Before branching out into international film, 51-year-old English actor Martin John Christopher Freeman established himself as a staple on the BBC thanks to his talent at extracting comedy gold from difficult situations.
Born in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK, Freeman made his breakthrough as the prank-loving Tim Canterbury on Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s popular sitcom “The Office” (BBC 1/BBC 2, 2001-03), after several years of putting in his time with little roles. The actor, who is becoming more and more well-known, had his big-screen debut in the ensemble comedy “Love Actually” (2003) before taking the lead in the brilliant film adaptation of the cult favorite book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (2005).
After that came a particularly productive moment when Freeman split his time between acting on television and appearing in movies like the action comedy “Hot Fuzz” (2007). When he was chosen to play Dr. John Watson on the modernized version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic work “Sherlock” (BBC 1, 2010-), opposite Benedict Cumberbatch as the quirky super-sleuth, the actor received more praise than ever before.
Of Peter Jackson’s 2012 film “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first in another trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, Freeman landed his largest part to date as the small Bilbo Baggins. From the 2016 war correspondent satire “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” through the 2017 post-apocalyptic thriller “Cargo,” Freeman continued to work in both comedy and drama.
Freeman continued to work in both comedy and drama, making appearances in movies like the post-apocalyptic thriller “Cargo” (2017) and the war correspondent satire “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” (2016). He also made appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) and “Black Panther” (2018), and he received praise for the first season of the crime anthology “Fargo” (FX 2015- ). Freeman was well-known for his comedic skills, but his all-American appeal and broad range made him one of the era’s most sought-after British imports.
High School
Freeman was brought up in the Catholic religion by his mother and went to the Salesian School in Chertsey, Surrey.
