Martin Freeman is a famous British actor. Recently, he also often appears in films shot in Hollywood. Martin Freeman's biography completely changed after the release of the series "Sherlock", in which the actor became a modern Doctor Watson. After the premiere of this television project, Freeman gained worldwide fame. American and British filmmakers began to actively invite him to their films and TV series.
In the Hobbit trilogy based on the famous book written by Tolkien, he became Bilbo Baggins. These films are a prequel to the cult "Lord of the Rings". Now the actor continues to star in projects from the legendary Marvel studio. The government agent he plays may not be the main one, but he is a very important character in the world of superheroes.
Pictured: Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
Martin Freeman's former common-law wife Amanda Abbington played Dr. Watson's wife in the last two seasons of Sherlock.
Biography of Martin Freeman
The future actor was born in a provincial town in Hampshire (Great Britain) into a large family. Martin became the fifth child. The family did not live well; the parents divorced when the boy was barely five years old.
Family
The actor rarely remembers his parents. They were poor people who, in his memory, only swore and quarreled. After the divorce, Martin remained to live with his father, but he died of a heart attack when the boy was barely ten years old. He returned to live with his mother, but he never felt affection and warmth.
Childhood and youth
The future actor studied at a Catholic school, and in his heart he dreamed of entering a theater school. From the age of 15 he performed as part of a youth theater and finally decided to link his destiny with the world of cinema and art. After school, he entered the Central School of Dramatic Art and became a certified specialist.
Personal life
In everyday life, the actor is unpretentious, prefers simple dishes, and has not eaten meat for many years - he is a vegetarian. Martin Freeman does not seek to advertise his personal life. Popular accounts on Instagram are maintained under the actor’s name, but all these pages are designated as fan pages.
Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington
Martin Freeman was happily married for a long time. The actor met his soulmate, actress Amanda Abbington, when Martin was already 30 years old.
In an interview, even years later, the actor repeated that he considered this day the best in his life, and said that fate gave him a royal gift. Alas, even such happy and harmonious relationships sometimes end.
Martin and Amanda met on the set of the film “Only Men” in 2000, liked each other, dated, then decided to live together. In 2005, the couple had their first child, Joe, and four years later, a charming baby, Grace, was born. Martin turned out to be a caring husband and father.
Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington
Martin and Amanda never officially legalized their relationship; they believed that this was not the most important thing in life. The spouses often starred in the same projects. The actors appeared together in the films “Collecting Broken Bottles”, “Repay the Debt”, “The Robinsons”, “All Together”.
In the series Sherlock, which brought Martin worldwide popularity, in particular in the third season of the film, the actor also played together with Amanda Abbington. At the same time, Amanda appeared on the screen as the wife of Freeman’s character, Mary Watson. The second episode of the season focuses on the lavish wedding of the characters, which, obviously, the actors themselves did not have.
Actor Martin Freeman
At the same time, as Martin and Amanda stated in an interview, filming together and spending time together did not tire the spouses. On the contrary, according to the former spouses, they appreciated every minute spent together.
But on December 22, 2021, fans of the actor learned that the couple had separated
. The former spouses did not create scandals or talk about personal problems on talk shows. On the contrary, Martin Freeman assured the press that he remained on friendly terms with Amanda Abbington, and also stated that, despite the separation, he would always love and respect his ex-wife.
Martin Freeman's career
The artist has an extraordinary appearance, so he is clearly not suited to the role of a hero-lover. And he remained unnoticed in the frame for a long time. Therefore, famous directors were not particularly in a hurry to provide work.
Movies
The actor's film debut took place in 1997, but the role was episodic. In 2000, Martin starred in the film “Black’s Bookstore” and was finally noticed and began to be invited to films. The following projects are the sitcom “The Office”, “Charles II. Power and Passion”, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, “All Together”, “Dedication”, “The Best Christmas Ever”, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”.
Series
In addition to the role of the hobbit, Martin Freeman's popularity was brought to him by the role of Doctor Watson in the immortal film adaptation of A.C. Doyle "Sherlock Holmes". In the series “Sherlock” his partner in the film was the equally popular British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. He worked on the series from 2010 to 2021 and gained worldwide fame.
