Jonathan Freeman (actor)
Jonathan Freeman (born February 5, 1950) is an American actor, voice actor, singer, and puppeteer, known for puppetering and voicing Tito Swing in Shining Time Station and for voicing Jafar in Disney's Aladdin franchise, as well as the Kingdom Hearts franchise and the 2011 Aladdin musical.
Jonathan Freeman | |
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 Freeman at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2020 | |
| Born | Jonathan Freeman February 5, 1950 |
| Alma mater | Ohio University |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor, singer, puppeteer |
| Years active | 1972–present |
Early life
Freeman was born in Bay Village, Ohio on February 5, 1950. He graduated from Ohio University.
Career
As well as being the voice of Jafar in Aladdin, a role he once said he's called in to reprise every 3 to 6 months,[1] Freeman is also known for being the puppeteer for Tito Swing of the Jukebox Band (Flexitoon Puppets) on the PBS series Shining Time Station. Freeman reprised his role as Jafar in the direct-to-video sequel to Aladdin, The Return of Jafar.
In 1994, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in She Loves Me. Additionally, he appeared in the Broadway revival productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Producers, On the Town, and 42nd Street, during which his caricature was drawn for Sardi's restaurant in 2002.[2]
Freeman can be heard on the 1997 Varèse Sarabande studio recording of the flop 1965 musical Drat! The Cat!.
He was also seen on stage as Cogsworth in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and originated the role of Grimsby in Disney's Broadway production of The Little Mermaid.[3]
Freeman reprised his role as Jafar in the Hercules crossover with Aladdin.
Freeman began his run starring as Admiral Boom and the Bank Chairman in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins on December 12, 2009.[4]
Freeman also reprises his role as Jafar on stage in the new musical adaptation of Aladdin, which played at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre from July 7–31, 2011.[5] He is currently reprising the role in the Broadway production, which opened in March 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre,[6] and he is the only actor from the original cast of the animated film to do so.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Back to the Beach | Troy | |
| Forever, Lulu | Don | ||
| 1988 | Homeboy | Hotel Room Man | |
| 1990 | A Shock To The System | Decorator | |
| 1992 | Aladdin | Jafar (voice) | |
| 1994 | The Return of Jafar | Direct-to-video | |
| 1996 | The Associate | Hockey Game Executive | |
| 1997 | The Ice Storm | Ted Franklin | |
| 2001 | Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse | Jafar (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2002 | Mickey's House of Villains | ||
| 2007 | The Hoax | Thick Voice (voice) | |
| 2016 | Life, Animated | Himself | |
| 2020 | The High Note | Martin |
Television and web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | K.I.D.S. TV News | D.J. McCaw | |
| The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Waiter #2 | Episode: "Here's a Cute Way to Wrap up the Holiday Season" | |
| 1989–1995 | Shining Time Station | Tito Swing | |
| 1990 | Mathnet | Joshua | Episode: "The Case of the Unkidnapping" |
| Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift | Tito Swing | (TV movie) | |
| 1995 | Aladdin on Ice | Jafar (voice) | (TV movie) (uncredited) |
| 1996–1998 | Remember WENN | Rollie Pruitt | Episodes: "Christmas in the Airwaves" "Who's Scott Sherwood?" "The New Actor" "The Importance of Being Betty" "Happy Homecomings" "Some Time, Some Station" |
| 1998 | Hercules | Jafar (voice) | Episode: "Hercules and the Arabian Night" |
| 2001–2003 | House of Mouse | Episodes: "The Stolen Cartoons" "Donald's Lamp Trade" "Max's Embarrassing Date" "The Mouse who Came to the Dinner" "Where's Minnie?" "Donald and the Aracuan Bird" "House of Crime" "House of Magic" "Pete's House of Villains" "Pete's Christmas Caper" "Halloween with Hades" | |
| 2003–2006 | Lilo and Stitch: The Series | Vox (voice) | Unknown Episode |
| 2005–2006 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Eli Excelsior Pandarus Jack Frost (voice) | Episodes: "The Heist" "Eye of the Beholder" "A Befuddled Mind" |
| 2008 | Gossip Girl | Butler | Episode: "The Ex-Files" |
| 2006–2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Mr. Marty Krebs Wallace Thayer | Episodes: "Identity Crisis" "The Healer" |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Bobby Smith | Episode: "Merchandise" |
| 2011 | Too Big to Fail | Senator Richard Shelby | (TV movie) |
| Submissions Only | Greg Bonomelli | Episode: "The Miller/Hennigan Act" | |
| 2016 | Elementary | Holder | Episode: "How the Sausage Is Made" |
| Nov. 22, 2016 | Broadway.com's Role Call: "Jonathan Freeman of Aladdin" | Himself | |
