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.^[1] They have one daughter.^[1] Freeman was previously married to actress Judy Matheson. Freeman studied acting at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the National Theatre".^[2]

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] Freeman is a regular visitor to the orphanage.^[5]

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^[2] and the Royal Shakespeare Company,^[2] and later co-founded the Joint Stock Theatre Company in 1974, along with director Max Stafford-Clark.^[2]

Freeman made his television debut in 1978 in the serial Will Shakespeare (1978).^[6] He also acted in the docudrama Death of a Princess,^[6] 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,^[6] and The Dogs of War.^[6] In 1981, he starred in the TV show Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years.^[6]

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,^[6] opposite Harrison Ford. The film led to Freeman becoming typecast in villainous roles, especially Nazis.^[7] He played the conniving wine baron Gustav Riebmann in the fourth season of Falcon Crest, airing in 1984–1985.^[6]

Paul Freeman starred as Martin Daniels in the series Yesterday's Dreams in 1987.^[6]

In 1988, he played Professor Moriarty in comedy film Without a Clue,^[6] which starred Michael Caine as a mini-brained Sherlock Holmes and Ben Kingsley as Watson, who is secretly the real crime-solving genius. In 1995, Freeman was cast as the villain Ivan Ooze in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.^[2]

Freeman guest-starred in television shows such as Monarch of the Glen,^[6] ER,^[6] Falcon Crest,^[6] and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.^[6] He also played in several mini-series, including Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (1989),^[6] and The Final Cut (1995).^[6] In 2004, Freeman played Angus, Bobby Jones' caddie, in Bobby Jones: A Stroke of Genius.^[6] During 2006 and 2007, he starred in the drama New Street Law.^[6] Also in 2007, he played Rev. Philip Shooter of Sandford in Hot Fuzz.^[6]

Among his television work, Freeman has appeared in an episode of Midsomer Murders,^[6] titled "Down Among the Dead Men". He also appeared in the Waking the Dead,^[6] in the episode "Straw Dog", and played Adam Kingsley in the BBC adaptation of Minette Walters' The Dark Room.^[6] He was seen in the episode "Appointment with Death", as Colonel Carbury in Agatha Christie's Poirot.^[6]

He appeared as George Aaranow in the 2008 London revival of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross.^[6]

In 2012, he played Thomas Erpingham in the BBC adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V from The Hollow Crown series.^[6]

Film edit

Television edit

• 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
• 1973 – Coronation Street – 1 Episode: "Terry Slade"
• 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 – Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years – 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 & 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
• 1992-1993 – The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – 2 episodes – 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
• 1996 - Samson and Delilah (1996 miniseries) (TNT) - Manoah
• 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
• 2017–2020 – Absentia – Warren Byrne
• 2018 – A Very English Scandal – Sir Joseph Cantley
• 2022 – The Man Who Fell to Earth – 1 episode - "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" – Gregory Papel

• Paul Freeman at IMDb