<P> Smaug was depicted by Tolkien as an intelligent being capable of speech, easily pleased by flattery and fascinated by Bilbo's description of himself in riddles . This is also done in later film adaptations such as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug . He is described as having "quite an overwhelming personality" and every time his eyes flash across Bilbo's invisible form, he feels almost compelled to tell him the truth about himself because of the hypnotic power within . </P> <P> In the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit, Smaug was voiced by Richard Boone . In general, Smaug's design in the animated version is consistent with Tolkien's description, save for his face: for rather than the traditional reptilian look associated with dragons, Smaug's face in the animated version has distinctly cat - like features including fur, enlarged ears, and canine teeth . His hypnotic speech is absent, but his acute eyesight is portrayed by highbeam - like lights projected from his eyes . </P> <P> On June 16, 2011, it was announced that Smaug would be voiced and interpreted with performance capture by Benedict Cumberbatch in Peter Jackson's three - part adaptation of The Hobbit, wherein Smaug is presented with a long head, red - golden scales, and piercing yellow - red eyes . The dragon speaks with Received Pronunciation with an underlying growl; Cumberbatch's vocal performance was vocoded using alligator growls . Smaug's design was created with key frame animation, in addition to Cumberbatch's motion capture performance . Weta Digital employed its proprietary "Tissue" software which was honoured in 2013 with a "Scientific and Engineering Award" from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to make the dragon as realistic as possible . In addition, Weta Digital supervisor Joe Letteri said in an interview for USA Today that they used classic European and Asian dragons as inspirations to create Smaug . </P> <Ul> <Li> In the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the audience sees only his legs, wings, and tail, and his eye, which is showcased in the final scene of the film . Smaug is a topic of discussion among the White Council as Gandalf's reason to support Thorin Oakenshield's quest . </Li> <Li> Smaug appears as the titular primary antagonist in the second film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug . The first film portrayed him as a four - legged dragon with wings on his back; the design in the second film depicted Smaug with wings on his arms like a bat . In an interview with Joe Letteri, Smaug's design was changed to this form after the crew saw how Benedict Cumberbatch performed Smaug while moving around on all four limbs . The weak spot shown in Smaug's armour is the result of one of his scales breaking off during his attack on Dale . He makes veiled references to the One Ring and a "coming darkness" which tie in to the film's secondary plot concerning the resurgence of Sauron . Smaug battles Thorin's small group of dwarves when they come to Bilbo's aid, before flying off to Lake - town . </Li> <Li> In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Smaug attacks Lake - town . He is killed by Bard with an elongated iron arrow and his body falls on the boat carrying the fleeing Master of Lake - town . It is later revealed that Smaug's attack on Erebor was all part of Sauron's design, meaning that Smaug and Sauron were in league with each other . </Li> </Ul>

Who did the voice of smaug in the hobbit