
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


Known For
Acting History
2025
The House Was Not Hungry Then as Father
2024Arthur's Whisky as Henry
2024Children of the Wicker Man as Self
2024A Bear Named Wojtek as Zoo Director (voice)
2022The Spirit of 1926 as Family Lawyer
2022House of the Dragon as Lord Lyman Beesbury
2022The Sandman as Dr. John Hathaway
2022Halo as Ackerson's Dad
2021The Colour Room as Gordon Forsythe
2021Britain’s Scenic Railways as Narrator
2020Rebecca as Dr. Baker
2020Between the Covers as Self
2020Marionette as Dr. Mandelbaum
2020Love Sarah as Felix
2019Guilt as Roy Lynch
2019Brassic as Tony Tillerton
2019The Day Mountbatten Died as Narrator (voice)
2019Good Omens as Tadfield Neighbourhood Watch
2018Happy New Year, Colin Burstead as Gordon Burstead
2018Wonderdate as Kolodon
2017The Man Who Invented Christmas as Mr. Grimsby
2017The Repair Shop as Self - Narrator
2017The Repair Shop as Narrator (voice)
2017Urban Myths as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2016Fleabag as Dad
2016The Rebel as Charles
2016Churchill's Secret as Lord Moran
2016Dad's Army as Private Frazer
2015High-Rise as Mercer
2015Hitler on Trial: The Truth Behind the Story
2015The Vote as Simon Featherstone
2014Scot Squad as Sir Neville Archibald
2014Outlander as Ned Gowan
201437 Days as Lord Morley
2014Documenting John Grierson as Narrator
2014Inside No. 9 as Mr. Green
2013The List as Reg Troughton
2013Shetland as James Perez
2012Them From That Thing as Various
2012Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games as Narrator
2012Dirk Gently as Professor Jericho
2011Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me as Judge Underwood
2011The Man who Crossed Hitler as Kurt Ohnesorge
2011The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema as Narrator (Voice)
2010Birds Britannia
2010The Michael Ball Show as Self
2009Ghosts in the Machine as Himself
2009Creation as Dr. Gully
2009Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen as Dr James Niven
2009Into the Storm as Clement Attlee
2009Law & Order: UK as George Castle
20091929: The Great Crash as Narrator
2008Gone Fishing as Old Bill
2008Little Dorrit as Mr. Meagles
2008How to Lose Friends & Alienate People as Richard Young
2008Criminal Justice as Harry Box
2008The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen as Self - 'Henry Salt'
2008The Man Who Lives with Bears as Self - Narrator (voice)
2007Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars as Dr Watson
2007The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
2007Intervention as Dr. Martin
2006Miss Potter as Rupert Potter
2006Amazing Grace as Lord Dundas
2006The One Show as Self - Guest
2006A War on Science as Narrator (voice)
2006Fascism in Colour as Narrator (voice)
2005A Passion for Churches as Narrator
2005ShakespeaRe-Told
2005Rag Tale as Tulloch 'Lucky' Lloyd
2005Doctor Who as Edwin Bracewell
2004Agatha Christie's Marple as Bradley
2004Lie with Me as DCI Collman
2004Shoebox Zoo as The Storyteller (voice)
2004Sea of Souls as Dr. Douglas Monaghan
2003Bright Young Things as Sir James Brown
2003Canterbury Tales as Theo
2003Danielle Cable: Eyewitness as DI Nick Biddiss
2002Doctor Zhivago as Alexander Gromyko
2002Foyle's War as Patrick Jamieson
2002Battle of the Atlantic as Himself - Narrator
2002Crush as Gerald
2002Home Road Movies as Father
2002Born and Bred as Harry Woolf
2002The Entity
2001Othello as Sinclair Carver
2001The Whistle-Blower as D.I. Neil Sleightholme
2001Behind Bars as Narrator
2001Rebel Heart as James Connolly
2000The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
2000Complicity as Wallace Byatt
1999Chrono-Perambulator as Professor Teddy Knox
1999Wives and Daughters as Mr. Gibson
1999Sunshine as Minister of Justice
1999The Match as Tommy
1999Heart as Mr. Kreitman
1998Hilary and Jackie as Cello Teacher
1998The Animal Train as Walrus
1997Mr White Goes To Westminster as Ben White
1997Spice World as Brian
1997Arthouse as Self
1997Melissa as DCI Cameron
1996Victory as Capt. Davidson
1996The Crow Road as Kenneth McHoan
1996The Writing on the Wall as Bull
1996Chaplin's Goliath as Narrator (voice)
1995Richard III as Sir Richard Ratcliffe
1995Ghostbusters of East Finchley as Joe Small
1995The Pen
1995Oliver's Travels as Baxter
1995Sharman as James Webb
1995The Turnaround as James Webb
1995The Riddle of the Sands as Narrator
1994Junior Masterchef
1994Hard Times as Stephen Blackpool
1994Hard Times as Stephen Blackpool
1993Wall of Silence as Howard Mullen
1992God on the Rocks as Kenneth Marsh
1992In Dreams as Dr Gold
1992Chaplin as Stage Manager
1992Tell Tale Hearts as Anthony Steadman
1991Murder Most Horrid as Chief Inspector
1991Truly Madly Deeply as Sandy
1991The Object of Beauty as Victor Swayle
1990Yellowbacks as Alex McPherson
1990The Witches as Mr Jenkins
1989Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale as Jordan
1989A Wanted Man as Det. Supt. Chase
1989Traffik as John Lithgow
1989The Rachel Papers as Gordon Highway
1989The Return of the Musketeers as Charles I
1988The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as Henry Salt
1988Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' as Titorelli
1988Just Ask for Diamond as Chief Inspector Snape
1988Byrne About Byrne as Father/F.S. McDade
1988The Play on One as Alex McPherson
1988The Modern World: Ten Great Writers as Titorelli
1987The Interrogation of John as Det. Supt. Chase
1987Friendship's Death as Sullivan
1987Lily My Love as Colin
1987Hidden City as Anthony
1987Coming Up Roses as Mr. Valentine
1986God's Chosen Car Park as Victor Rosen
1986The Singing Detective as Dr Gibbon
1986Defence of the Realm as Jack Macleod
1985Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman as Self
1985Dutch Girls as Mr Mole
1984The Killing Fields as Dr. MacEntire
1984A Private Function as Wormold
1984Comfort and Joy as Alan
1983Auf Wiedersehen, Pet as Ally Fraser
1983The Ploughman's Lunch as Lecturer
1982Smiley's People as Lauder Strickland
1981United Kingdom as Tony
1981The Cherry Orchard as Lopakhin
1979One Fine Day as Third Man in Lift
1978The Vanishing Army as Girling
1978Jackie McCafferty's Romance as Bus Conductor
1978The Odd Job as Sergeant Mull
1978Life of Shakespeare as King James I
1978Will Shakespeare
1978Licking Hitler as Archie MacLean
1977The Thin End of the Wedge as Luke
1977BBC2 Play of the Week as Girling
1977The Garden Beyond as Jim Finlayson
1974The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil as Various
1974Clydescope as Model Boat Show Commentator (voice) (uncredited)
1974Suilven Spring
1970Play for Today as Luke
1970Play for Today as Archie MacLean
1964Horizon
—The White Room as Jackie Jordan









