Bill Ferny

Bill Ferny, Agent of Saruman - trading card picture
Bill Ferny
Biographical information
Birth	Late Third Age
Death	Early Fourth Age
Spouse	Unknown
Weapon	Unknown
Physical description
Race	Men
Gender	Male
Hair	Brown (film)
Culture	Men of Bree
Media portrayal
Actor	Dallas Barnett

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Bill Ferny was a Man of Bree and a known agent of Saruman before and during the War of the Ring.

Biography

Bill Ferny resided in Bree and was known as an sneering, nefarious character who would sell anything to anyone, including dealings with shady travelers from the South, the agents of Saruman and Sauron. Ferny lived in a house next to the the Gatekeeper's lodge near the Southern Gate on the Great East Road, which ran through Bree.

In Bree, Merry saw Ferny selling information about the hobbits to the Nazgûl. Ferny may have also let loose the ponies that otherwise could have been used by the hobbits to leave the city. As a further bit of profit (and ignoring any loyalty to Saruman or the Black Riders), he sold a pony named Bill to Strider and the hobbits, for which he demanded twelve silver pennies, over three times its value.

Later, he supported Saruman's mechanization of the Shire, becoming a watchman at the Brandywine Bridge. Bill (the pony) repaid his former master for his mistreatment by kicking him. Ferny's ultimate fate is unknown, but as far as the folk of the Shire knew he was never heard from again.

Portrayal in adaptations

In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Ferny's father, appeared as an assassin hired by Azog along with his partner Squint to hunt down Thorin II Oakenshield

Ferny also appears in The Lord of the Rings Online. In the main story line, he controls a band of brigands known as the Blackwolds that operate all over Bree-land. Ferny persuades his men by claiming that they will control Bree with the help of orcs. He later receives help from his superior 'Sharkey', more commonly known as Saruman.

Ferny is also featured in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game), in which he is killed when he confronts Strider in the streets.

Translations around the World

Foreign Language	Translated name
Catalan	Bill Falgueres
Portuguese (Brazil)	Bill Samambaia
Spanish (Spain and Latin America)	Bill Helechal
French	Bill Fougeron
German	Lutz Farning
Italian	Billy Felci
Czech	Vili Potměchut
Slovak	Bill Papradník
Chinese (Hong Kong)	比爾·羊齒蕨
Finnish	Bil Imarre

Game appearance

Bill Ferny was also featured as a character in The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game as a Decipher card known as Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow.