Freddie Highmore

Freddie Highmore
Highmore at the Bates Motel premiere, 2013
Born	Alfred Thomas Highmore (1992-02-14) 14 February 1992 Camden Town, London, England
Alma mater	Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Occupation	Actor voice actor
Years active	1999–present
Parent(s)	Edward Highmore (father)

Alfred Thomas "Freddie" Highmore^[1] (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor who made his acting debut in the comedy film Women Talking Dirty (1999). He has since starred in the films Finding Neverland (2004), Five Children and It (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Arthur and the Invisibles (2006), August Rush (2007), The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), and The Art of Getting By (2011). For his performances in Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer in two consecutive years (2004–05).

Since 2013, Highmore has starred as Norman Bates in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel, for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

Early life and education

Highmore was born on 14 February 1992 into a show business family.^[2] His mother, Sue Latimer, is a talent agent whose clients include actors Daniel Radcliffe and Imelda Staunton, and his father, Edward Highmore, is an actor. He has a younger brother named Albert "Bertie" Highmore, born in 1995. Highmore's home is in Highgate, an area of North London.^[3]

Highmore was educated at a primary school in Hampstead Garden Suburb in Hampstead in North London, and at Highgate School, an independent school in Highgate, followed by Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge, where he earned a Double First in Spanish and Arabic.^[4][5]

Career

1999–2004: Beginnings and Finding Neverland

Highmore began his acting career with small roles on television at the age of 7. He made his film debut in Coky Giedroyc's comedy Women Talking Dirty (1999), playing the son of a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) who has recently become estranged from her commitment-phobic French lover.^[2] In 2001, Highmore played a young King Arthur in the TNT miniseries The Mists of Avalon, a revisionist take on the Arthurian legends that depicted the women of Camelot as the real power behind the throne.^[2] In 2001, in the BBC miniseries Happy Birthday Shakespeare, he portrayed the son of a tour bus driver (Neil Morrissey) who dreams of moving his family to Stratford-upon-Avon, while his mum (Dervla Kirwan) becomes sick and tired of her husband's money making schemes.^[2] Highmore has acted alongside members of his family in two separate films; his brother Bertie played his brother in Women Talking Dirty, and his father Edward played his father in Hallmark Entertainment's television film Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (2001).^[6]

In 2004, Highmore returned to the big screen for the family adventure film Two Brothers, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. He played the son of a French administrator who refuses to believe that his new friend, a tiger cub, might be dangerous after having tasted blood. He next had a major role alongside Kenneth Branagh, Zoë Wanamaker, and Eddie Izzard in the straight-to-video fantasy film Five Children and It (2004). That same year, Highmore made his breakthrough with a critically acclaimed performance as troubled Peter Llewelyn Davies in Marc Forster'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, 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.

2005–11: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Astro Boy

Highmore at the San Diego Comic-Con International, 23 July 2009

In 2005, he portrayed the main role of Charlie Bucket in the musical fantasy film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, adapted from the book of the same name by Roald Dahl.^[7] He was reportedly recommended by co-star Johnny Depp, whom Highmore had worked with in Finding Neverland; Depp had been impressed by the young actor's performance and thus put his name forward for the role.^[2] Highmore did not see 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 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 (Russell Crowe) in the comedy-drama film A Good Year, 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, released on 13 December 2006. Two sequels followed: Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (2009) and Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (2010).^[8] For the third film and the trilogy's accompanying video game, Highmore provided voice acting.^[9] In 2007, he lent his voice to the adventure fantasy film The Golden Compass (2007) and its video game of the same name. He then portrayed the title character in the drama film August Rush (2007), alongside Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Robin Williams. The story follows a musical prodigy as he searches for his birth parents. This film received a wide release on 21 November 2007.^[10]

Highmore next starred in the dual role of American twins Simon and Jared Grace, alongside Sarah Bolger as their sister Mallory, in the fantasy adventure film The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), based on the popular children's stories of the same name by Tony DiTerlizzi. The film also had a video game, The Spiderwick Chronicles, in which Highmore reprised the characters of Simon and Jared in a voice role.^[11] 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,^[12] and provided his voice to its accompanying video game, Astro Boy: The Video Game.^[13] He then played the main role in Toast, a BBC autobiographical film about chef Nigel Slater, which was aired on 30 December 2010. The miniseries marked the second time Highmore has worked with Helena Bonham Carter.^[14] Also in 2010, he starred as Hally Ballard, opposite Ving Rhames, 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 alongside Emma Roberts in the romantic comedy-drama The Art of Getting By (2011).^[15]

2012–present: Bates Motel and screenwriting debut

Highmore at PaleyFest for Bates Motel, 10 May 2013

In 2013, Highmore voiced the title character in the animated adventure film Justin and the Knights of Valour, released on 13 September 2013 in the UK and Ireland.^[16] Since 2013, he has portrayed the iconic role of Norman Bates, alongside Vera Farmiga as his mother Norma, 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.^[17] The series premiered on 18 March 2013,^[18] and Highmore has received nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television (2013),^[19] Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama (2013),^[20] People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Anti-Hero (2014),^[21] and Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2014–15)^[22][23] for his performance. In August 2014, it was reported that Highmore and Bates executive producer Kerry Ehrin had written a comedy pilot script that was purchased by NBC.^[24]

In 2015, he starred in The Libertines' music video for their single "You're My Waterloo", alongside actress Marama Corlett.^[25] In 2016, Highmore will star in Stephen Poliakoff's BBC Two six-part miniseries Close to the Enemy,^[26] the coming-of-age comedy-drama film Holding Patterns,^[27] and Nick Hamm's political comedy-drama film The Journey.^[28] In November 2015, it was reported that Highmore was set to star as 2nd Lieutenant Jimmy Raleigh in the upcoming film adaptation of R. C. Sherriff's classic war drama novel Journey's End, alongside Sam Claflin and Paul Bettany. The film will be directed by Mike Newell.^[29] He is also attached to lend his voice to the upcoming animated film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost.^[30]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Freddie Highmore.

• Freddie Highmore at the Internet Movie Database
• (French) Little-Stars – Freddie Highmore