| Nov. 25, 2017 | Oh My Disney Show: "Watch a Disney Movie With ... Aladdin's Jonathan Freeman" | Himself | S2, EP 34 |
| Aug. 31, 2019 | TODAY | Himself | "Jonathan Freeman, Voice of Jafar, Reveals A Secret To Playing Aladdin Villain" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Aladdin Activity Center | Jafar |
| 2001 | Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge | |
| 2002 | Kingdom Hearts | |
| 2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | |
| 2007 | Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ | |
| 2010 | Kingdom Hearts Re:coded |
Theatre work
Broadway credits
- Aladdin as Jafar (Original Broadway Cast)
- Mary Poppins as Admiral Boom and the Bank Chairman (Replacement)
- The Little Mermaid as Grimsby (Original Broadway Cast)
- Beauty and the Beast as Cogsworth (Replacement)
- The Producers as Roger De Bris (Replacement)
- 42nd Street as Bert Barry
- On the Town as Pitkin W. Bridgework
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as Mr. Bratt
- She Loves Me as Headwaiter – Nominated – Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
- Platinum as Minky
- Sherlock Holmes as Lightfoot McTague (Replacement – RSC Transfer)
Off Broadway credits
- Of Thee I Sing as Senator Lyons (City Center Encores)
- Finian's Rainbow as Finian (Irish Repertory)
- A Class Act as Lehman (Manhattan Theatre Club)
- An Empty Plate In The Cafe Du Grand Boeuf as Claude (Primary Stages)
- Sail Away as Joe (Carnegie Hall)
- Wall To Wall as Frank Loesser (Symphony Space)
- Li'l Abner as Dr. Rasmussen (City Center Encores)
- On The Town as Pitkin W. Bridgework (Public Theater/Delacourte)
- In A Pig's Valise as Zoot/Gut (Second Stage)
- Claptrap as Harvey (Manhattan Theater Club)
- Bertrano as Louie/Momo (Primary Stages)
- Confessions Of Billie as Conrad Gerhardt (Performing Garage)
- Thirteen Days To Broadway as Cy (890 Studios)
- Babes In Arms as Steve (Playwrights' Horizon)
- Pinocchio as Fire Eater (Marionette Theater)
- The Miser as Cleante (Greenwich Mews)
- Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme as Dancing Master
Regional/Stock credits
- Restoration Comedy as Sir Novelty (Seattle Repertory Theater)
- A Christmas Carol as Scrooge (Bay Street Theater)
- You Can't Take It with You as Boris Kolenkov (Bay Street Theater)
- An Empty Plate In The Cafe Du Grand Boeuf as Claude (Berkshire Theater Festival)
- Peter Pan as Hook/Mr. Darling (Austin Musical Theater)
- How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as Bert Bratt (La Jolla Playhouse)
- Fortinbras as Claudius (La Jolla Playhouse)
- Babes In Toyland as Gonzorgo (Houston Grand Opera)
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Marcus Lycus (La Jolla Playhouse/Orange County Performing Arts Center)
- The Flowering Peach as Shem (Coconut Grove Playhouse)
- Emigration Of Adam as Issac Kurtzik (Williamstown Theater Festival)
- Gay Divorce as Teddy (Goodspeed Opera House)
- The Student Prince as Hubert (Milwaukee Melody Top)
- Can-Can as Boris
- Arsenic and Old Lace as Jonathan (Meadowbrook Theater)
- The Desert Song as Benny (Coachlight Theater)
- George Washington Slept Here (play) as Steve (Berkshire Theater Festival)
- How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying as Bud Frump (Coachlight Theater)
Soundtrack
| Year | Artist/Writer | Song | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Kevin Roth | "Cosher Bailey's Engine" "Camptown Races" "Jesse James" "Celito Lindo" "No Business like Show Business" "Polly Wolly Doodle" "The Desperado" "Home on the Range" "Jamaican Farewell" "Born on the Fourth of July" | Shining Time Station | Tito Swing |
| 1990 | Lydia Maria Child | "'Tis A Gift" | Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift | |
| 1992 | Alan Menken & Howard Ashman | "Prince Ali Reprise" "Humiliate the Boy" "Why Me?" | Aladdin | Jafar |
| 1994 | "You're Only Second Rate" | The Return of Jafar | ||
| 2001 | Randy Petersen & Kevin Quinn | "It's Our House Now" | Mickey's House of Villains |
References
- "Inside the Magic podcast LIVE - Show 330 - July 31, 2011". Inside The Magic. July 31, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- "Jonathan Freeman Gets Hung Up at Sardi's". Playbill, Inc. April 11, 2002. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- "Lewis, Palmer, Scott, Burgess and More Will Join Boggess in Disney's Little Mermaid". Playbill, Inc. March 20, 2007. Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- "Tony Nominee Freeman Joins Broadway's MARY POPPINS". December 11, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- Jonathan Freeman Will Bring Jafar from Screen to Stage in Disney's Aladdin at 5th Avenue Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed Will Co-Star in Disney's Aladdin; Complete Cast Announced Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, Retrieved September 17, 2013
External links
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