Martin John C. Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Tim Canterbury in the BBC's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Office, John in Love Actually, Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. Watson in Sherlock and Paul Maddens in Nativity!. He has been cast in the lead role of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of The Hobbit.

Early life

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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 Roman Catholic. 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.

In an edition of Who Do You Think You Are? aired on 19 August 2009, he discovered that his grandfather, Leonard Freeman, was a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II. Private L W Freeman, a Territorial Army volunteer in the 150(N) Field Ambulance Regiment, was killed in Northern France on 24 May 1940 in a Stuka dawn attack. His unit was evacuated from Dunkirk two days later.

Career

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Freeman joined a youth theatre group at 15, but it was not until he was 17 that his confidence in his acting had led to the decision to pursue it as a career.

Freeman has appeared in at least 18 TV shows, 14 theatre productions, and several radio productions. He is notable for his role as Tim Canterbury in The Office. He also appeared in the sitcom Hardware. Additionally Freeman has 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. He began to move into more serious dramatic roles on television with his appearance 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. Freeman also starred in the BBC's television series The Robinsons and had a cameo performance in episode 1 of Black Books.

He had a cameo 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 appeared alongside Roger Lloyd Pack, Jamie Hogarth and Christopher Mellows in the 2007 Bill Kenwright theatre production of The Last Laugh.

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.

He has starred in a 48 hour film project entitled 'The Girl Is Mime'.

Freeman plays Dr. John Watson in Sherlock, the BBC contemporary adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes detective stories. The first episode, "A Study in Pink", was broadcast on 25 July 2010 to critical acclaim. For his performance in the role he won the BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor, 2011.

Freeman will play Bilbo Baggins, the main character in the two-part Peter Jackson film series The Hobbit.

Personal life

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Freeman resides in Hertfordshire with his partner, actress Amanda Abbington, whom he met on the set of Channel 4’s Men Only in 2000. The couple have a son and daughter, and have since appeared in other productions together, including Picking Up The Pieces, The Debt, The Robinsons and the feature film comedy The All Together.

Freeman is a lifelong fan of Motown music and interviewed Smokey Robinson in an edition of The Culture Show aired in October 2009.

Filmography

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Films

1998    I Just Want to Kiss You
2000    The Low Down
2001    Round About Five
2001    Fancy Dress
2002    Ali G Indahouse
2003    Love Actually
2004    Blake's Junction 7
2004    Call Register
2004    Shaun of the Dead
2005    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2006    Confetti
2006    Breaking and Entering
2007    Dedication
2007    The Good Night
2007    Hot Fuzz
2007    Lonely Hearts
2007    The All Together
2007    Rubbish
2007    Nightwatching
2008    Rembrandt's J'Accuse
2009    Nativity!
2009    HIV: The Musical
2009    Swinging with the Finkels
2010    Wild Target
2011    What's Your Number?
2012    The Pirates! Band of Misfits
2012    The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
2013    The Hobbit: There and Back Again

Television

1997    The Bill
1997    This Life
1998    Casualty
1998    Picking up the Pieces
2000    Bruiser
2000    Lock, Stock...
2000    Black Books
2001    Men Only
2001    World of Pub
2001–2003    The Office
2002    Helen West
2002    Linda Green
2003    The Debt
2003    Margery and Gladys
2003    Charles II: The Power and The Passion
2003–2004    Hardware
2004    Pride
2005    The Robinsons
2007    Comedy Showcase
2007    The Old Curiosity Shop
2008    When Were We Funniest?
2009    Boy Meets Girl
2009    Micro Men
2010–present    Sherlock
2010    The Girl is Mime

Izvor: Wikipedia

Martin Frimen: Umetnost mi je u krvi

Ekskluzivno: Engleski glumac za ”Novosti”, o teretu modernog Šerloka: "Kad kažete Šerlok Holms 120 godina istorije vam visi nad glavom. Opasno je ako umetnost zavisi od ljudi koji je primaju, a ne od onih koji je stvaraju".

U sferu planetarne popularnosti lansirao ga je film “Autostoperski vodič kroz galaksiju” (2005), ali ni dotad nije bio nezapažen. Britanskog glumca Martina Frimena (1971) videli smo i u popularnom ostvarenju Ričarda Kertisa “U stvari ljubav” (2003), ali ga se ljubitelji dobrih engleskih serija sećaju po “Ofisu”, “Helen Vest”, “Lindi Grin”, “Poslednjem kralju”...

Ipak, serija koja ga je nedavno vinula u još ozbiljnije visine je BBC-ev “Šerlok Holms”, u kojem, uz naslovnog Benedikta Kamberbeča, tumači lik doktora Votsona, za koji je dobio nagradu BAFTA za najboljeg sporednog glumca u 2011. godini.

Krajem 2012. i početkom 2013. godine gledaćemo ga kao Bilboa Baginsa u viđenim hitovima Pitera Džeksona - “Hobit”!

Ekskluzivnu priču za “Novosti” Frimen ipak počinje od dr Votsona:

- Kad sam počeo da čitam scenario za “Šerloka” pomislio sam da to neće moći da ide baš glatko, jer je toliko modernizovana priča koja živi već 120 godina i koja je, zna se, smeštena u viktorijansko doba. No, već posle nekoliko stranica shvatio sam da u novoj verziji niko ne želi da pametuje i da je sve zapravo toliko dobro osavremenjeno, a da suština nije dirnuta.

* I, kako je bilo prebaciti Holmsa i Votsona u 21. vek?