Born on September 8, 1971 in Hampshire, UK. The parents separated soon after the boy was born. When he was ten years old, his father (naval officer Geoffrey Freeman) died of a heart attack. Martin was the fourth and youngest child in the family. Since childhood, he was not in good health: he suffered from asthma and had surgery on his hip. Religion has always had a significant influence on him. After graduating from Catholic school, Freeman attended the Central School of Speech and Dramatic Art in London. When he was fifteen years old, he joined a youth theater troupe. By the age of seventeen, he was already firmly aware that he wanted to continue building an acting career.
Martin has appeared in at least eighteen television shows, fourteen theater productions, and several radio plays. His first serious work was the role of Tim Canterbury in the BBC comedy series The Office. In 2004, the project received a Golden Globe Award, and the actor received nominations for the British Comedy Award and BAFTA TV Award. After that, the series “Hardware” with Freeman in the title role was released. In 2002, he played in Sacha Baron Cohen's film Ali G in Parliament, and in 2003 in the Christmas comedy Love Actually.
In 1997, he appeared in the TV series This Life, starring in the comedy The Robinsons and in the sitcom Black's Bookshop. Work in the mini-series “The Last King” brought Freeman closer to more serious, dramatic roles. The actor collaborated with director Edgar Wright, played small roles in the action comedy “Hot Fuzz” and in the parody horror comedy “Shaun of the Dead,” and in 2007 he starred in Gavin Claxton’s comedy “All Together.”
Freeman appeared in Faith No More's video for the song "I Started a Joke" immediately after the band split in 1998, and also took part in several shows on BBC 6 Music. In 2009, Martin played the lead role in the comedy-drama television miniseries Boy Meets Girl, which focused on the topic of body swapping. Freeman became one of the participants in the large-scale film project “48 Hours”, playing in an episode of Girl Is Mime. In 2010, he received one of the most successful roles in his career - Dr. John Watson in another free adaptation of the immortal works about Sherlock Holmes. Freeman went through a big casting, and the pilot episode with him received warm approval. Martin was awarded the prestigious BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor.
From the spring of 2011 to the present, Freeman has been taking part in the film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s book “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.” Director Peter Jackson himself chose him for the role of Bilbo Baggins.
The actor lives in Hertfordshire. He is in a civil marriage with English actress Amanda Abbington, the couple has two children. They met on the set in 2000 and since then have met more than once on the same set.
Freeman is a vegetarian and believes in God.
Interesting facts about Martin Freeman
- Her debut was a cameo role in the popular TV series “A Purely English Murder” (1997).
- For the role of Doctor Watson in 2011, the actor received the first prestigious BAFTA TV Awards in the category “Best Supporting Actor”.
- The actor is an experienced vegetarian, eats only plant foods and does not deviate from his principles;
- Martin does not have a driver's license or a personal vehicle. He prefers to get around on foot or by bike.
- The artist cannot be found on social networks, since there is no computer or Internet in his house. Martin chooses real life.
Martin Freeman now
In 2021, the actor received a role in another popular franchise, in the Marvel cinematic universe, namely in the superhero action film Captain America: Civil War.
.
In this film, Martin Freeman plays an American spy, although the actor himself does not understand whether he is a good or bad character. This is a minor, but cross-cutting role. Almost immediately after the release of The First Avenger, it became known that Martin Freeman would appear in this role in another Marvel film, Black Panther
.
Martin Freeman in the movie "Black Panther"
Also in 2021 and 2021, Martin Freeman played the role of an FBI agent in the drama series Startup.
Roles of Martin Freeman
The actor is equally popular in films and TV series. In the first case, the role of the hobbit brought popularity, in the second - the well-known Doctor Watson.
Movies
- "Love Actually" - John;
- "The Last King" - Lord Shaftesbury;
- "Pride" - Fleck;
- "Shaun of the Dead" - Declan
- "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - Arthur Dent;
- "Confetti" - Matt;
- "Good Night" - Gary Schiller;
- “Secrets of the Night Watch” - Rembrandt;
- "Wild Thing" - Hector Dixon;
- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" - Bilbo;
- "A Ghost Story" - Mike Priddle;
- "Black Panther" - Everett Ross.
Series
- “A Purely English Murder” - Craig;
- "This Life" - Stewart;
- "Black's Bookstore" - doctor;
- "The Office" - Tim Canterbury;
- "The Robinsons" - Ed;
- "Sherlock" - Dr. Watson;
- "Startup" - Phill Rusk;
- "Confession" - Steve Fulcher";
- "Boy Meets Girl" - Danny Reed.
Childhood
On September 8, 1971, in the English town of Aldershot, naval officer Geoffrey Freeman and aspiring actress Philomena Norris gave birth to their fifth child, son Martin. Martin has three older brothers - Benedict, Tim and Jamie and a sister - Laura. When Martin was 1 year old, his parents divorced and he stayed with his father. In 1981, his father died of cardiac arrest and Martin moved back in with his mother and stepfather James.
Martin Freeman as a child with his family
Martin attended Salesian Catholic High School in Chertsey, Surrey. He was raised as a Roman Catholic, although his family did not have strict religious principles.
Martin has suffered from asthma since childhood and also underwent hip surgery. But despite this, from a young age he was interested in sports.
He showed interest in sports from a young age. Although he suffers from asthma and has had occasional hip problems since surgery, this has not stopped him from playing football and squash. He was part of the British national squash team from age 9 to 14, traveling around the country and competing in tournaments. Martin had another great passion - music, which he began to get involved in from an early age, thanks to the influence of his older brothers. Artistic freedom and self-expression were always encouraged in his family.
Most of his family later pursued careers in the entertainment industry. His brother Tim Freeman was in the art-pop group Frazier Chorus, and his other brother, Jamie Freeman, was a musician.
At age 15, he joined Youth Action Theatre, where he performed in numerous plays, including The Roses of Eyam, Our Town, Blood Brothers and Macbeth. He remains a patron of YAT to this day. Freeman then decided to continue his acting career by enrolling in London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. After which he graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in media arts.
Career
In 1995, he played the roles of the third merchant in Volpone and the young man in Mother Courage and Her Children at the Olivier Theater.
His first professional television appearance came in 1997, when he played Alan Reed in the police series A Very English Murder in the episode entitled "Mantrap". That same year, he began to receive offers, and he played episodic roles in the TV series “Life is a Sentence” (episode “Last Tango in Southwark”) and “Catastrophe” (episode “She Loved the Rain”).
In 1998, Martin played the role of Frank in the short film I Just Want to Kiss You, and also appeared in the TV series Piece by Piece as Brendan. At the same time, Martin did not forget about the theater, joining the cast of “Cinderella” at the Lyric Theater.
In 2000, he got the main role in the comedy sketch show "Jock" and a small role in the series "Black's Bookstore." That same year, he played a quiet psychopath in Toby Whitehouse's play Jump Mr. Malinoff."
2001 was quite a successful year for Freeman. He starred as Jamie in the television film For Men Only, where he met his future wife Amanda Abbington. That same year, he played his first prominent role as Tim Canterbury in the British sitcom The Office. After which his name became recognizable in the film industry, and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Comedy.
Martin Freeman in the series "The Office"
After achieving fame, he starred in the films Ali G in Parliament and Love Actually. He was afraid that he would be perceived only as a comedic actor, so he took small dramatic roles in the films Helen West, Linda Green, and The Last King. But he soon appeared again in the comedies Margery and Gladys and Hardwar.
In 2004, he starred in the recently cult film Shaun of the Dead, voiced a lion in The Lion Family, and also appeared in several short films.
He then landed his first leading role as Arthur Dent in the Hollywood film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, an adaptation of the Douglas Adams novel. The film was released on wide screens in 2005. At the same time, he played in the theater in the productions “Blue Eyes” and “Heels”.
In 2006, the actor's attention increased sharply and he landed roles in several hit films, including Confetti, Invasion, Initiation and The Long Hot Summer, and also starred in the TV series The Robinsons. In the same year, Martin played the main role in the popular film Good Night, along with Gwyneth Paltrow and Penelope Cruz.
