A graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Stage, Bill Paterson made a name for himself in Scotland's burgeoning "alternative theatre" movement. He was most prominently associated with a theatrical aggregation known as the 7:84 Company--which, as virtually every chronicler of the 1970s British theatrical scene has duly noted--referred to the percentage of property owners and the amount of owned property in England. Making a bizarre first TV appearance in 1971's Licking Hitler, Paterson waited until 1978 to give movies a try. His star-making part was the recently jilted radio DJ in director Bill Forsyth's deliciously unpredictable Comfort and Joy (1984). Bill Paterson's TV credits include the hallucinatory Dennis Potter miniseries The Singing Detective.
Bill Paterson
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- Originally trained as a drama teacher at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
- Decided to be an actor when he was given the opportunity to join the Citizens Theatre for Youth group in 1970.
- Starred in The Great Northern Welly-Boot Show with comedian Billy Connolly in 1972.
- Did not attend an interview for a part in Ridley Scott's Alien because he believed no one would watch the film and the director wouldn't want him.
- Has voiced many radio plays and features, including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Moonstone.
- Won Best Actor for No More Shall We Part at The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012.