Freddie Highmore
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Alfred Thomas Highmore (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), ''
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was originall ...
'' (2005), ''
August Rush ''August Rush'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and produced by Richard Barton Lewis. The screenplay is by Nick Castle and James V. Hart, with a story by Paul Castro and Castle. A co-production between the United State ...
'' (2007), and ''
The Spiderwick Chronicles ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' is a series of children's fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spid ...
'' (2008). He won two consecutive Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Young Performer. Highmore starred as
Norman Bates Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, wh ...
in the drama-thriller series '' Bates Motel'' (2013–2017), for which he was nominated three times for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series and won a
People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
. In 2017, Highmore began producing and starring as Dr. Shaun Murphy in the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
drama series '' The Good Doctor'', for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.


Early life

Highmore was born on 14 February 1992 in Camden Town, London. His mother, Sue Latimer, is a talent agent whose clients include actors
Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...
and Imelda Staunton. His father is the former actor
Edward Highmore Edward Thomas Highmore (born 3 April 1961) is an English actor. He was born in Kingston upon Thames, London. Life and career Best known for playing Leo Howard in the 1980s BBC drama ''Howards' Way''. He also appeared in '' Doctor Who'', playing ...
, and he has a younger brother named Bertie. His previous home was in
Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...
,
North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...
. Highmore was educated at The Brookland Junior and Infant school in
Hampstead Garden Suburb Hampstead Garden Suburb is an elevated suburb of London, north of Hampstead, west of Highgate and east of Golders Green. It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations. It is an example of early twentie ...
near Golders Green in the London Borough of Barnet until the age of 11 and gained a scholarship to attend Highgate School, an independent school in Highgate, London. In 2008, Highmore scored straight A* grades in English language and English literature, maths, Spanish, French, Latin, geography, biology, chemistry and physics in his
GCSEs The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
exam. In 2010, once again, Highmore achieved straight A* grades in maths, further maths, French and Spanish in his A-level exams. From 2010 to 2014, Highmore attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he earned a
double first The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
in Spanish and Arabic. He also enrolled at the
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
to study finance at summer school during the summer break at Cambridge in 2011. Highmore worked at Gulf Bank in Kuwait as an intern in 2012, and at a law firm in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
during his year abroad while filming the first two seasons of ''Bates Motel'', which made him briefly consider becoming a lawyer after graduation.


Career


1999–2004: Early career as a child actor

Highmore began his acting career with small roles on television at the age of 7. He made his film debut in
Coky Giedroyc Mary Rose Helen "Coky" Giedroyc (; born 6 February 1963) is an English director known for her work on ''Women Talking Dirty'', '' The Virgin Queen'', '' The Nativity'', and ''Penny Dreadful''. Early life Giedroyc was born in Kowloon on 6 Febru ...
's comedy ''
Women Talking Dirty ''Women Talking Dirty'' is a 1999 British comedy film directed by Coky Giedroyc and starring Helena Bonham Carter, Gina McKee and James Nesbitt. It is an adaptation of the novel ''Women Talking Dirty'' written by Isla Dewar, who also wrote the ...
'' (1999), playing the son of a woman who has recently become estranged from her commitment-phobic French lover. In 2001, Highmore played a young King Arthur in the
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miniseries ''
The Mists of Avalon ''The Mists of Avalon'' is a 1983 historical fantasy novel by American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which the author relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters. The book follows the trajectory of Morgaine (M ...
'', a take on the Arthurian legends that depicted the women of
Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...
as the real power behind the throne. In 2001, in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
miniseries ''Happy Birthday Shakespeare'', he portrayed a young boy who dreams of moving his family to Stratford-upon-Avon. Highmore has acted alongside members of his family in two separate films: his brother played his brother in ''Women Talking Dirty'', and his father played his father in
Hallmark Entertainment Halcyon Studios, LLC., formerly known as Sonar Entertainment, RHI Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, Qintex Entertainment, HRI Group and Robert Halmi Inc., is an American entertainment company specializing in the production and distribution ...
's television film '' Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story'' (2001). In 2004, Highmore returned to the big screen for the family adventure film ''
Two Brothers Two Brothers may refer to: Films * ''Two Brothers'' (1929 film), a 1929 German silent film, directed by Mikhail Dubson * ''Two Brothers'' (2004 film), a 2004 French-British film, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud * ''The Two Brothers'' (film), a ...
'', directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. He played the son of a French administrator who refuses to believe that his new friend, a tiger cub named Sangha, might be dangerous after having tasted blood. He next had a major role in the fantasy film ''
Five Children and It ''Five Children and It'' is a children's novel by English author E. Nesbit. It was originally published in 1902 in the '' Strand Magazine'' under the general title ''The Psammead, or the Gifts'', with a segment appearing each month from April ...
'' (2004). That same year, Highmore made his breakthrough with a critically acclaimed performance as troubled
Peter Llewelyn Davies Peter Llewelyn Davies MC (25 February 1897 – 5 April 1960) was the middle of five sons of Arthur and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, one of the Llewelyn Davies boys befriended and later informally adopted by J. M. Barrie. Barrie publicly identif ...
in
Marc Forster Marc Forster (born 30 November 1969) is a Swiss filmmaker. He is best known for directing the feature films '' Monster's Ball'', '' Finding Neverland'', '' Stranger than Fiction'', ''The Kite Runner'', '' Quantum of Solace'', ''World War Z'', and ...
's semi-biographical film '' Finding Neverland''. He received several awards and nominations for the role, including a
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer The Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer (Actor/Actress) is one of the awards given to people working in the film industry by the Critics Choice Association at the annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. Winners and nominees 1990s ; ...
, and nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor and the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. Winners and nominees ...
.


