and co-starred his father as Baloo.{{cite news |url=https://parade.com/722408/paulettecohn/andy-serkis-on-how-mowgli-legend-of-the-jungle-differs-from-jungle-book-and-why-we-need-both/ |title=Exclusive Video: Andy Serkis and Son Louis Working Together on Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle |last=Cohn |first=Paulette |date=7 December 2018 |website=Parade |access-date=20 December 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207221656/https://parade.com/722408/paulettecohn/andy-serkis-on-how-mowgli-legend-of-the-jungle-differs-from-jungle-book-and-why-we-need-both/ |archive-date=7 December 2018}}

Although Serkis was raised in the Catholic faith of his parents, he has been an atheist since his teenage years, but has stated the culture of Catholicism is still important to him and his family.

{{Main|Andy Serkis filmography|List of awards and nominations received by Andy Serkis|l2=awards and nominations}}

• The Porter in Macbeth. Directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1988)
• Tony Lumpkin in She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith. Directed by James Maxwell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1990){{cite news |title=Just what the doctor ordered |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19900104/107/0021 |url-access=registration |work=The Stage |date=4 January 1990 |page=21 |access-date=6 January 2025}}
• Sean Grogan in Your Home in the West by Rod Wooden. World premiere directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1991)
• Doctor Jan Heart in Doctor Heart by Peter Muller. English premiere directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1991)
• David in Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love by Brad Fraser. Directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1995)
• Iago in Othello. Directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (2002){{cite news |last=Hickling |first=Alfred |date=18 September 2002 |title=Othello |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2002/sep/18/theatre.artsfeatures |work=The Guardian |access-date=9 September 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909202456/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2002/sep/18/theatre.artsfeatures |archive-date=9 September 2014}}

• Motion-capture acting

{{Clear}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www.imaginariumuk.com/ Official website for The Imaginarium Studios]
• {{IMDb name|785227}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090130010723/http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/2009/01/andy-serkis-interview.php Andy Serkis on Inkheart and Tintin at AMCtv.com]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070227122219/http://numberonestars.com/kingkong/andy_interview.htm Andy Serkis Interview]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061029052944/http://www.spiritlevelfilm.com/trailer/jollyboystrailer.html The Jolly Boys Last Stand]

{{Andy Serkis}}

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|title = Awards for Andy Serkis

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{{BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award}}

{{Empire Award for Best Actor}}

{{Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor}}

{{MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo}}

{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}}

{{Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Serkis, Andy}}

Category:1964 births

Category:20th-century English male actors

Category:21st-century English male actors

Category:Actors from the London Borough of Haringey

Category:Actors from the London Borough of Hillingdon

Category:Alumni of County College, Lancaster

Category:Alumni of Lancaster University

Category:Audiobook narrators

Category:BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award

Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners

Category:English atheists

Category:English expatriates in Iraq

Category:English male film actors

Category:English male musical theatre actors

Category:English male non-fiction writers

Category:English male Shakespearean actors

Category:English male stage actors

Category:English male television actors

Category:English male voice actors

Category:English non-fiction writers

Category:English people of Arab descent

Category:English people of Armenian descent

Category:English people of Iraqi descent

Category:English theatre directors

Category:Former Roman Catholics

Category:Living people

Category:Male motion capture actors

Category:Method actors

Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners

Category:People educated at St Benedict's School, Ealing

Category:People from Baghdad

Category:People from Crouch End

Category:People from Ruislip

Andy