William Tulloch Paterson Bio
William Tulloch Paterson (born 3 June 1945) is a Scottish actor whose career spans stage, radio, film and television. Born in Glasgow, he began in theatre with the Citizens’ Theatre and as a founding member of 7:84 before moving into television and film in the 1970s. Paterson has appeared in a wide range of projects, including The Killing Fields, Comfort and Joy, Miss Potter, Creation and appearances in series such as Sea of Souls, Outlander, Fleabag and House of the Dragon. He has narrated documentaries and has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Scottish BAFTAs for his sustained contribution to the industry.
Early Life and Background
William Tulloch Paterson was born in Glasgow on 3 June 1945 and 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.
Path to Acting
Paterson 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. In 1970, Paterson joined the Citizens’ Theatre for Youth and remained there as an actor and assistant director until 1972. He was a founding member of the theatre company 7:84 and toured the United Kingdom and Europe with productions such as The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black Black Oil. Paterson made his London debut in 1976 with 7:84.
William Tulloch Paterson Career
Early Career (1967–1977)
Paterson made his professional debut in 1967 in Glasgow. He joined the Citizens’ Theatre for Youth as an actor and assistant director until 1972. After seeing him perform at the Edinburgh Festival, John McGrath invited him to join his theatre company, 7:84. Paterson was a founding member and toured the United Kingdom and Europe. He worked with Billy Connolly in the musical comedy The Great Northern Welly Boot Show at the Edinburgh Festival in 1972. He made his London debut in 1976 with 7:84.
Breakthrough (1978–1989)
He first appeared in the West End when he took over the lead role in Whose Life Is It Anyway? at the Savoy Theatre in 1979. Paterson’s career began to centre as much on television as on theatre. His first appearances in 1978 were as a police Sergeant of Scotland Yard in The Odd Job and then in the BAFTA award-winning drama Licking Hitler. He played King James in the UK television serial Will Shakespeare the same year. He provided the voice of the Assistant Arcturan Pilot in Episode 7 of the original BBC Radio 4 version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in 1978. He played Lopakhin in the BBC production of The Cherry Orchard in 1981.
Paterson was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 1982 for his performance as Schweyk in Brecht’s Schweik in the Second World War at the National Theatre. He appeared in the original National Theatre production of Guys and Dolls in 1982. The early 1980s also saw Paterson beginning to appear in films, including The Killing Fields, Comfort and Joy and A Private Function (all 1984). Other film credits include Dutch Girls (1985) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1987). In television, he appeared in Traffik (1988) and was memorable as property villain Ally Fraser in series 2 of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1986).
Notable Works and Milestones
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Paterson maintained a diverse career in film, television and radio. He appeared in The Witches (1990), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), Chaplin (1992), and Sir Ian McKellen’s Richard III (1995). On television, he starred in The Crow Road (1996), Doctor Zhivago (2002), and Wives and Daughters (1999). He starred as Dr Douglas Monaghan in three seasons of the supernatural drama series Sea of Souls (2004–2007). His film work during this period included Bright Young Things (2003), Miss Potter (2006), How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (2008) and Creation (2009). In 2010, Paterson starred in Doctor Who as Professor Edwin Bracewell in the episode Victory of the Daleks. He also played Ned Gowan in the period TV series Outlander (2014) and played the father of the main character in both seasons of Fleabag (2016–2019).
William Tulloch Paterson Awards
Paterson has received significant recognition for his contributions to the entertainment industry. In 2015, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Scottish BAFTAs for his sustained contribution to the industry.
| Award | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Scottish BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award | 1 | 2015 |
William Tulloch Paterson Family
William Tulloch Paterson married German stage designer Hildegard Bechtler in 1984. They have two children together. Paterson has published a series of book stories based on his childhood in Glasgow, entitled Tales From The Back Green, which were published by Hodder in 2008.
Personal Life
In 1980, while filming The Lost Tribe, Paterson purchased a holiday home in Fordyce with fellow actor Miriam Margolyes. Since leaving Glasgow, he has spent much of his life living in London and currently resides in North London near Tufnell Park.