Bill Paterson

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Born

1945-06-03

Place of Birth

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Bill Paterson

Biography

William Tulloch Paterson (born 3 June 1945) is a Scottish actor. Throughout his career he has appeared regularly in radio drama and provided the narration for a large number of documentaries. Paterson has appeared in films and television series including Comfort and Joy (1984), Traffik (1989), Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1986), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), The Witches (1990), Wives and Daughters (1999), Sea of Souls (2004–2007), Amazing Grace (2006), Miss Potter (2006), Little Dorrit (2008), Doctor Who (2010), Outlander (2014), Fleabag (2016–2019), Inside No. 9 (2018), Good Omens (2019), Brassic (2020) and House of the Dragon (2022). He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Scottish BAFTAs. William Tulloch Paterson was born in Glasgow on 3 June 1945. Paterson was raised in Dennistoun by his father, a plumber, and his mother, a hairdresser. He states that his interest in acting began with a school trip to the Citizens Theatre in the Gorbals in 1961. However, after school he chose to initially pursue a career based on an interest in architecture and spent three years as a quantity surveyor's apprentice before deciding to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

Gallery

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Acting History

2025
The House Was Not Hungry Then as Father
2024
Arthur's Whisky as Henry
2024
Children of the Wicker Man as Self
2024
A Bear Named Wojtek as Zoo Director (voice)
2022
The Spirit of 1926 as Family Lawyer
2022
House of the Dragon as Lord Lyman Beesbury
2022
The Sandman as Dr. John Hathaway
2022
Halo as Ackerson's Dad
2021
The Colour Room as Gordon Forsythe
2021
Britain’s Scenic Railways as Narrator
2020
Rebecca as Dr. Baker
2020
Between the Covers as Self
2020
Marionette as Dr. Mandelbaum
2020
Love Sarah as Felix
2019
Guilt as Roy Lynch
2019
Brassic as Tony Tillerton
2019
The Day Mountbatten Died as Narrator (voice)
2019
Good Omens as Tadfield Neighbourhood Watch
2018
Happy New Year, Colin Burstead as Gordon Burstead
2018
Wonderdate as Kolodon
2017
The Man Who Invented Christmas as Mr. Grimsby
2017
The Repair Shop as Self - Narrator
2017
The Repair Shop as Narrator (voice)
2017
Urban Myths as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2016
Fleabag as Dad
2016
The Rebel as Charles
2016
Churchill's Secret as Lord Moran
2016
Dad's Army as Private Frazer
2015
High-Rise as Mercer
2015
Hitler on Trial: The Truth Behind the Story
2015
The Vote as Simon Featherstone
2014
Scot Squad as Sir Neville Archibald
2014
Outlander as Ned Gowan
2014
37 Days as Lord Morley
2014
Documenting John Grierson as Narrator
2014
Inside No. 9 as Mr. Green
2013
The List as Reg Troughton
2013
Shetland as James Perez
2012
Them From That Thing as Various
2012
Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games as Narrator
2012
Dirk Gently as Professor Jericho
2011
Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me as Judge Underwood
2011
The Man who Crossed Hitler as Kurt Ohnesorge
2011
The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema as Narrator (Voice)
2010
Birds Britannia
2010
The Michael Ball Show as Self
2009
Ghosts in the Machine as Himself
2009
Creation as Dr. Gully
2009
Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen as Dr James Niven
2009
Into the Storm as Clement Attlee
2009
Law & Order: UK as George Castle
2009
1929: The Great Crash as Narrator
2008
Gone Fishing as Old Bill
2008
Little Dorrit as Mr. Meagles
2008
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People as Richard Young
2008
Criminal Justice as Harry Box
2008
The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen as Self - 'Henry Salt'
2008
The Man Who Lives with Bears as Self - Narrator (voice)
2007
Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars as Dr Watson
2007
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
2007
Intervention as Dr. Martin
2006
Miss Potter as Rupert Potter
2006
Amazing Grace as Lord Dundas
2006
