Paul Freeman (born 18 January 1943) is an English actor who has appeared in theatre, television and film. 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), Julius Morlang in Morlang (2001), Ray in When I'm 64 (2004), Reverend Shooter in Hot Fuzz (2007) and Shrewd Eddie in Hard Boiled Sweets (2012)
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Paul Freeman | |
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Born | (1943-01-18) 18 January 1943 (age 79) Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1967–present |
Spouse(s) | Judy Matheson (m. 1967; div.) Maggie Scott |
Children | 1 |
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".[1]
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.[2] They have one daughter, Lucy.[2] Freeman was previously married to actress Judy Matheson.
Paul and Maggie Scott are both co-founders of the charity UK Friends of Healing Focus (UKHF),[3] which works in partnership with Uganda NGO, Healing Focus Orphanage Centre.[4]
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 had 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.[1]
Freeman made his television debut in 1978 in the serial Will Shakespeare (1978). He also acted in the docudrama Death of a Princess, a 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 archaeologist René Belloq, the archrival to Indiana Jones, in the adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film led to Freeman becoming typecast in villainous roles, especially Nazis.[5] He played the conniving wine baron Gustav Riebmann in the fourth season of Falcon Crest, airing in 1984–1985.
Paul Freeman starred as Martin Daniels in the series Yesterday's Dreams in 1987.
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.[1]
Freeman guest-starred in television shows such as Monarch of the Glen, ER, Falcon Crest and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He also played in several [ini-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 drama New Street Law. Also in 2007, he played Rev. Philip Shooter of Sandford in Hot Fuzz. He is also featured in several Travelers Insurance television commercials from 2007 to 2009.
Among his television work, Freeman has appeared in an episode of Midsomer Murders titled "Down Among the Dead Men". He also appeared in the Waking the Dead in the episode "Straw Dog", and played Adam Kingsley in the BBC adaptation of Minette Walters' The Dark Room. He was seen in Agatha Christie's Poirot in the episode "Appointment with Death" as Colonel Carbury.
He appeared 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.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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 | Enemies of the State | Julius Tomin | Television film |
1983 | Si elle dit oui... je ne dis pas non | Nick | |
1984 | Flight to Berlin | Nicholas | |
1984 | Sakharov | Pavel Leontiev | |
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 | |
1989 | Magic Moments | Brian Swann | Television film |
1990 | Les belles Américaines / May Wine | Tom | Television film |
1990 | The Last Island | Sean | |
1990 | Eminent Domain | Ben | |
1992 | Double Edge | Ferese | Television film |
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 sorcerer | |
1996 | Squillo | Marco | |
1997 | Double Team | Alex Goldsmythe | |
1997 | Bribery and Corruption | Julius Sorensen | 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 |
2000 | Rough Treatment | Mr. Masters | Television film |
2000 | The 3 Kings | Melchior | |
2001 | Morlang | Julius Morlang | Cairo International Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
2002 | Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War | Jenkins | |
2002 | And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen | English customer | |
2002 | Fields of Gold | Sir James Ferneyhough | Television film |
2002 | The elephant and the snail | Narrator | Animated short film |
2002 | Haker | President of MIT | |
2003 | George and the Dragon | Sir Robert | |
2004 | Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius | Angus | |
2004 | When I'm 64 | Ray | Television film |
2005 | The Feast of the Goat | Agustin | |
2007 | Hot Fuzz | Rev. Philip Shooter | |
2007 | A Girl and a Gun | Eddie | Video short |
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 | |
2011 | Viral | Salvo | Short |
2012 | Hard Boiled Sweets | Shrewd Eddie | |
2012 | A Fantastic Fear of Everything | Dr. Friedkin | |
2012 | After Death | The inventor | |
2012 | Henry V | Thomas Erpingham | Television film |
2013 | Getaway | The Man | |
2013 | Trimming Pablo | Pablo Picasso | Short |
2013 | Bad Day at the Office | Narrator | Short |
2014 | Promakhos | Callum (rumored) | |
2015 | A Private Man | Old man | Short |
2016 | High Strung | Kramrovsky | |
2016 | The Gatehouse | Evelyn Eldritch | |
2018 | Viking Destiny | Tarburn | |
2022 | The Man from Rome | Father Ferro |
He's happily married to fabric designer Maggie Scott and has a daughter, Lucy, ...
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