Benedict Freeman (born 8 April 1980) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Scott Windsor in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. After leaving Emmerdale in 2007, he embarked on a career in musical theatre, and has since played various roles in the West End. In 2021, he joined the cast of the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Caleb Malone.
Ben Freeman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Benedict Freeman 8 April 1980 England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Television | Emmerdale EastEnders |
| Spouse | Jennifer Biddall |
Career
editFreeman's first role was playing Chris Longworth in the children's series Grange Hill, a role he portrayed from 1996 to 1998.[1] After leaving Grange Hill, Emmerdale decided to cast Freeman in the role of Scott Windsor, taking over from previous actor Toby Cockerell. He portrayed the role for nine years.[2] Following Emmerdale in 2007, Freeman took his career to the stage, playing the Prince in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Warner in the final cast of Legally Blonde[3] and Norman in Dreamboats and Petticoats, both in West End theatre.[4] On 29 October 2012, he joined the cast of Wicked in the West End, playing the role of Fiyero. He left the show on 16 November 2013,[5] and joined the British touring cast of a musical version of the American sitcom Happy Days, playing the role of The Fonz. The tour finished in July 2014.[6][7]
In December 2015, Freeman joined the British touring cast of The Rocky Horror Show, where he played the role of Brad Majors.[8] In May 2018, Freeman played the lead role of Ed Leighton in an independent British film Hooligan Escape the Russian Job. Dave Adamaon of VultureHound praised his contributions to the film, noting his "convincing" and "robust" performance.[9] In November 2018, he played the title role of Robin Hood in an independent British film titled Robin Hood: The Rebellion.[10] Then in April 2019, he appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Adrian Richards.[11][12] In January 2021, he joined the BBC soap opera EastEnders in the guest role of Caleb Malone.[13][14]
Personal life
editFreeman was in a relationship with Emmerdale co-star Amy Nuttall which ended in 2009.[15]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–1998 | Grange Hill | Chris Longworth | Main role |
| 1998–2007 | Emmerdale | Scott Windsor | Series regular (884 episodes) |
| 2018 | Hooligan Escapes the Russian Job | Ed Leighton | Film |
| 2018 | Solo! | Gavin | Film |
| 2018 | Robin Hood: The Rebellion | Robin Hood | Film |
| 2019 | Doctors | Sgt Adrian Richards | Episode: "Veneer" |
| 2021 | EastEnders | Caleb Malone | Guest role (6 episodes) |
References
edit- ^ "Actor Ben Freeman on the Rocky Horror Show". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Ben Freeman Axed From Emmerdale". Digital Spy. 17 December 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Ben Freeman Joins West End's Legally Blonde". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Freeman joins Wicked Cast". WhatsOnStage. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Ben Freeman joins cast of Happy Days". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Happy Days adds Ben Freeman, Cheryl Baker to cast". BBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Ben Freeman Joins HAPPY DAYS Tour as 'The Fonz'; Full Cast Announced!". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Rocky Horror announces casting". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ ""Do you deserve a warrior's death?" – Hooligan Escape: The Russian Job Review (DVD Review)". VultureHound. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Emmerdale's Ben Freeman is a new look Robin Hood in Suffolk-based action movie". East Anglian Daily Times. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Doctors spoilers: Indecent proposal for Ayesha Lee and Becky Clarke!". What's on TV. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ Writer: Toby Walton; Director: Piotr Szkopiak (4 April 2019). "Veneer". Doctors. BBC. BBC One.
- ^ "EastEnders casts former Emmerdale star Ben Freeman for Chelsea Fox storyline". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Emmerdale star Ben Freeman is cast in EastEnders for Chelsea and Lucas storyline". Metro. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ Ellis, James. (27 October 2009) Amy Nuttall | Metro News Archived 6 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Metro.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 December 2021.
External links
edit- Ben Freeman at IMDb