2005–2011: Young adult roles

In 2005, he portrayed the main role of
Charlie Bucket This is a list of characters in the 1964 Roald Dahl book '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', his 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator'', and the former's film adaptations, '' Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' (1971) and ...
in
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...
's musical fantasy film ''
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was originall ...
'', adapted from the book of the same name by Roald Dahl. He was reportedly recommended by co-star Johnny Depp, with whom Highmore had worked in ''Finding Neverland''; Depp had been impressed by the young actor's performance and thus put his name forward for the role. Highmore had not seen the original 1971 version of the film, and decided not to see it until he was done filming so his portrayal of Charlie would not be influenced. For his role, he again won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer and was awarded the Satellite Award for Outstanding New Talent. Highmore also lent his voice to the film's accompanying video game of the same name. He next appeared as a young Max Skinner in Ridley Scott's comedy-drama film ''
A Good Year ''A Good Year'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed and produced by Ridley Scott. The film stars Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Didier Bourdon, Abbie Cornish, Tom Hollander, Freddie Highmore and Albert Finney. The film is loosely based ...
'', which was released in the UK on 27 October 2006. Also in 2006, he began portraying protagonist Arthur Montgomery in the live-action/animated fantasy adventure film ''
Arthur and the Invisibles ''Arthur and the Invisibles'' or ''Arthur and the Minimoys'' (French: ''Arthur et les Minimoys'') is a 2006 English-language French fantasy adventure comedy animated/live-action film directed and co-written by French filmmaker Luc Besson. It is ...
'', released on 13 December 2006. Two sequels followed: ''
Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard ''Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard'' (French: ''Arthur et la Vengeance de Maltazard'') is a 2009 English-language French animated/live-action fantasy adventure film directed and co-written by Luc Besson. It is based on the third book of the ''A ...
'' (2009) and '' Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds'' (2010). For the third film and the trilogy's accompanying video game, Highmore provided voice acting. In 2007, he lent his voice to the adventure fantasy film ''
The Golden Compass ''Northern Lights'' (titled ''The Golden Compass'' in North America and some other countries) is a young-adult fantasy novel by Philip Pullman, published in 1995 by Scholastic UK. Set in a parallel universe, it follows the journey of Lyra Be ...
'' (2007) and its video game of the same name. He then portrayed the title character in the drama film ''
August Rush ''August Rush'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and produced by Richard Barton Lewis. The screenplay is by Nick Castle and James V. Hart, with a story by Paul Castro and Castle. A co-production between the United State ...
'' (2007). The story follows a musical prodigy as he searches for his birth parents. This film received a wide release on 21 November 2007. Highmore next starred in the dual role of American twins Simon Grace and Jared Grace in the fantasy adventure film ''
The Spiderwick Chronicles ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' is a series of children's fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spid ...
'' (2008), based on the popular children's stories of the same name by
Tony DiTerlizzi Tony M. DiTerlizzi (born September 6, 1969) is an American fantasy artist, children's book creator, and motion picture producer. In the gaming industry, he is best known for his work in the collectible card game '' Magic: The Gathering'' and on ...
and
Holly Black Holly Black (''née'' Riggenbach; born November 10, 1971) is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult ''Folk of the Air'' series. ...
. The film also had a video game, ''
The Spiderwick Chronicles ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' is a series of children's fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spid ...
'', in which Highmore reprised the characters of Simon and Jared in a voice role. That same year, he provided voice acting for the role of Little Jack in the animated film '' A Fox's Tale'' (2008). In 2009, Highmore voiced the lead character in the animated film ''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 '' tankōbon'' ...
'' and provided his voice to its accompanying video game, '' Astro Boy: The Video Game''. He then played the main role in ''
Toast Toast most commonly refers to: * Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat * Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken Toast may also refer to: Places * Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States Books * '' ...
'', a BBC autobiographical film about chef
Nigel Slater Nigel Slater (born 9 April 1956) is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has written a column for ''The Observer Magazine'' for over a decade and is the principal writer for the ''Observer Food Monthly'' supplement. Prior to ...
, which was aired on 30 December 2010. Also in 2010, he starred as Hally Ballard in the drama film '' Master Harold...and the Boys'', based on the play of the same name by Athol Fugard. The following year, he co-starred in the romantic comedy-drama ''
The Art of Getting By ''The Art of Getting By'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser, Sam Robards, Rita Wilson and Blair Underwood. It is the first feature by writer-director Gavin ...
'' (2011).


