Paul Freeman (actor)
Paul Freeman 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 as Martin Daniels. Internationally, he is known for playing the rival archaeologist René Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark, evil wine baron Gustav Riebmann on season 4 of the soap opera Falcon Crest, supervillain Ivan Ooze in , and Reverend Shooter in Hot Fuzz.
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".
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. Freeman was previously married to actress Judy Matheson.Paul and Maggie Scott are both co-founders of the charity UK Friends of Healing Focus, which works in partnership with Uganda NGO, Healing Focus Orphanage Centre.
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. 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 '.
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. Armed with another accent, this time German, he played the conniving wine baron Gustav Riebmann in the 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 '.
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 and The Final Cut. In 2004, Freeman played Angus, Bobby Jones' caddie, in . 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 | ' | Colin | |
| 1980 | ' | Derek Godwin | |
| 1980 | Death of a Princess | Christopher Ryder | Television film |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | René Belloch | Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1982 | ' | James Calendar | |
| 1982 | Who Dares Wins | Sir Richard | |
| 1982 | ' | 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 | ' | 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 | Just Like a Woman | Miles Millichamp | |
| 1992 | ' | 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 | ' | Ivan Ooze | |
| 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 | ' | Adam Kingsley | Television film |
| 1999 | ' | 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 | Haker | President of MIT | |
| 2003 | George and the Dragon | Sir Robert | |
| 2004 | ' | 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 | ' | Monsignor Godlewski | Television film |
| 2009 | ' | Sir Arthur Newsholme | Television film |
| 2010 | Centurion | Governor Agricola | |
| 2011 | Viral | Salvo | Short |
| 2012 | Hard Boiled Sweets | Shrewd Eddie | |
| 2012 | 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 | |
| 2015 | A Private Man | Old man | Short |
| 2016 | High Strung | Kramrovsky | |
| 2016 | The Gatehouse | Evelyn Eldritch | |
| 2018 | Viking Destiny | Tarburn |
Television
- 1967 – Champion House – Elwyn
- 1972 – The Last of the Baskets – 1 Episode: "Since Then I Have Used No Other" − Bernard Rage
- 1972 – Jason King – 1 Episode: "Zenia Male" − Revolutionary
- 1972 – The Protectors – 1 Episode: "A Kind of Wild Justice" − Mechanic
- 1974 – Crown Court – 1 Episode: "Good and Faithful Friends: Pt. 1" − Leonard Tyler
- 1976 – Couples – 3 Episodes − Douglas Broom
- 1976 – The XYY Man – 3 Episodes − Ray Lynch
- 1978 – Scorpion Tales – 1 Episode: "The Great Albert" − Oliver Benthall
- 1978 – Crown Court – 1 Episode: "The Song Not the Singer: Pt.1" − John Bernard
- 1978 – Will Shakespeare – 6 Episodes − Dick Burbage
- 1980 – Death of a Princess – Christopher Ryder
- 1980 – Play for Today – 1 Episode: "A Walk in the Forest" − Alexander Kutsov
- 1981 – – Ralph Wigram
- 1981 – Play for Today – 1 Episode: "No Visible Scar" − Doctor
- 1982 – BBC2 Playhouse – 1 Episode: "The Workshop" − Max
- 1982 – Play for Today – 1 Episode: "Willie's Last Stand" − Willie
- 1982 – Crown Court – 1 Episode: "Face Value: Pt. 1" − Defence Counsel
- 1982 – Gavilan – 1 Episode: "Sarah and the Buzz" – Mr. Snow
- 1984 – Cagney y Lacey – 1 Episode: "Victimless Crime" – Yves Benoit
- 1984 − Mitch − 1 Episode: "Postman's Knock" − Harry Warren
- 1984-1985 – Falcon Crest – 19 Episodes – Gustav Riebmann
- 1987 – Yesterday's Dreams – Martin Daniels
- 1989 − Pursuit / Twist of Fate 2 Episodes - SS-Oberfuhrer Mittendorf
- 1992 – The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "British East Africa, September 1909" – Frederick Selous
- 1994 – Viper – 1 Episode: "Once a Thief" - Dr. Samuels
- 1994 – Grushko – 2 Episodes – Bosenko
- 1995 – The Final Cut – 4 Episodes – Tom Makepeace
- 1996 – Tales from the Crypt – 1 Episode: "Smoke Wrings" – Alistair Touchstone
- 1998–2002 – ER – Dr. Charles Corday – 3 episodes
- 2000 – Inspector Morse – 1 Episode: "The Remorseful Day" – Frank Harrison
- 2002 – Monarch of the Glen 11 Episodes – Andrew Booth
- 2005 – “Waking the Dead – 2 episodes: “Straw Dog” – Dr. Hoyle
- 2006 – Midsomer Murders – 1 Episode: "Down Among The Dead Men" – Sir John Waverly
- 2006–2007 – New Street Law – Laurence Scammel QC
- 2006 – Number 13 – TV movie adaptation of M. R. James short story "Number 13" – Mr Harrington – Cathedral archivist
- 2007 – Diamond Geezer – 1 Episode: "Old Gold" – Sergey
- 2007 – The Whistleblowers – 2 Episodes: "Environment & Fit for Purpose" – Joseph Cole
- 2007 – Hotel Babylon – 1 Episode – Sir Christopher Price
- 2008 – Agatha Christie's Poirot – 1 Episode: "Appointment With Death" – Col. Carbury
- 2009 – Lark Rise to Candleford – 1 Episode – Old Edmund
- 2010 – Spooks – 1 Episode – Levi Cohen
- 2012 – Strike Back – 2 Episodes - "Vengeance: Parts 5 & 6" – Peter Evans
- 2013 – The Bible – Samuel – 2 episodes
- 2013 – Lucan – 1 Episode – John Pearson
- 2015 – Da Vinci's Demons – The Architect
- 2016 – Tokyo Trial – William Donald Patrick, Lord Patrick
- 2017–2019 – Absentia – Warren Byrne
- 2018 – A Very English Scandal – Sir Joseph Cantley