The One Show as Self - Guest
2006
A War on Science as Narrator (voice)
2006
Fascism in Colour as Narrator (voice)
2005
A Passion for Churches as Narrator
2005
ShakespeaRe-Told
2005
Rag Tale as Tulloch 'Lucky' Lloyd
2005
Doctor Who as Edwin Bracewell
2004
Agatha Christie's Marple as Bradley
2004
Lie with Me as DCI Collman
2004
Shoebox Zoo as The Storyteller (voice)
2004
Sea of Souls as Dr. Douglas Monaghan
2003
Bright Young Things as Sir James Brown
2003
Canterbury Tales as Theo
2003
Danielle Cable: Eyewitness as DI Nick Biddiss
2002
Doctor Zhivago as Alexander Gromyko
2002
Foyle's War as Patrick Jamieson
2002
Battle of the Atlantic as Himself - Narrator
2002
Crush as Gerald
2002
Home Road Movies as Father
2002
Born and Bred as Harry Woolf
2002
The Entity
2001
Othello as Sinclair Carver
2001
The Whistle-Blower as D.I. Neil Sleightholme
2001
Behind Bars as Narrator
2001
Rebel Heart as James Connolly
2000
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
2000
Complicity as Wallace Byatt
1999
Chrono-Perambulator as Professor Teddy Knox
1999
Wives and Daughters as Mr. Gibson
1999
Sunshine as Minister of Justice
1999
The Match as Tommy
1999
Heart as Mr. Kreitman
1998
Hilary and Jackie as Cello Teacher
1998
The Animal Train as Walrus
1997
Mr White Goes To Westminster as Ben White
1997
Spice World as Brian
1997
Arthouse as Self
1997
Melissa as DCI Cameron
1996
Victory as Capt. Davidson
1996
The Crow Road as Kenneth McHoan
1996
The Writing on the Wall as Bull
1996
Chaplin's Goliath as Narrator (voice)
1995
Richard III as Sir Richard Ratcliffe
1995
Ghostbusters of East Finchley as Joe Small
1995
The Pen
1995
Oliver's Travels as Baxter
1995
Sharman as James Webb
1995
The Turnaround as James Webb
1995
The Riddle of the Sands as Narrator
1994
Junior Masterchef
1994
Hard Times as Stephen Blackpool
1994
Hard Times as Stephen Blackpool
1993
Wall of Silence as Howard Mullen
1992
God on the Rocks as Kenneth Marsh
1992
In Dreams as Dr Gold
1992
Chaplin as Stage Manager
1992
Tell Tale Hearts as Anthony Steadman
1991
Murder Most Horrid as Chief Inspector
1991
Truly Madly Deeply as Sandy
1991
The Object of Beauty as Victor Swayle
1990
Yellowbacks as Alex McPherson
1990
The Witches as Mr Jenkins
1989
Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale as Jordan
1989
A Wanted Man as Det. Supt. Chase
1989
Traffik as John Lithgow
1989
The Rachel Papers as Gordon Highway
1989
The Return of the Musketeers as Charles I
1988
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as Henry Salt
1988
Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' as Titorelli
1988
Just Ask for Diamond as Chief Inspector Snape
1988
Byrne About Byrne as Father/F.S. McDade
1988
The Play on One as Alex McPherson
1988
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers as Titorelli
1987
The Interrogation of John as Det. Supt. Chase
1987
Friendship's Death as Sullivan
1987
Lily My Love as Colin
1987
Hidden City as Anthony
1987
Coming Up Roses as Mr. Valentine
1986
God's Chosen Car Park as Victor Rosen
1986
The Singing Detective as Dr Gibbon
1986
Defence of the Realm as Jack Macleod
1985
Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman as Self
1985
Dutch Girls as Mr Mole
1984
The Killing Fields as Dr. MacEntire
1984
A Private Function as Wormold
1984
Comfort and Joy as Alan
1983
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet as Ally Fraser
1983
The Ploughman's Lunch as Lecturer
1982
Smiley's People as Lauder Strickland
1981
United Kingdom as Tony
1981
The Cherry Orchard as Lopakhin
1979
One Fine Day as Third Man in Lift
1978
The Vanishing Army as Girling
1978
Jackie McCafferty's Romance as Bus Conductor
1978
The Odd Job as Sergeant Mull
1978
Life of Shakespeare as King James I
1978
Will Shakespeare
1978
Licking Hitler as Archie MacLean
1977
The Thin End of the Wedge as Luke
1977
BBC2 Play of the Week as Girling
1977
The Garden Beyond as Jim Finlayson
1974
The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil as Various
1974
Clydescope as Model Boat Show Commentator (voice) (uncredited)
1974
Suilven Spring
1970
Play for Today as Luke
1970
Play for Today as Archie MacLean
1964
Horizon
The White Room as Jackie Jordan