Bill Paterson is a Scottish actor who has appeared in many films, plays and television series.

He was born on June 3, 1945 in Glasgow, Scotland. As a young man, Paterson spent three years as a quantity surveyor's apprentice, before joining the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He made his professional acting debut in 1967, appearing alongside Leonard Rossiter in Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre. June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Glasgows location in Scotland Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotlands largest city and unitary council, situated on the River Clyde in the countrys west central lowlands. ... Scotland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama or RSAMD is a music and drama school in Glasgow, Scotland. ... Leonard Rossiter (born Liverpool, England, October 21st 1926 - died London, October 5th 1984) was a distinguished British actor, most widely known for his comedy roles in two British television series in the 1970s and 80s. ... Bertolt Brecht Bertolt Brecht (February 10, 1898 – August 14, 1956) was an influential German dramatist, stage director, and poet of the 20th century. ... The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (original German title: Der aufhaltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui) is a play by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, originally written in 1941. ...

In 1970, Paterson joined the Citizen's Theatre for Youth. He remained there as an actor and assistant director until 1972, when he left to appear with Billy Connolly in The Great Northern Welly Boot Show at the Edinburgh Festival. (Paterson would work with Connolly again, some years later, when he performed in Connolly's play An Me Wi' a Bad Leg Tae.) William Billy Connolly, CBE (born November 24, 1942) is a comedian, musician, presenter, and actor. ... The Edinburgh Festival is a collection of various festivals in August of each year in Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

Paterson spent much of the 1970s in John McGrath's 7:84 (Scotland) Theatre Company, of which he was a founding member, touring the UK and Europe with plays such as The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black Oil. He made his London debut in 1976 with the company. Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,421,328 and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. ...

After this, Paterson's career began to centre more on television than the theatre. His first appearances included the 1978 BAFTA award winning drama Licking Hitler, and playing King James in the UK television serial Life of Shakespeare the same year. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... James VI of Scotland and James I of England and Ireland (Charles James) (19 June 1566–27 March 1625) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland. ...

However, Paterson did not totally neglect the theatre, and in 1982 he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier award for his performance as Schweyk in another Brecht play, Schweyk in the Second World War at the National Theatre. He has continued to perform in many plays over the years. The Laurence Olivier Awards, previously known as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed in honour of British actor Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier in 1984, having first been established in 1976. ... Fritz Muliar as Schwejk (1972) The Good Soldier Švejk (spelled Schweik or Schwejk in many translations, and pronounced /ʃvɛjk/) is the shortened title of the world-famous unfinished novel written by Czech humorist Jaroslav Hašek in 1921-22. ... The Royal National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge The Royal National Theatre of Great Britain is a building and theatre company on Londons South Bank, located immediately east of the southern end of Waterloo Bridge. ...

The early 1980s also saw Paterson starting to appear in films, including The Killing Fields, Comfort and Joy and A Private Function (all 1984). Other film credits include The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1987), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), Sir Ian McKellen's Richard III (1995) and Bright Young Things (2003). The Killing Fields (1984) is an award-winning dramatic British film based on the experiences of Dith Pran, journalist and survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime and American journalist Sydney Schanberg. ... Comfort and Joy is a movie directed by Bill Forsyth. ... The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville (as the Baron), Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, Robin Williams and a great many more. ... Truly, Madly, Deeply - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Sir Ian McKellen at the premiere of The Return of the King in Wellington, New Zealand, December 1, 2003 Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CBE (born May 25, 1939) is a highly acclaimed English actor on both stage and screen, regarded by many as the greatest living British actor. ... The Life and Death of King Richard III is William Shakespeares version of the short career of Richard III of England, who receives a singularly unflattering depiction. ...

Bill Paterson made his name as the devious gangster Ally Fraser in Auf Wiedersehen Pet alongside Gary Holton and Jimmy Nail His other television credits include Smiley's People (1982) The Singing Detective (1986), Traffik (1988) and The Whistleblower (2001). He has also provided voice-over narration for many documentaries. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a popular British comedy-drama series created by Franc Roddam and mostly written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, who had also written The Likely Lads, What Ever Happened to the Likely Lads? and Porridge. ... Gary Holton was an English actor and musician best known for playing the part of Wayne in UK TV comedy Auf Wiedersehen Pet Biography Holton was born in London’s East End in September 1952. ... Jimmy Nail is a British actor and singer (born March 16, 1954, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne), famous for his rugged looks, hit singles and a strong Newcastle accent, although sometimes it is weaker, depending on what role he is playing and who he is talking to. ... Smileys People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979, by Random House (ISBN 0394508432). ... The Singing Detective The Singing Detective was a 1986 BBC television miniseries, written by Dennis Potter and starring Michael Gambon. ... Traffik is a 1989 television miniseries which tells the story of illegal drug trade. ...

A lot of his most recent work has been for the BBC, starring as Dr. Douglas Monaghan in the supernatural drama series Sea of Souls, and providing the voice of the Storyteller in the children's serial Shoebox Zoo. Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national public service broadcaster of the United Kingdom (see British television). ... Sea of Souls is a British television drama series, based around the fictional activities of a group of investigators into psychic events. ... Shoebox Zoo is a childrens fantasy TV series made in a collaboration between BBC Scotland and various Canadian television companies. ...

He is married to Hildegard Bechtler, a theatre and opera designer. He has two children (a son and daughter) and lives in London.

External links

• Official site
• Bill Paterson's entry on the IMDB