Martin Freeman

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Martin Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is a popular English actor. He is most famous for his roles as Tim Canterbury in the BBC's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Office, and as Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Career

Since leaving the Central School of Speech and Drama, Freeman has appeared in at least 18 TV shows, 14 theatre productions, and several radio productions. Most notably, he starred in the sitcom Hardware. The Office started in 2001 and finished with 2 specials in Christmas 2003. Freeman has also appeared in several films, including Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G Indahouse (2002) and Richard Curtis' Love Actually (2003). As well as his various comic roles, Freeman has also appeared in serious dramatic parts. His most prominent dramatic role to date has been as Lord Shaftesbury in the 2003 BBC historical drama Charles II: The Power and The Passion. He can also be seen making a brief appearance in the first episode of the second series of This Life, helping himself to £30 from Milly and Egg's bedside table before unknowingly swigging a mouthful of Egg's urine from a lager can. Freeman also starred in the BBC's television series The Robinsons. Freeman also had a cameo performance in episode 1 of "Black Books", a Channel 4 Comedy written by Irish comedian Dylan Moran.

He recently appeared in Hot Fuzz (2007), a film written by Shaun of the Dead writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and had a brief non-speaking role in Shaun of the Dead as Yvonne's boyfriend, Declan. He is in the 2007 film The All Together written & directed by Gavin Claxton.

He also features in the video for Faith No More's cover of "I Started a Joke". He has recently covered a few shows on BBC 6 Music. In May 2009 he starred in a comedy, called Boy Meets Girl - a four part drama that charts the progress of characters Veronica and Danny after an accident which causes them to swap bodies.^[1] Freeman will play Dr. John Watson in a 60-minute BBC pilot called Sherlock, a contemporary take on the Sherlock Holmes classics. The episode, written by Steven Moffat, will shoot in January 2009. ^[2]

[edit] Personal life

Freeman is from Aldershot in Hampshire, England. His longtime girlfriend, Amanda Abbington, is an actress and has appeared alongside him in several productions, such as Men Only, Picking Up The Pieces, The Debt, The Robinsons and the feature film comedy The All Together. He has 3 children and is left handed. His Mother is called Philomena and his father is called Geoff.

[edit] Filmography

• Ali G Indahouse (2002)
• Love Actually (2003)
• Shaun of the Dead (2004)
• Pride (2004) (TV) (voice)
• The Robinsons (TV) (2005) - Ed Robinson
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
• Confetti (2006)
• Breaking and Entering (2006)
• The Good Night (2007)
• Hot Fuzz (2007)
• Dedication (2007)
• The All Together (2007)
• Nightwatching (2007)
• The Old Curiosity Shop (2007) (TV)
• Nativity (2008)
• Sherlock (2009)
• Boy Meets Girl (TV) (2009) - Danny Reed
• Wild Target (2009) - Dixon

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Martin Freeman at the Internet Movie Database
• Martin Freeman biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Martin Freeman Massive, online fan community
• Martin Freeman BBC Radio Gloucestershire interview (feb 2007)
• Boy Meets Girl Interview