Bill Paterson
William Tulloch Paterson (born 3 June 1945) is a Scottish actor. Throughout his career he has appeared regularly in radio drama and provided the narration for a large number of documentaries. Paterson has appeared in films and television series including Comfort and Joy (1984), Traffik (1989), Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1986), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), The Witches (1990), Wives and Daughters (1999), Sea of Souls (2004–2007), Amazing Grace (2006), Miss Potter (2006), Little Dorrit (2008), Doctor Who (2010), Outlander (2014), Fleabag (2016–2019), Inside No. 9 (2018), Good Omens (2019), Brassic (2020) and House of the Dragon (2022). He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Scottish BAFTAs. William Tulloch Paterson was born in Glasgow on 3 June 1945. Paterson was raised in Dennistoun by his father, a plumber, and his mother, a hairdresser. He states that his interest in acting began with a school trip to the Citizens Theatre in the Gorbals in 1961. However, after school he chose to initially pursue a career based on an interest in architecture and spent three years as a quantity surveyor's apprentice before deciding to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Known For
Credits
- 2022 · House of the Dragon as Lord Lyman Beesbury
- 2022 · The Sandman as Dr. John Hathaway
- 2022 · Halo as Ackerson's Dad
- 2020 · Rebecca as Dr. Baker
- 2020 · Between the Covers as Self
- 2020 · Marionette as Dr. Mandelbaum
- 2019 · Guilt as Roy Lynch
- 2019 · Brassic as Tony Tillerton
- 2019 · Good Omens as Tadfield Neighbourhood Watch
- 2017 · The Man Who Invented Christmas as Mr. Grimsby
- 2017 · The Repair Shop as Self - Narrator
- 2017 · The Repair Shop as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Urban Myths as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- 2016 · Fleabag as Dad
- 2016 · Dad's Army as Private Frazer
- 2015 · High-Rise as Mercer
- 2014 · Scot Squad as Sir Neville Archibald
- 2014 · Outlander as Ned Gowan
- 2014 · 37 Days as Lord Morley
- 2014 · Inside No. 9 as Mr. Green
- 2013 · The List as Reg Troughton
- 2013 · Shetland as James Perez
- 2012 · Them From That Thing as Various
- 2012 · Dirk Gently as Professor Jericho
- 2010 · The Michael Ball Show as Self
- 2009 · Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen as Dr James Niven
- 2009 · Law & Order: UK as George Castle
- 2008 · Gone Fishing as Old Bill
- 2008 · Little Dorrit as Mr. Meagles
- 2008 · How to Lose Friends & Alienate People as Richard Young
- 2008 · Criminal Justice as Harry Box
- 2007 · The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
- 2006 · Miss Potter as Rupert Potter
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2005 · ShakespeaRe-Told as
- 2005 · Doctor Who as Edwin Bracewell
- 2004 · Agatha Christie's Marple as Bradley
- 2004 · Shoebox Zoo as The Storyteller (voice)
- 2004 · Sea of Souls as Dr. Douglas Monaghan
- 2003 · Bright Young Things as Sir James Brown
- 2003 · Canterbury Tales as Theo
- 2002 · Doctor Zhivago as Alexander Gromyko
- 2002 · Foyle's War as Patrick Jamieson
- 2002 · Born and Bred as Harry Woolf
- 2001 · Rebel Heart as James Connolly
- 2000 · The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne as
- 1999 · Wives and Daughters as Mr. Gibson
- 1999 · Sunshine as Minister of Justice
- 1998 · Hilary and Jackie as Cello Teacher
- 1998 · The Animal Train as Walrus
- 1997 · Spice World as Brian
- 1997 · Arthouse as Self
- 1997 · Melissa as DCI Cameron
- 1996 · The Crow Road as Kenneth McHoan
- 1995 · Ghostbusters of East Finchley as Joe Small
- 1995 · Oliver's Travels as Baxter
- 1995 · The Turnaround as James Webb
- 1995 · Sharman as James Webb
- 1994 · Junior Masterchef as
- 1994 · Hard Times as Stephen Blackpool
- 1994 · Hard Times as Stephen Blackpool
- 1992 · In Dreams as Dr Gold
- 1992 · Chaplin as Stage Manager
- 1991 · Murder Most Horrid as Chief Inspector
- 1990 · Yellowbacks as Alex McPherson
- 1990 · The Witches as Mr Jenkins
- 1989 · Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale as Jordan
- 1989 · A Wanted Man as Det. Supt. Chase
- 1989 · Traffik as John Lithgow
- 1989 · The Return of the Musketeers as Charles I
- 1988 · The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as Henry Salt
- 1988 · The Play on One as Alex McPherson
- 1988 · The Modern World: Ten Great Writers as Titorelli
- 1987 · Friendship's Death as Sullivan
- 1986 · The Singing Detective as Dr Gibbon
- 1984 · The Killing Fields as Dr. MacEntire
