Gollum is far from the most prominent character in the Lord of the Rings story, but he is one of the most important.
While it is the clear heroes of the story — the Frodos, Sams, and Aragorns — that largely come to mind when Lord of the Rings comes up, Gollum is a vital element of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world. His presence is a lynchpin of the story in both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and as such he’s seen numerous iterations over the years. While Andy Serkis’ impeccable portrayal is easily the best known, the release of Gollum’s own dedicated video game is introducing fans to a new take on the iconic character, and prompting questions about other attempts to bring him to life.
Gollum’s appearances across the years, ranked
A character like Gollum isn’t easy to capture, but several ambitious actors have given the part a go in the past. Long before Serkis was dazzling audiences with his incredible commitment to the Stoor Hobbit, Gollum was brought to hilarious, terrifying, and oddly charming life by a range of alternate stars. Not all of them are listed here, because all those various side-projects, fan films, and made-for-television releases simply don’t stack up to most of Gollum’s major appearances, but they’ll live rent free in my head forever.
6. Wayne Forester — Lord of the Rings: Gollum
A game centered entirely around Gollum always seemed like a long shot, but there were some truly intriguing elements contained within Lord of the Rings: Gollum that could have made it a surprise hit. Unfortunately, that’s simply not what happened, and the resulting failure not only damaged developer Daedalic Entertainment’s reputation, but also Gollum’s.
There’s no game in this world that could fully ruin Gollum for Lord of the Rings fans, but it feels like the Gollum game gave it a fair shot. It presents its best effort (honestly, we hope this isn’t the best effort) at a unique approach into the Lord of the Rings story, but our review alone is enough to tell you why this effort fell entirely short.
5. Gene Deitch’s 1967 The Hobbit
Gollum’s role in the 1967 version of The Hobbit is extremely small, which earns it a position near the bottom of this list. It’s not that the odd, furry-looking Gollum wasn’t delivered well, but his entire presence in the story — which should see him serve as a major player — was massively reduced to a single scene of the Stoor Hobbit in a boat. It’s simply too far removed from the original story to deserve a higher spot on the list — but that doesn’t make those stick-thin limbs and giant smile any less on-point for the character.
4. Brother Theodore — 1977/1980 adaptations
Toppled American production company Rankin/Bass took a swing at the Lord of the Rings story long before Peter Jackson pumped out his live-action hits, resulting in one of the odder Gollum depictions out there. Brother Theodore — who voiced the odd, dinosaur-like Gollum in 1977’s The Hobbit as well as 1980’s Return of the King — did a wonderful job, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Rankin/Bass Gollum looks like something straight out of The Land Before Time.
3. Igor Dmitriev — The Fairytale Journey of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit
It’s not the only Russian-made attempt at J.R.R. Tolkien’s story, but The Fairytale Journey of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit is the only one I’m going to mention here. While the others, including Khraniteli, do deserve a mention, I’d be getting myself into the weeds by mentioning every off-hand, impossible to find, attempt at Middle-earth in this article. As such, the excessively-titled Fairytale Journey of Mr. Bilbo Baggins earns the Russian adaptation a spot, largely thanks to its absolutely stunning depiction of Gollum.
No, you’re not likely to be impressed by Igor Dmitriev’s green face paint or delivery, but you’ll certainly find plenty to enjoy in the Soviet television play. The fact that Gollum gives Old Greg vibes is just a plus.
2. Peter Woodthorpe — 1978 animated adaptation
Peter Woodthorpe lent his voice to the part of Gollum in two separate endeavors — both the 1978 animated film adaptation and the 1981 BBC radio dramatization — and cemented himself as a vital part of the character’s history. Gollum has an odd look to him in the 1978 animated take on The Lord of the Rings, sporting brownish skin and a generally goblin-esque appearance, but his portrayal is pretty solid. Unfortunately, despite the film’s financial success, the animated release as a whole failed to deliver the entire Lord of the Rings story, and thus was considered an overall misfire among viewers.
1. Andy Serkis — Peter Jackson Trilogy
There’s simply no beating Andy Serkis’ incredible depiction of Gollum. The talented mo-cap actor — whose skill extends far beyond character work — captured Gollum with utter perfection, redefining how viewers considered the once-background character. Serkis fought, bled, and crawled through freezing water to deliver the very best version of Gollum ever dedicated to the screen, and we’re eternally grateful for it. The biggest issue, and one that will surely come up if the Lord of the Rings movies are ever remade, is finding someone — anyone — who can live up to his iconic performance.
