The Hobbit films starred an actor.
Andrew Clement Serkis ( born 20 April 1964 ) is an English film actor and director . He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting , animation and voice work for such computer-generated characters as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy ( 2001 -- 2003 ) and The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey ( 2012 ) , King Kong in the eponymous 2005 film , Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot series ( 2011 -- present ) , Captain Haddock / Sir Francis Haddock in Steven Spielberg 's The Adventures of Tintin ( 2011 ) and Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars : The Force Awakens ( 2015 ) . The Hobbit (film series) . The films feature an ensemble cast that also includes James Nesbitt , Ken Stott , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace and Luke Evans , with several actors reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings , including Cate Blanchett , Orlando Bloom , Ian Holm , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis .