Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (2013). Photo: Warner Bros, Newline.
Martin Freeman celebrates his 43rd birthday today! He was born on September 8, 1971 in Aldershot, Hampshire, the youngest of Philomena and Geoffrey Freeman’s five children. Martin attended the Salesian School, Chertsey, followed by Brooklands College, where he pursued media studies. Martin joined a youth theatre group at age 15, deciding upon acting as his career at age 17. He went on to attend the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, joining the ranks of distinguished alumni such as Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench, Harold Pinter, and Vanessa Redgrave.
Martin’s career includes work on stage, in film, television, and radio productions. The role that first brought him to the attention of a large audience was Tim Canterbury in the television series The Office (2001-2003). He also appeared in comedic roles in films such as Love Actually (2003) and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005).
Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch as John Watson and Sherlock Holmes in BBC’s ‘Sherlock.’ Photo credit: BBC.
Starting in 2010, Martin leapt to prominence among international audiences in two different roles, each of which could be considered the role of a lifetime. In 2010, he starred alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in BBC’s Sherlock, a modern-day adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Martin plays Dr. John Watson to Benedict’s Sherlock in the series, winning over audiences and critics alike. Martin won the BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor in 2011 for the role of Watson. He has been nominated for two Emmy awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, winning the award in 2014. Sherlock will be filming a special and a fourth series in 2015.
Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) will conclude his hero’s journey in ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armes,’ to be released in December 2014. Photo credit: Warner Bros, Newline.
Martin stepped into hobbit feet to take on the role of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Hobbit. Martin seems a perfect fit for the iconic pint-size hero, and his portrayal of the hobbit garnered him recognition as Best Hero at the MTV Movie Awards for 2012, and Best Actor at the 18th Empire Awards. Audiences are eager to see the completion of Bilbo’s journey that they have followed through the first two films of The Hobbit trilogy (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)) in the last installment, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, to be released in December 2014.
Martin Freeman in his Emmy-nominated portrayal of Lester Nygaard in the FX series ‘Fargo.’ Photo credit: FX.
Martin has taken a turn as some darker characters in recent roles. He starred as Lester Nygaard in the dark comedy/crime drama series Fargo (2014), receiving an Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. That year’s Best Actor trophy ultimately went to Martin’s Sherlock co-star, Benedict Cumberbatch. Summer 2014 found Martin playing the villainous Richard III in Jamie Lloyd’s Trafalgar Transformed season in London.
Martin Freeman as the villainous Richard in Jamie Lloyd’s Trafalgar Transformed production of ‘Richard III.’ Photo credit: Marc Brenner.
All of us here at Middle-earth News would like to wish Martin — THE Hobbit himself — the happiest of birthdays, and many more to come!
