Martin John C. Freeman, born September 8, 1971 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, is an English actor who portrayed Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit film trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Martin Freeman was born in Aldershot, Hampshire, the youngest of five children. His father, Geoffrey, a naval officer, and his mother, Philomena, separated when Freeman was a child, and when Freeman was ten, Geoffrey died of a heart attack. Freeman was raised in a Roman Catholic family, and though his family was not strict in their religious practices, his religion had a profound influence on him. As a child, Freeman was asthmatic, and had to undergo a hip operation due to a "dodgy" leg. He was schooled at a Catholic comprehensive before attending London's Central School of Speech and Drama.
Films and television[]
In addition to The Hobbit, Freeman is best known for his performances in films such as Black Panther, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (as Arthur Dent), and Love Actually. Freeman has appeared in over 18 TV shows, 14 theatre productions, and several radio shows. His most famous TV roles are that of Tim Canterbury in The Office (UK), and more recently John Watson in Sherlock, the modernised TV series on BBC1 starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. Freeman is also the lead role in Nativity! (2009) as Paul Maddens.
Trivia[]
- Freeman owns two rescued miniature long-haired dachshunds named Archie and Jodie.
- In 2012 when the Sherlock episode "The Hounds of Baskerville" was shot, Freeman had not gotten a driver's license, but now has one.
- He is a vegetarian.
- A big fan of '60s and '70s soul music, Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" is his favorite album.
- Freeman's former real life partner was Abigail Abbington, who played Mary Watson in the Sherlock series. They separated amicably just before the end of the third season.
- He appeared in the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse, which also featured Graham McTavish.
- He had a voice role in the 2004 film Pride, which also featured the voices of Sean Bean and John Hurt.
- He appeared in the 2005 film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which also featured the voice of Stephen Fry.
- He appeared in the 2007 film Hot Fuzz, which also featured Cate Blanchett.
- He appeared in the 2018 film Black Panther, which also featured Andy Serkis.
- Black Panther is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has also featured Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Karl Urban, Richard Armitage, Liv Tyler, Evangeline Lilly, David Wenham, Craig Parker, Brad Dourif and Nazanin Boniadi.
External links[]
| The Hobbit films actors | |
|---|---|
| Richard Armitage • John Bell • Manu Bennett • Cate Blanchett • Orlando Bloom • Jed Brophy • Adam Brown • John Callen • Benedict Cumberbatch • Luke Evans • Martin Freeman • Stephen Fry • Ryan Gage • Mark Hadlow • Peter Hambleton • Craig Hall • Sir Ian Holm • Stephen Hunter • Robin Kerr • William Kircher • Sir Christopher Lee • Evangeline Lilly • Sir Ian McKellen • Graham McTavish • James Nesbitt • Mary Nesbitt • Peggy Nesbitt • Dean O'Gorman • Lee Pace • Mikael Persbrandt • John Rawls • Andy Serkis • Conan Stevens • Ken Stott • Aidan Turner • Stephen Ure • Hugo Weaving • Elijah Wood | |