Gríma

Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers

Gríma was secretly in thrall to Saruman, and worked to weaken Théoden and his kingdom. Upon Gandalf's arrival, "many things which men had missed" were found locked in his trunk and he was given a grim choice: ride into battle or into exile. Choosing the latter, he followed Saruman to the Shire where the two sought revenge in petty tyranny over the hobbits. Pushed into exile again after Frodo's return, he stabbed Saruman to death and was felled by a Hobbit arrow for his treachery.

In Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Gríma is played by Brad Dourif[?]. The reason for Gríma's pale and emaciated appearance in the movie is not entirely clear. Perhaps it is meant to suggest that by throwing in his lot with Saruman he has started down the same path to physical and mental corruption that caused Gollum to become a twisted parody of his original self, although it is just as likely that Jackson simply wanted to make it clear that Wormtongue was one of the "bad guys" in the large and confusing cast of characters.