- 1983 · Auf Wiedersehen, Pet as Ally Fraser
- 1982 · Smiley's People as Lauder Strickland
- 1981 · United Kingdom as Tony
- 1978 · The Vanishing Army as Girling
- 1978 · Jackie McCafferty's Romance as Bus Conductor
- 1978 · Life of Shakespeare as King James I
- 1978 · Will Shakespeare as
- 1977 · BBC2 Play of the Week as Girling
- 1970 · Play for Today as Luke
- 1970 · Play for Today as Archie MacLean
- 1964 · Horizon as
- Future · Tomb Raider as Winston
- 2025 · Being Stanley Baxter as Self
- 2025 · The House Was Not Hungry Then as Father
- 2025 · The Repair Shop on the Road as Self - Narrator
- 2024 · Arthur's Whisky as Henry
- 2021 · The Colour Room as Gordon Forsythe
- 2021 · Britain’s Scenic Railways as Narrator
- 2020 · Love Sarah as Felix
- 2018 · Happy New Year, Colin Burstead as Gordon Burstead
- 2018 · Wonderdate as Kolodon
- 2016 · Churchill's Secret as Lord Moran
- 2011 · The Man who Crossed Hitler as Kurt Ohnesorge
- 2010 · Birds Britannia as
- 2009 · Creation as Dr. Gully
- 2009 · Into the Storm as Clement Attlee
- 2006 · Amazing Grace as Lord Dundas
- 1999 · The Match as Tommy
- Future · Kill Jackie as Owain
- 2024 · Children of the Wicker Man as Self
- 2023 · A Bear Named Wojtek as Zoo Director (voice)
- 2022 · The Spirit of 1926 as Family Lawyer
- 2019 · The Day Mountbatten Died as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · The Rebel as Charles
- 2015 · Hitler on Trial: The Truth Behind the Story as
- 2015 · The Vote as Simon Featherstone
- 2014 · Documenting John Grierson as Narrator
- 2012 · Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games as Narrator
- 2011 · Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me as Judge Underwood
- 2011 · The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema as Narrator (Voice)
- 2009 · Ghosts in the Machine as Himself
- 2009 · 1929: The Great Crash as Narrator
- 2008 · The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen as Self - 'Henry Salt'
- 2008 · The Man Who Lives with Bears as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2007 · Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars as Dr Watson
- 2007 · Intervention as Dr. Martin
- 2006 · A War on Science as Narrator (voice)
- 2006 · Fascism in Colour as Narrator (voice)
- 2005 · A Passion for Churches as Narrator
- 2005 · Rag Tale as Tulloch 'Lucky' Lloyd
- 2004 · Lie with Me as DCI Collman
- 2003 · Danielle Cable: Eyewitness as DI Nick Biddiss
- 2002 · Battle of the Atlantic as Himself - Narrator
- 2002 · Crush as Gerald
- 2002 · Home Road Movies as Father
- 2002 · The Entity as
- 2001 · Othello as Sinclair Carver
- 2001 · The Whistle-Blower as D.I. Neil Sleightholme
- 2001 · Behind Bars as Narrator
- 2000 · Complicity as Wallace Byatt
- 1999 · Chrono-Perambulator as Professor Teddy Knox
- 1999 · Heart as Mr. Kreitman
- 1997 · Mr White Goes To Westminster as Ben White
- 1996 · Victory as Capt. Davidson
- 1996 · The Writing on the Wall as Bull
- 1996 · Chaplin's Goliath as Narrator (voice)
- 1995 · Richard III as Sir Richard Ratcliffe
- 1995 · The Pen as
- 1995 · The Riddle of the Sands as Narrator
- 1993 · Wall of Silence as Howard Mullen
- 1992 · God on the Rocks as Kenneth Marsh
- 1992 · Tell Tale Hearts as Anthony Steadman
- 1991 · Truly Madly Deeply as Sandy
- 1991 · The Object of Beauty as Victor Swayle
- 1989 · The Rachel Papers as Gordon Highway
- 1988 · Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' as Titorelli
- 1988 · Just Ask for Diamond as Chief Inspector Snape
- 1988 · Byrne About Byrne as Father/F.S. McDade
- 1987 · The Interrogation of John as Det. Supt. Chase
- 1987 · Lily My Love as Colin
- 1987 · Hidden City as Anthony
- 1987 · Coming Up Roses as Mr. Valentine
- 1986 · God's Chosen Car Park as Victor Rosen
- 1986 · Defence of the Realm as Jack Macleod
- 1985 · Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman as Self
- 1985 · Dutch Girls as Mr Mole
- 1984 · A Private Function as Wormold
- 1984 · Comfort and Joy as Alan
- 1983 · The Ploughman's Lunch as Lecturer
- 1981 · The Cherry Orchard as Lopakhin
- 1979 · One Fine Day as Third Man in Lift
- 1978 · The Odd Job as Sergeant Mull
- 1978 · Licking Hitler as Archie MacLean
- 1977 · The Thin End of the Wedge as Luke
- 1977 · The Garden Beyond as Jim Finlayson
- 1974 · The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil as Various
- 1974 · Clydescope as Model Boat Show Commentator (voice) (uncredited)
- Future · The White Room as Jackie Jordan
- 1974 · Suilven Spring as




