Paul Freeman (actor)

Paul Freeman
Paul Freeman in 2016
Born (1943-01-18) 18 January 1943
Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Nationality British
Occupation Actor
Years active 1967–present
Spouse(s) Judy Matheson
(m. 1967 - div. ?)
Maggie Scott[1]
(m. 198? - present)
Children 1

Paul Freeman (born 18 January 1943) is an English theatre and film actor. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for his role in the romance TV series Yesterday's Dreams (1987) as Martin Daniels. Internationally, he is known for playing the rival archaeologist René Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), evil wine baron Gustav Riebmann on season 4 of the soap opera Falcon Crest (1984–85), supervillain Ivan Ooze in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995), and Reverend Shooter in Hot Fuzz (2007).

Referring to Freeman's extensive theatre work, in 1995 the Los Angeles Times described him as "one of Britain's best-regarded actors, classically trained, with stints at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre".[2]

Personal life

Freeman was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, on 18 January 1943. He is married to Maggie Scott, who was his co-star in the 1980 film The Dogs of War. They have one daughter, Lucy.[1] Freeman was previously married to actress Judy Matheson.

He is co-founder of the charity UK Friends of Healing Focus (UKHF), which works in partnership with Uganda NGO, Healing Focus Orphanage Centre.[3]

Career

He began his career in advertising and teaching, and landed small roles in the theatre, appearing in productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet. He then went on to play starring roles in the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and later co-founded the Joint Stock Theatre Company in 1974, along with director Max Stafford-Clark.

Freeman made his television debut in 1978, in the acclaimed serial Will Shakespeare (1978). He also acted in the ATV docudrama Death of a Princess, a controversial film about the execution of Misha'al bint Fahd al Saud of Saudi Arabia. Freeman began his feature film career in 1980, when he appeared in The Long Good Friday and The Dogs of War. In 1981, he starred in the TV show Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years.

In the same year, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas chose Freeman to play French archaeologist René Belloq, the rakish archrival to Dr. Indiana Jones, in the hugely successful adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film led to Freeman becoming typecast in villainous roles, especially Nazis.[4] Armed with another accent, this time German, he played the conniving wine baron Gustav Riebmann in the fourth season of Falcon Crest, airing in 1984-85.

Paul Freeman starred as Martin Daniels in the romantic drama series Yesterday's Dreams in 1987, which also starred Judy Loe.

In 1988, he played Professor Moriarty in comedy film Without a Clue, which starred Michael Caine as Sherlock Holmes and Ben Kingsley as Watson. In 1995, he was cast as the villain Ivan Ooze in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.[2]

Freeman guest-starred in hit shows such as Monarch of the Glen, ER, Falcon Crest and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He also played in several mini-series, including Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (1989) and The Final Cut (1995). In 2004, Freeman played Angus, Bobby Jones' caddie, in Bobby Jones: A Stroke of Genius. During 2006 and 2007, he starred in the BBC TV legal drama New Street Law as the main protagonist, alongside John Hannah. Also in 2007, he played Rev. Philip Shooter of Sandford in Hot Fuzz, alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. He is also featured in several 2007–09 Travelers Insurance television commercials.

Among his television work, Freeman has appeared in an episode of Midsomer Murders entitled "Down Among the Dead Men". He also appeared in the television crime drama Waking The Dead, in the episode "Straw Dog", and played Adam Kingsley in the BBC TV adaptation of Minette Walters' The Dark Room. He was also seen in Agatha Christie's Poirot in the episode "Appointment with Death" as Colonel Carbury.

He received acclaim as George Aaranow in the 2008 London revival of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross.

In 2012, he played Thomas Erpingham in the BBC adaption of William Shakespeare's Henry V from The Hollow Crown series.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1975 Feelings Paul Martin
1980 The Long Good Friday Colin
1980 The Dogs of War Derek Godwin
1980 Death of a Princess Christopher Ryder Television film
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark René Belloq Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1982 An Unsuitable Job for a Woman James Calendar
1982 Who Dares Wins Sir Richard
1982 The Sender Dr. Joseph Denman
1983 Si elle dit oui... je ne dis pas non Nick
1984 Flight to Berlin Nicholas
1985 A.D. Centurion Cornelius TV miniseries
1986 Shanghai Surprise Walter Faraday
1988 Prisoner of Rio Ronald Biggs
1988 A World Apart Kruger
1988 Without a Clue Professor Moriarty
1992 Just Like a Woman Miles Millichamp
1992 Aces: Iron Eagle III Gustav Kleiss
1993 Piccolo Grande Amore Otto Von Dix
1994 Lie Down with Lions Dubois Television film
1995 The Horseman on the Roof Laurent de Theus
1995 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie Ivan Ooze
1996 Squillo Marco
1997 Double Team Alex Goldsmythe
1997 Bribery and Corruption Julius Sorenson Television film - Episodes 3 & 4 of Season 10 of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
1998 Only Love Dallesandro Television film
1999 The Dark Room Adam Kingsley Television film
1999 The Devil's Arithmetic Rabbi Television film
2001 Morlang Julius Morlang Cairo International Film Festival Award for Best Actor
2002 And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen English customer
2002 Haker President of MIT
2003 George and the Dragon Sir Robert
2003 Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War Jenkins
2004 When I'm 64 Ray Television film
2006 The Feast of the Goat Agustin
2007 Hot Fuzz Rev. Philip Shooter
2009 The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler Monsignor Godlewski Television film
2009 Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen Sir Arthur Newsholme Television film
2010 Centurion Governor Agricola
2012 A Fantastic Fear of Everything Dr. Friedkin
2012 Henry V Thomas Erpingham Television film
2013 Getaway The Man
2016 High Strung Kramrovsky

Television

References

  1. 1 2 "When I'm 64". BBC. 2 July 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2018. He's happily married to fabric designer Maggie Scott and has a daughter, Lucy, ...
  2. 1 2 Gritten, David (28 June 1995). "Oberon to Ooze – It's All in a Day's Work". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  3. ↑ "Our History", UKHF.
  4. ↑ Gibson, Ellie (18 April 2008). "Belloq from Indiana Jones". eurogamer.net. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
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