Bill Paterson

Biography

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

House of the Dragon

Doctor Who

Outlander

Play for Today

Play for Today

Horizon

Agatha Christie's Marple

Shetland

All Movies (113)

• Ladies First2026 · as Louis
• Being Stanley Baxter2025 · as Self
• The House Was Not Hungry Then2025 · as Father
• Arthur's Whisky2024 · as Henry
• Children of the Wicker Man2024 · as Self
• A Bear Named Wojtek2023 · as Zoo Director (voice)
• The Spirit of 19262022 · as Family Lawyer
• The Colour Room2021 · as Gordon Forsythe
• Rebecca2020 · as Dr. Baker
• Marionette2020 · as Dr. Mandelbaum
• Love Sarah2020 · as Felix
• The Day Mountbatten Died2019 · as Narrator (voice)
• Happy New Year, Colin Burstead2018 · as Gordon Burstead
• Wonderdate2018 · as Kolodon
• The Man Who Invented Christmas2017 · as Mr. Grimsby
• Churchill's Secret2016 · as Lord Moran
• Dad's Army2016 · as Private Frazer
• High-Rise2015 · as Mercer
• Hitler on Trial: The Truth Behind the Story2015
• The Vote2015 · as Simon Featherstone
• Documenting John Grierson2014 · as Narrator
• The List2013 · as Reg Troughton
• Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games2012 · as Narrator
• Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me2011 · as Judge Underwood
• The Man who Crossed Hitler2011 · as Kurt Ohnesorge
• The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema2011 · as Narrator (Voice)
• Ghosts in the Machine2009 · as Himself
• Creation2009 · as Dr. Gully
• Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen2009 · as Dr James Niven
• Into the Storm2009 · as Clement Attlee
• 1929: The Great Crash2009 · as Narrator
• Gone Fishing2008 · as Old Bill
• How to Lose Friends & Alienate People2008 · as Richard Young
• The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen2008 · as Self - 'Henry Salt'
• The Man Who Lives with Bears2008 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars2007 · as Dr Watson
• The 50 Greatest Television Dramas2007 · as Self
• Intervention2007 · as Dr. Martin
• Miss Potter2006 · as Rupert Potter
• Amazing Grace2006 · as Lord Dundas
• A War on Science2006 · as Narrator (voice)
• Fascism in Colour2006 · as Narrator (voice)
• Rag Tale2005 · as Tulloch 'Lucky' Lloyd
• Lie with Me2004 · as DCI Collman
• Bright Young Things2003 · as Sir James Brown
• Danielle Cable: Eyewitness2003 · as DI Nick Biddiss
• Crush2002 · as Gerald
• Home Road Movies2002 · as Father
• The Entity2002
• Othello2001 · as Sinclair Carver
• The Whistle-Blower2001 · as D.I. Neil Sleightholme
• Behind Bars2001 · as Narrator
• Complicity2000 · as Wallace Byatt
• Chrono-Perambulator1999 · as Professor Teddy Knox
• Sunshine1999 · as Minister of Justice
• The Match1999 · as Tommy
• Heart1999 · as Mr. Kreitman
• Hilary and Jackie1998 · as Cello Teacher
• The Animal Train1998 · as Walrus
• Mr White Goes To Westminster1997 · as Ben White
• Spice World1997 · as Brian
• Victory1996 · as Capt. Davidson
• The Writing on the Wall1996 · as Bull
• Chaplin's Goliath1996 · as Narrator (voice)
• Richard III1995 · as Sir Richard Ratcliffe
• The Pen1995
• The Turnaround1995 · as James Webb
• The Riddle of the Sands1995 · as Narrator
• Hard Times1994 · as Stephen Blackpool
• Wall of Silence1993 · as Howard Mullen
• God on the Rocks1992 · as Kenneth Marsh
• In Dreams1992 · as Dr Gold
• Chaplin1992 · as Stage Manager
• Tell Tale Hearts1992 · as Anthony Steadman
• Truly Madly Deeply1991 · as Sandy
• The Object of Beauty1991 · as Victor Swayle
• Yellowbacks1990 · as Alex McPherson
• The Witches1990 · as Mr Jenkins
• Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale1989 · as Jordan
• The Rachel Papers1989 · as Gordon Highway
• The Return of the Musketeers1989 · as Charles I
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988 · as Henry Salt
• Franz Kafka's 'The Trial'1988 · as Titorelli
• Just Ask for Diamond1988 · as Chief Inspector Snape
• Byrne About Byrne1988 · as Father/F.S. McDade
• The Story of a Recluse1987 · as The Producer
• The Interrogation of John1987 · as Det. Supt. Chase
• Friendship's Death1987 · as Sullivan
• Lily My Love1987 · as Colin
• Hidden City1987 · as Anthony
• Coming Up Roses1987 · as Mr. Valentine
• God's Chosen Car Park1986 · as Victor Rosen
• Defence of the Realm1986 · as Jack Macleod
• Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman1985 · as Self
• Dutch Girls1985 · as Mr Mole
• The Killing Fields1984 · as Dr. MacEntire
• A Private Function1984 · as Wormold
• Comfort and Joy1984 · as Alan
• The Ploughman's Lunch1983 · as Lecturer
• United Kingdom1981 · as Tony
• The Cherry Orchard1981 · as Lopakhin
• One Fine Day1979 · as Third Man in Lift
• The Vanishing Army1978 · as Girling
• Jackie McCafferty's Romance1978 · as Bus Conductor
• The Odd Job1978 · as Sergeant Mull
• Licking Hitler1978 · as Archie MacLean
• The Thin End of the Wedge1977 · as Luke
• The Garden Beyond1977 · as Jim Finlayson
• The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil1974 · as Various
• Clydescope1974 · as Model Boat Show Commentator (voice) (uncredited)
• Suilven Spring1974
• Passing Places1973
• The White Room— · as Jackie Jordan

