Over the past five years, the name of such an actor as Martin Freeman (photo can be seen in the article) has become famous throughout the world. The English actor ascended to the pinnacle of fame thanks to the role of John Watson in the Sherlock TV series of the British Air Force.
Freeman Martin: The Beginning of a Creative Path
The British actor was born on September 8, 1971 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. In the family of the naval officer in whom Freeman was born, Martin was the youngest child, in addition to his three eldest sons and his only daughter. True, his father passed away early, when Martin was only 10 years old. The actor was an obedient and restrained child. He performed at the school theater from the age of 15. After high Roman Catholic school, the future Watson went to London, to the famous Central School, to learn the basics of dramatic art and stage speech. By the way, Martin’s brothers also chose professions related to art in one way or another. Actor’s career began in 1997 with a small role in the famous TV series “Purely English Murder”.
First successes
Occasional roles in the more or less popular British television shows - this is what Freeman began with. Martin has a rather rustic and unremarkable appearance, so he certainly did not shine the main roles of screen machos and tough guys. In the career of an actor, participation in several short films is also listed. He appeared in such series as "Disaster", "This Life", "Black Bookstore" and others. The first film role, albeit a television movie, was in 2000. The project was called “Only Men” and it was released the following year, 2001. It is noteworthy that this film became a landmark in the life of the actor, because on the set he met the love of his life and his future wife, Amanda Abbington. However, the first significant work in Martin's filmography was the role of Tim Canterbury in the comedy series Office, aired on the BBC from 2001 to 2003. This unusual TV show was highly praised by both viewers and critics. Martin Freeman was even awarded nominations for several prestigious prizes, but he did not receive the award.
Career before Sherlock
After a successful “Office”, Martin experienced a slight decline in his career. The roles were minor or unremarkable. Among the works of the period in which the actor was shot, one can single out the tragicomedy "Real Love" with fairly famous actors in the lead roles. Freeman played the rather serious role of Lord Shaftesbury in the drama mini-series of the same Air Force under the name “The Last King”. There were also not particularly noteworthy Paide, Zombies named Sean, and the Weapon series. But in 2005, Martin Freeman played the main character, Arthur Dent, in the famous science fiction comedy Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The tape became a cash register, having collected more than one hundred million dollars at the world box office. This work can definitely be considered a big breakthrough in the filmography of the actor. Although after it, up to 2010, no major roles were noticed. Freeman noted in the dramatic thriller "Invasion" (2006), where he played on the same platform with such stars as Jude Law and Juliette Binoche, as well as in the comedy action movie "Type Cool Pointers" (2007). In the same year, a biographical drama about the life of Rembrandt and the history of the creation of his masterpiece “Night Watch” was released, in which Freeman played the main role. Martin was truly convincing in this image, but screenwriter and director Peter Greenaway received awards at film festivals. And in 2008, the continuation of the picture was shown at the Korea Film Festival, only in a documentary performance called “Rembrandt. I blame. "
Two key roles
In 2010, the Air Force launched a story adapted to the present about the legendary detective Holmes. Freeman got the role of friend and partner. Martin was awarded the prestigious British Baft Award for this role in 2011. Although the creators of the project were tormented by the search for an actor for the role of Watson, still in the end they recognized that the choice was perfect. After the first season, interesting offers rained down on Martin as from a cornucopia. The creator of the cult trilogy The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, even before the start of the casting, was convinced that it was Martin Freeman who should play Bilbo Beggins during the adventures of his youth in The Hobbit. The filmography of the actor since 2012 was replenished with three whole adventure blockbusters: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, as well as the sequels to “Desolation of Smaug” (2013) and “Battle of the Five Armies” (2014). For the role of the young Baggins, Martin also received many awards.
World famous
Due to the busy schedule of filming in The Hobbit, the actor could hardly even make time to continue Sherlock. And although Freeman had more than enough offers, and there was extremely little time, in 2013 he agreed to shoot in the sequel to “Type of Cool Pointing Dogs” called “Armageddets”. In 2016, the long-awaited fourth season of Sherlock will be released, and Martin will also enter the cinema universe of Marvel. True, it is not yet known exactly who Freeman will play in the movie "Captain America: Civil War."