2012–present: Acting, screenwriting, and producing

In 2013, Highmore voiced the title character in the animated adventure film ''
Justin and the Knights of Valour ''Justin and the Knights of Valour'' (Spanish: ''Justin y la espada del valor'') is a 2013 computer-animated fantasy film whose working title was ''Goleor: The Scales and the Sword''. It is the story of a boy named Justin, who wants to become a ...
''. From 2013 to 2017, he portrayed the iconic role of
Norman Bates Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, wh ...
in the A&E drama-thriller series '' Bates Motel'', a prequel to the Alfred Hitchcock film '' Psycho'' that restarts the storyline in the present day. He won a
People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
in 2016 for his performance, and has received nominations for the
Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television The following is a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Actor on Television (formerly Best Genre TV Actor). The award is presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, honoring the work of actors in science fic ...
(2013), the
Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama The Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama is one of the annual awards given by the International Press Academy The International Press Academy (IPA) is an American association of professional entertainment journalists, ...
(2013), and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2014–2015, and 2017). Highmore ventured into writing and directing during his time working on the series, writing the fourth season episode "Unfaithful" and the fifth season episode "Inseparable", and directing the fifth-season episode "The Body". In August 2014, it was reported that
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
had purchased a comedy pilot script written and executive produced by Highmore and ''Bates Motel'' showrunner
Kerry Ehrin Kerry Anne Ehrin (born October 8, 1960) is an American screenwriter, showrunner, and producer. In 1990, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for her work as a producer on the ABC comedy-drama series ''The ...
. In 2015, he appeared in
the Libertines The Libertines are an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, has also included John Hassall ...
' music video for "You're My Waterloo". In 2016, Highmore starred in Stephen Poliakoff's BBC Two seven-part miniseries '' Close to the Enemy'' and
Nick Hamm Nick Hamm is a film, television, and theater director and producer born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He won a BAFTA for his drama ''The Harmfulness of Tobacco'' starring Edward Fox. Hamm's most recent films, '' The Journey'' starring Timothy ...
's political comedy-drama film ''
The Journey The Journey may refer to: Film and television * ''The Journey'' (1942 film), or ''El viaje'', an Argentine film * ''The Journey'' (1959 film), an American drama starring Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, and Jason Robards about the Hungarian Revoluti ...
''. In 2017, Highmore took on the lead role of Dr. Shaun Murphy, an
autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
savant Savant syndrome () is a rare condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. The skills that savants excel at are generally related to memory. This may include rapid calcu ...
, in the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
drama series '' The Good Doctor'', and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his performance. He serves as an executive producer and director on the show, and wrote the second season episode "Hello". Highmore has been cast as the voice of the Duke of Cheshire in the animated film adaptation of ''
The Canterville Ghost "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in '' The Court and Society Review'', 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about an American fa ...
''. He is attached to play the title character,
Baby Face Nelson Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), also known as George Nelson and Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber who became a criminal partner of John Dillinger, when he helped Dillinger escape from prison, in Crown P ...
, in the A&E drama pilot ''Baby Face'', which he co-wrote and will executive produce with Kerry Ehrin. Highmore will also executive produce Ehrin's drama pilot ''Long Distance'' for NBC. In August 2018, Highmore formed his Sony-aligned production company, ''Alfresco Pictures,'' aims to develop scripted series for broadcast, cable, streaming services and international co-productions projects "that have a broader point or message behind them, that try and spark conversations that aren’t being had or give a microphone to voices and experiences that haven’t been heard from before." "I hope “''Alfresco''”, aside from being a play on my real name, Alfred, speaks more widely to a sense of refreshing, communal openness that is reflective of the stories we gravitate towards at the company," he said. "In wanting to set up ''Alfresco'', it came from a natural desire to be involved in a wider way in the industry ... I always had that natural curiosity to do other things. And that, I guess, shifted into not only wanting to develop my own ideas and projects that I was writing or directing or acting in, but also becoming a producer in a wider sense and helping other people tell their stories." In August 2019, it was reported that Highmore will co-writing and executive producing ''Homesick'', a dark comedy in development at the WarnerMedia-owned cable net, which will explore mental health, body image, toxic masculinity and what it means to defy “normal” gender expectations.


Personal life

Highmore lives in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and avoids
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
. While on '' Bates Motel'', Highmore developed a close friendship with co-star
Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...
and became the godfather of her son. Apart from English, Highmore is also fluent in Spanish and French, and semi-fluent in Arabic. In a September 2021 interview on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', Highmore revealed that he had recently married.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Music videos


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Highmore, Freddie 1992 births Living people 21st-century English male actors Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge British expatriate male actors in the United States English expatriates in Spain English expatriates in the United States English film producers English male child actors English male film actors English male television actors English male video game actors English male voice actors English television producers Male actors from London People educated at Highgate School People from Camden Town People from Highgate