In 2007, Freeman starred in the leading role in the comedy All Together. He also agreed to portray one of his most challenging roles, Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg, in the action-packed drama Secrets of the Night's Watch, directed by Peter Greenaway.
The following year, he starred as Mr. Codlin in the television film The Curiosity Shop and played the lead role of Chris Curry in the television drama Computer Men, opposite Alexander Armstrong.
In 2009, Freeman played leading roles in the comedy films Svengali and The Best Christmas Ever. He also played Danny Reed in Boy Meets Girl and Hector Dixon in the crime comedy Wild Thing. A little later, he played the main role in the play "Clybourne Park" at the Royal Court in London.
2010 was the most successful year for Martin Freeman. He signed a contract for his most successful and recognizable role as John Watson in one of the most iconic and popular series to date, Sherlock. This role brought Martin not only worldwide popularity and success, but also praise from critics and the love of viewers around the world. In total, 4 seasons of the series were released, 3 episodes each, lasting 90 minutes. The series is recognized as the most watched drama in the UK. Interestingly, Martin almost missed out on the main role of his life, failing his first audition due to a bad mood. The role of John Watson won him numerous awards for best supporting actor (2 BAFTA awards, 2 Emmy awards and Critics' Choice Television).
Martin Freeman in the TV series Sherlock
This was followed by starring roles as Alvin in the film Exchange Sex and Dr. Williams in the Oscar-nominated short film The Wurman Mystery, as well as a small role in the Hollywood film How Much Do You Have?
In 2012, Martin signed on for another starring role as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson. He spent almost a year and a half filming in New Zealand, having to adjust to his schedule and stop filming for several weeks to return to the UK to film the second series of Sherlock. The role of Bilbo Baggins received rave reviews from critics around the world and earned him the 2013 MTV Movie Award for "Best Hero" and "Best Actor in the 18th Empire", along with international celebrities. Over the next two years, he continued to play the same character in the film sequels The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Martin Freeman in the movie "The Hobbit"
In 2012, he joined his friend and his son's godfather, Simon Pegg, in the final film of Cornetto's Trilogy of Three Flavors, Armageddist, as Oliver Chamberlain. He also voiced the elf in Bernard D. Elf in the animated film Saving Santa.
On 5 October 2013 he received a scholarship bearing his name from members of the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin. After that, he starred in the television series School of Rock with Brian Pern.
His next triumphant work was the role of Lester Nygaard in the darkly humorous crime drama Fargo, written by Noah Hawley. The role also earned Martin numerous awards for Best Actor, including Critic's Choice Television, an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
Martin Freeman in the TV series Fargo
In the summer of 2014 he made a triumphant return to the stage with a production of Richard III at Trafalgar Studios. He was awarded the Mousetrap Award for Best Male Performer by the Mousetrap charity.
As part of the promotional tour for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Martin made his debut as host of Saturday Night Live on December 13, 2014. He won the title of Mr. Saturday Night 2015 as the best host in an Entertainment Weekly poll.
In 2015, he agreed to play the leading role of Milton Fruchtman in the BBC drama film The Eichmann Show. The film is based on the true story of how American television producer Milton Fruchtman and his colleague Leo Hurwitz broadcast the trial of one of the most famous Nazis, Adolf Eichmann, in 1961.
He then starred in the short film Midnight of My Life as Steve Marriott, lead singer of the legendary band Small Faces, voiced Reverend Parris in the comedy sketch Robot Chicken, and had a small role in the TV series Toast of London. That same year, Martin was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with his colleague Benedict Cumberbatch. He also met with the committee's young jurors and received the Giffoni Experience award.
On May 5, 2015, Marvel Studios announced Martin's mysterious role in Captain America: Civil War, where he played Everett Ross, a member of the Joint Counterterrorism Center in Civil War and reprized the same character for Black Panther.
In 2021, the American series “Startup” was released, where Freeman portrayed the corrupt FBI agent Phil Rusk. He also starred in the 2021 TV movie Carnage: Consuming the Past as Jeff.
In 2021, he played the main role of Philip Goodman in the horror “Ghost Stories,” a film version of the famous play by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman. He also starred as Andy in another horror film, Burden.