All TV Shows (68)

• The Repair Shop on the Road2025 · as Self - Narrator
• House of the Dragon2022 · as Lord Lyman Beesbury
• The Sandman2022 · as Dr. John Hathaway
• Halo2022 · as Ackerson's Dad
• Britain’s Scenic Railways2021 · as Narrator
• Between the Covers2020 · as Self
• Guilt2019 · as Roy Lynch
• Brassic2019 · as Tony Tillerton
• Good Omens2019 · as Tadfield Neighbourhood Watch
• The Repair Shop2017 · as Narrator (voice)
• Urban Myths2017 · as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Fleabag2016 · as Dad
• The Rebel2016 · as Charles
• Scot Squad2014 · as Sir Neville Archibald
• Outlander2014 · as Ned Gowan
• 37 Days2014 · as Lord Morley
• Inside No. 92014 · as Mr. Green
• Shetland2013 · as James Perez
• Them From That Thing2012 · as Various
• Dirk Gently2012 · as Professor Jericho
• Birds Britannia2010
• The Michael Ball Show2010 · as Self
• Law & Order: UK2009 · as George Castle
• Little Dorrit2008 · as Mr. Meagles
• Criminal Justice2008 · as Harry Box
• The One Show2006 · as Self - Guest
• A Passion for Churches2005 · as Narrator
• ShakespeaRe-Told2005
• Doctor Who2005 · as Edwin Bracewell
• Agatha Christie's Marple2004 · as Bradley
• Lie with Me2004 · as DCI Collman
• Shoebox Zoo2004 · as The Storyteller (voice)
• Sea of Souls2004 · as Dr. Douglas Monaghan
• Canterbury Tales2003 · as Theo
• Trust2003 · as John Tilson
• Doctor Zhivago2002 · as Alexander Maximovich Gromeko
• Foyle's War2002 · as Patrick Jamieson
• Battle of the Atlantic2002 · as Himself - Narrator
• Born and Bred2002 · as Harry Woolf
• Rebel Heart2001 · as James Connolly
• The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne2000
• Wives and Daughters1999 · as Mr Gibson
• Arthouse1997 · as Self
• Melissa1997 · as DCI Cameron
• The Crow Road1996 · as Kenneth McHoan
• The Ghostbusters of East Finchley1995 · as Joe Small
• Oliver's Travels1995 · as Baxter
• Sharman1995 · as James Webb
• Junior Masterchef1994
• Hard Times1994 · as Stephen Blackpool
• Murder Most Horrid1991 · as Chief Inspector
• Screen One1989 · as PC Howard Mullen
• Traffik1989 · as John Lithgow
• The Play on One1988 · as Alex McPherson
• The Modern World: Ten Great Writers1988 · as Titorelli
• The Singing Detective1986 · as Dr Gibbon
• ScreenPlay1986 · as Colin
• ScreenPlay1986 · as Det. Supt. Chase
• Auf Wiedersehen, Pet1983 · as Ally Fraser
• Smiley's People1982 · as Lauder Strickland
• Life of Shakespeare1978 · as King James I
• BBC2 Play of the Week1977 · as Girling
• Play for Today1970 · as Luke
• Play for Today1970 · as Archie MacLean
• Omnibus1967
• Horizon1964
• Tomb Raider— · as Winston
• Kill Jackie— · as Owain