I’ve loved Scottish actor Bill Paterson ever since he played the almost-perfect father in Wives & Daughters. Since then, his distinctive accent has jumped out at me from numerous films and TV series! So I thought it was time to finally track him down.
Sadly he’s been in a number of productions that I can’t find images for, including:
- David Kirkwod & Thomas Muir in Scotland’s Story (1984)
- Dr. Gibbon in The Singing Detective (1986)
- Titorelli in Ten Great Writers of the Modern World: “Franz Kafka’s ‘The Trial'” (1988)
- Capt. Davidson in Victory (1996)
- Cello Teacher in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
- Sir Nicol McLean in The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (2000)
- James Connolly in Rebel Heart (2001)
- Harry Woolf in Born and Bred (2004)
- Dr. Baker in Rebecca (2020)
- Gordon Forsythe in The Colour Room (2021)
Luckily for you, I am a completionist and went on a DEEP DIVE to not just Google him but also to screencap his role when necessary in as many productions as I could find! Let’s run ’em down:
Sergeant in The Flight of the Heron (1976)
“The story of a friendship between two men fighting on opposite sides in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745,” per IMDB.
Forbes in Backs to the Land (1977)
A British TV series about land girls during World War II. I can’t actually find an image of Paterson, but these three are so cute:
King James I in Will Shakespeare (1978)
A tiny role in this bio series about the famous playwright.
Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard (1981)
An adaptation of the Chekhov play. Which I don’t think I’ve ever seen.
Wormold in A Private Function (1984)
A comedy set around post-war rationing in 1947.
Henry Salt in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
I had NO IDEA that was Paterson! The story is framed by an 18th century theatrical troupe staging a play version of Munchausen’s life, when the real Munchausen shows up. The leader of that troupe is Salt, and it’s his daughter who goes off on adventures with Munchausen.
Charles I in The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
Some Three Musketeers spinoff; King Charles I of England is only briefly on screen.
Stage Manager in Chaplin (1992)
I actually skimmed through the whole movie (a biopic of actor Charlie Chaplin) and didn’t spot Paterson, but luckily someone on the interwebs grabbed this:
Stephen Blackpool in Hard Times (1994)
A Dickens novel adaptation TV miniseries.
Ratcliffe in Richard III (1995)
Ratcliffe was a confidant of Richard.
Minister of Justice in Sunshine (1999)
Three generations of a Hungarian family. Once again, I skimmed the movie to find this barrel of excitement:
Mr. Gibson in Wives and Daughters (1999)
He’s almost the perfect dad, til a sexy ladyfriend comes along! Right, Elizabeth Gaskell novel, 1830s, watch it, it’s so good.
Alexander Gromyko in Doctor Zhivago (2002)
No memory of his role, sorry! Russia! 1910s!
Sir James Brown in Bright Young Things (2003)
Once again, it’s been far too long for me to remember what small role he has in this film about the fashionable set in 1930s London, but I skimmed the movie to find and screencap this!
Patrick Jamieson in Foyle’s War (2004)
A British detective series set during and after World War II.
Bishop in Kingdom of Heaven (2005) director’s cut
Luckily for me, he’s in the opening scene of this crusades-set story — but only in the director’s cut.
Lord Dundas in Amazing Grace (2006)
A small role as a member of the House of Lords in this abolition drama.
Rupert Potter in Miss Potter (2006)
ROCKING the muttonchops as artist Beatrix Potter’s dad.
Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars (2007)
A TV series in which some children assist Sherlock.
Mr. Meagles in Little Dorrit (2008)
More Dickens adaptations!
Clement Attlee in Into the Storm (2009)
Attlee was deputy prime minister of Britain during World War II; the film is about Churchill and the war.
Dr James Niven in Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen (2009)
A dramatization of the real life story of a doctor (Paterson) who takes care of Spanish Flu patients during and just after World War I.
Dr. Gully in Creation (2009)
A biopic about Charles Darwin; I again skimmed the film to find Paterson, so I’m not sure what he’s doing in this scene but I’m guessing examining Darwin.
Bracewell in Doctor Who: “Victory of the Daleks” & “The Pandorica Opens” (2010)
Doctor Who, Daleks, Churchill, World War II.
Bradley in Marple: “The Pale Horse” (2010)
Obligatory British detective series appearance.
Kurt Ohnesorge in The Man Who Crossed Hitler (2011)
A film about the true story of a lawyer who put Hitler on trial in 1931; I think Ohnesorge must be the judge?
Lord Morley in 37 Days (2014)
A TV series about the build up to and outbreak of World War I. Morley was Lord President of the Council in the House of Lords and opposed British entry into the war.
Frazer in Dad’s Army (2016)
A comedy about the older men who defended the home front during World War II.
Lord Moran in Churchill’s Secret (2016)
A TV film about Churchill’s stroke; Moran was Churchill’s doctor.
Ned Gowan in Outlander (2014-17)
The lawyer who works for the MacKenzie lairds who befriends main character Claire in this 18th-century-Scotland drama.
Mr. Grimbsy in The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
In a VERY brief scene about Charles Dickens writing A Christmas Carol; again, I hunted this one down for ya.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Urban Myths (2018)
A British comedy series based on real-life urban myths. The episode is about Agatha Christie; Doyle is of course the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
What’s your favorite of Bill Paterson’s many frock flick roles? And no, Fleabag and House of the Dragon don’t count!
‘Wives and Daughters’ for the win!
Though he is one of those 10 British actors … also he was in something w Miriam Margolies, it was an episode of ‘Alan and Miriam in Scotland.’
He’s got a pretty good resume of period pieces, but my favorite of his work is a non-period piece; the delightfully odd Comfort and Joy (1984).
An all time favorite of mine, so glad you mentioned it.
Great actor, love him! however that’s Bob Peck in the first photo of Hard Times 1994 https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0669629/mediaviewer/rm2271290624/?ref_=nm_md_5
Thanks! They look so similar, at least in that pic!
No worries, they do look alike there :)
I’m surprised you couldn’t find The Singing Detective, one of the glories of mid-80s BBC TV. But Paterson played the psychiatrist, contemporary to 1986, so he wouldn’t fit your brief in that anyway. The cast list of that show is stunning, but only about half the time is in flashbacks and period pastiches. Wonderful, neverthless.
His dulcet tones currently provide the soothing commentary to The Repair Shop, a wonderful BBC show about skilled, nice people being skilled and nice while restoring family treasures.
Perfect description of the Repair Shop…
My favorite of the movies above is Bright Young Things!
I’d completely forgotten about Doctor Who; he certainly surprised us in the last act. Wives and Daughters has to be my favorite, but he had quite the comic scene in Outlander when his character goes to a brothel to procure a dress fancy enough to pass for a wedding dress for Claire. Not sure how I missed him in Foyle’s War, but I knew Anthony Howell from that one before I saw Wives & Daughters for the first time. All I know is that wherever Bill shows up, I know the character is going to be layered.
“A Private Function” stars Maggie Smith and Michael Palin, who are struggling through post-war rationing while preparing for the Queen’s wedding (or was it coronation?). Very funny and, yes, there is a pig.