Martin Freeman's Real Name: Martin John Christopher Freeman

Quick answer: Martin Freeman's documented full name is Martin John Christopher Freeman. TV Guide lists that form as his birth name and a birth place of Aldershot, Hampshire, England. A 2013 Guardian profile independently dates his birth to 8 September 1971 in Aldershot, Hampshire, and uses the professional name Martin Freeman (TV Guide; The Guardian).

Real name and early life

He is known professionally as Martin Freeman. TV Guide uses the birth name Martin John Christopher Freeman and Aldershot, Hampshire. The Guardian's potted profile gives 8 September 1971 in Aldershot, Hampshire, without the longer form. Both sources say he attended Salesian School in Surrey and later the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. TV Guide adds that he is the youngest of five children, joined a youth theater organization at 15, and performed in several productions at London's National Theatre early in his career.

Career highlights

The Guardian says his big break came as Tim Canterbury in The Office, which it dates to 2001 on BBC2, later starring in Sherlock, and lists films including Breaking and Entering, The Good Night, an appearance as Rembrandt in Nightwatching, The World's End with Simon Pegg, and Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, directed by Peter Jackson. It also notes the 2003 BBC drama Charles II: The Power and the Passion and the 2005 film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which he played Arthur Dent. It records a BAFTA TV award for best supporting actor for John Watson in Sherlock, and notes that he initially had to turn down the Baggins role because of Sherlock commitments. TV Guide independently lists a 2011 BAFTA TV Award for best supporting actor, a 2004 BAFTA TV nomination for best comedy performance, a 2004 British Comedy Award nomination, a 2013 Empire Award for best actor, and a 2013 MTV Movie Award for best hero.

Name notes for searchers

Martin John Christopher Freeman is the documented full name in TV Guide; the Guardian uses Martin Freeman. The professional name is Martin Freeman. Searchers looking for Tim Canterbury in The Office, John Watson in Sherlock, or Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit are usually aiming at the same person.