In the 1971 Mind's Eye radio adaptation, Sam was voiced by Lou Bliss. In Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated version of "The Lord of the Rings", Sam was voiced by Michael Scholes. In the 1980 animated version of "The Return of the King", made for television, the character was voiced by Roddy McDowall. In the 1981 BBC radio adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings", Sam was played by Bill Nighy. In the 1993 Finnish television miniseries "Hobitit", Sam is portrayed by Pertti Sveholm. In the Peter Jackson movies "" (2001), "" (2002) and "" (2003), Sam was played by Sean Astin. The batman relationship and class differences between Sam and Frodo are somewhat subdued, though Sam still refers to Frodo as "Mr." (but not "Master"). "Entertainment Weekly" called Sam Gamgee one of the "greatest sidekicks." UGO Networks also named Sam as one of their top heroes in entertainment. On stage, Sam was portrayed by Peter Howe in the 3-hour long Toronto, Ontario, Canada stage production of "The Lord of the Rings", which opened in 2006. In the United States, Sam was portrayed by Blake Bowden in the Cincinnati productions of "The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001), "The Two Towers" (2002), and "The Return of the King" (2003) for Clear Stage Cincinnati.