In 2021, Martin appeared in the leading role of detective Steve Fulcher in the series Confession, as well as the role of Everett Ross in the science fiction film Black Panther.
Exclusive interview with the actor
In The Hobbit trilogy, Martin Freeman brought to life the character of Bilbo Baggins, the halfling whose discovery marked the beginning of the story of The Lord of the Rings. In an exclusive interview with Film Pro, the actor spoke about his Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch, who also took part in the film, and about his emotions when he saw the biggest scene from the second Hobbit on screen.
Martin Freeman: “If necessary, I will film in front of a green screen with tennis balls”
Gala Minasova
Martin, you play the lead role in the film, and as a fan of The Hobbit, I know who you play. But who do you think Bilbo Baggins is?
Martin Freeman
Bilbo is a cheerful, peace-loving and very educated hobbit. But by the will of fate, he finds himself involved in a very dangerous adventure. Bilbo has to face cruelty and a whole bunch of inconveniences. If you remember, they were not very good with food: only breakfasts. My hero is pulled out of his comfort zone, he finds himself in a situation in which he either has to kill someone, or he himself will be killed. It couldn't be worse!
Gala Minasova
Does Martin Freeman look like Bilbo Baggins?
In the second film, Bilbo's dagger gets its name - Sting
Martin Freeman
Like my hero, I am against war; I prefer good books and delicious food to it. In the first film, Bilbo behaves quite arrogantly, I hope we are not similar in this sense. Also, at first the hobbit does not like to travel at all. But in the second film he turns into a big adventurer. Everything is changing so quickly that Bilbo simply needs to become an example of courage and courage. After all, he fights for himself and for his comrades. Of course, I hope that my hero and I have these traits in common, but I hope that I will not have the opportunity to test this in real life.
Gala Minasova
What was the hardest thing on set: fighting spiders or riding barrels?
Martin Freeman
Oh yeah! The barrel scene was one of the hardest! But it was fun. And with the spiders, as with all the monsters that were completed after filming had ended, the difficulty was to convincingly play that they were in front of you. Of course, our director Peter Jackson had it all in his head, but for my part I had to pretend that I was fighting for my life. But that’s what acting is all about. Or here’s another thing: pretend to be afraid of a dragon when there is no dragon in front of you. But these are pleasant challenges, and you can easily overcome them with the help of acting. Of course, it is much more pleasant to look into the eyes of a real actor, to watch how a spark runs between your characters. But if necessary, I will film in front of a green screen with tennis balls and hope that everything will work out.
Gala Minasova
Is this what the dragon looked like on the set?
Martin Freeman
Yes. These were tennis balls suspended against a green screen.
Gala Minasova
Was it difficult to imagine your partner in the series “Sherlock” in the form of a dragon?
Martin Freeman
You know, sometimes working with Benedict is more difficult than working with tennis balls. Sometimes on the set of Sherlock, instead of Ben, I imagine a tennis ball. (Laughs).
Freeman and Cumberbatch play the main characters of the series "Sherlock"
Gala Minasova
Did you give him any advice on how he should play a dragon?
Martin Freeman
We constantly give each other advice, but none of us listens to it (laughs). But seriously, no. Didn't give it. Ben did a great job playing Smaug without me. As a child, his father read The Hobbit to him, so Ben dreamed of taking part in the filming of the film, and everything worked out.
Gala Minasova
Did you also read this book as a child?
Martin Freeman
No.
Gala Minasova
When you first saw the film, what scene surprised you the most?
Martin Freeman
I think it's just the scene with Smaug. She's just fantastic. Visually and sound-wise. Especially considering that it was filmed entirely in a green room. Just unbelieveble! I also liked the scene in the boat and our barrel racing. I remember that day of filming very well and know that there was practically nothing on set that we see on the screen. Stunning! And the scene is in the mountain gorge. On the site we had a couple of boxes, there was a small bridge... What we ended up with was simply phenomenal. Just like in the climactic scene where we fight Smaug: there was nothing on the set at all. The only thing I could do was pretend that I was scared.
Trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
#the hobbit #martin freeman #the hobbit: the desolation of smaug #interview martin freeman
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Martin Freeman
8
0
New