- Benedikt i ja smo se složili da su naši likovi potpuni ekscentrici, ali da je upravo ta osobina ona koja ih čini univerzalnim. Ako neko posle gledanja ove verzije Šerloka ništa ne ukapira, onda s njim nešto nije u redu.

* Znači, dopalo vam se da budete Holmsov cimer i “kolega”?

- I ja sam odrastao s drugačijom slikom Votsona. Gledao sam filmove i serije o njima, sve redom fantastične. Moj dr Votson se vraća iz rata u Avganistanu, ima sopstveni blog umesto memoara, koristi aj-fon... Ali i ovaj Votson je beskrajno uporan. To mi se dopalo.

* Da li vam je bilo teško da pravite potpuno novi lik?

- I nije bilo tako lako. Znate, priča o njima stara je više od veka, tako da su svima nama Šerlok i Votson urezani u pamćenje na sasvim drukčiji način: uštogljeni, gospodstveni engleski. Ali ne možete praviti sebi probleme razmišljajući šta su neki ljudi pre vas radili i kakvi su bili. Mi smo radili priču Artura Konana Dojla, kao i mnogi pre nas. Ovoga puta, na sasvim drugačiji način. Knjigu sam tretirao kao novi scenario i ponašao sam se kao da se prvi put snima priča o Holmsu. Priznajem, bilo je teško, jer kad Benediktu kažem “mister Holms”, 120 godina istorije mi visi nad glavom.

* Kakva je bila saradnja sa Kamberbečom?

- Odlična. On je pravi odabir za Šerloka, jer može toliko brzo da govori i da pritom bude ozbiljan da ne poverujete. To je pravi dar.

* Da li ste se pribojavali reakcije Holmsovih fanova?

- Ne, jer je veoma opasno ako dozvolite da umetnost zavisi od ljudi koji je primaju, a ne od onih koji je stvaraju. Ako dobro uradite posao, a ljudi se i dalje žale, znači da, jednostavno, to nije bila “njihova šolja čaja”. Ali, mi smo bili sigurni da će ovog Šerloka “popiti do zadnje kapi”.

* Kako ste se osećali u čuvenoj ulici Bejker 221b?

- Fantastično! Naš prvi dan na snimanju u tom stanu bio je prelep. Sa svim onim detektivskim detaljima, pretrpanim prostorom, ali nimalo klaustrofobičnim. Boraviti u Šerlokovom stanu, makar i na snimanju, pravo je blago.

* I kostimi su moderni. Da li ste uživali što su Šerlok i Votson opušteni?

- E, to ne. Više volim modu viktorijanskog doba. Gospodska je i savršeno skrojena.

* Vaša supruga Amanda Abington je takođe glumica?

- Tako je. Umetnost me prati od rođenja. Počeo sam sa muzikom, ali nikad nisam bio od onih koji bi mogli da žive rokerski život. Kad bi bend mogao da se okupi u mojoj kući i da sviramo, to bi bilo najbolje.

* Glumili ste u spotu za jednu pesmu “Faith no more”. Da li su vam oni omiljeni bend?

- Volim njihov zvuk, ali volim da slušam i Marvina Geja, Džejmsa Brauna, Dženis Džoplin, “Bitlse”... Veliki sam fan soul muzike šezdesetih i sedamdesetih godina.

* A ipak ste završili kao glumac?

- Nažalost - da! Šalu na stranu, ne čudi me što sam u ovim vodama. Muzika je bila moja prva ljubav, ali nikada nisam voleo onu filozofiju “Umri mlad da bi bio lep leš“. Pravio sam i ja razne gluposti, samo nikad nisam prelazio granicu. Uvek sam znao da se vratim. Zato me i ne čudi što sam završio kao glumac i nikada se nisam pokajao zbog toga. Majka je moju trojicu braće, sestru i mene gajila tako da verujemo da smo važni. Govorila nam je da je tačno da su svi ljudi jednaki, ali da smo mi, ipak, bolji od njih. Da ne verujete!

* I, da li ste bolji od svih?

- To je, naravno, bila šala. Roditelji su me vaspitavali tako da ne mislim da je čitanje knjiga nešto glupo i ružno. Tako i ja vaspitavam moju decu. Nadam se da će i oni jednog dana znati da razlikuju dobro od lošeg, a da neko neće morati da im upire prstom u to.

Frimen se divi mnogim rediteljima i voleo bi da radi s nekima od njih, poput Spajka Lija, Frenka Oza, Frensisa i Sofije Kopola. A, kaže, ni Stiven Spilberg “nije loš“: - Ipak, od prva dva “Kuma” ne postoji bolji film! Scenario, dobra priča, to je ono što me uvek privuče novoj ulozi. Ali, u slučaju Frensisa Forda Kopole, bih i to pregazio. Kada bi mi ponudio ulogu koja nema dobru pozadinu, pogledao bih ga i rekao: “Okej, Kopola, hajde da radimo”.

Mada je Martin Frimen odgajan kao katolik, kaže da ne praktikuje tu veru “do kraja”: - Ne mislim da će svi koji urade bilo šta loše otići pravo u pakao i ne slažem se da su sve žene koje abortiraju proklete. Većina mojih prijatelja su ateisti. Ja nisam, ali mogu da ih razumem. Ne osuđujem ih zbog toga. Verujem da svako pitanje ima odgovor, samo možda ne baš iste sekunde kada ga postavite - objašnjava Frimen.

Izvor: Novosti