Hampshire, England native Martin Freeman can be seen in a variety of television, theater, and radio productions, though he is probably best known for his role as Tim Canterbury in the BBC's award-winning sitcom The Office, and as everyman Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). Freeman's credits also include the British police comedy Hot Fuzz, a brief appearance in Shaun of the Dead, and the lead role in director Gavin Claxton's The All Together. In addition to his comedy roles, Freeman has turned in a number of dramatic performances, including a turn as Lord Shaftesbury in Charles II: The Power & the Passion, a 2003 BBC historical drama, and the legendary painter Rembrandt in Nightwatching (2007). In 2010 he had a hit on the small screen playing Dr. Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock, and two years later he took the pivotal role of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit.
Martin Freeman
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- Dreamed of becoming a squash player and was a member of the British national squash squad as a youth.
- Is the youngest of five children; his father died when he was just 7 years old.
- Although probably best known for playing Tim Canterbury on the U.K. version of The Office (2001), he has proven himself equally capable of serious drama in the BBC's Charles II: The Power & the Passion (2003).
- Spent two-and-a-half years filming his role as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's trilogy adaptation of The Hobbit.