Paul is a long established and much respected British actor and voiceover artist.
Paul is a long established and much respected British actor and voiceover artist.
Born in Denby Dale, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 25th November 1944 he grew up beside a dairy farm. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family. He went to Penistone Grammar School, then the Northern Counties College of Education in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he received an Associate of the Drama Board (ADB) in Drama. He taught English and Drama in Walthamstow, before he joined the Leeds Playhouse Theatre-in-education Company in 1971.
In 1976, Paul won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a New Play for his role in John Wilson's For King and Country.
With many and varied roles to follow, Paul soon established himself as one of the UK's leading stage, film, television and radio actors.
In 2011-2015 Paul gained worldwide recognition appearing in 16 episodes of the hugely popular television series Downton Abbey playing the popular role of farmer Mr Mason.
Paul is married to the actress Natasha Pyne. They married in 1972, after both performing in a Leeds Playhouse production of Frank Wedekind's Lulu, adapted by Peter Barnes, directed by Bill Hays in 1971.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0178674
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15463457
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Filmography (Movies)
Big Winners
Character:Arthur Thistle
Release Date:20/11/2025
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Character:Albert Mason
Release Date:10/09/2025
Ticker
Character:Howard
Release Date:11/08/2023
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Character:Mason
Release Date:27/04/2022
The Infectious Imagination of Henry Bramble
Character:Great Uncle Geoffrey
Release Date:07/10/2021
Enola Holmes
Character:Station Master
Release Date:23/09/2020
Ropeless
Character:Larry Windsor
Release Date:22/08/2020
Reg
Character:Man 2
Release Date:06/06/2016
The Nest Egg
Character:
Release Date:01/01/2016
The Sound of Music Live!
Character:Franz
Release Date:20/12/2015
First Encounter: King Lear
Character:King Lear
Release Date:01/06/2012
The Shadow in the North
Character:Paton
Release Date:15/09/2007
When Kim & Aggie Went To Hospital
Character:Self - Narrator (voice)
Release Date:30/08/2006
Marian, Again
Character:Phillip Walsh
Release Date:05/09/2005
The Key
Character:
Release Date:16/09/2003
Hornblower: Duty
Character:Matthews
Release Date:06/01/2003
Hornblower: Loyalty
Character:Matthews
Release Date:05/01/2003
The Many Lives of Albert Walker
Character:Danny Peck
Release Date:24/03/2002
Hornblower: Retribution
Character:Matthews
Release Date:15/04/2001
Hornblower: Mutiny
Character:Mathews
Release Date:08/04/2001
Blow Dry
Character:Ken
Release Date:01/03/2001
Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters
Character:Mathews
Release Date:02/04/1999
Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil
Character:Matthews
Release Date:24/02/1999
Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant
Character:Mathews
Release Date:18/11/1998
Hornblower: The Even Chance
Character:Matthews
Release Date:07/10/1998
Written in Blood
Character:Brian Chappel
Release Date:02/06/1998
Jude
Character:Mr. Willis
Release Date:06/02/1996
A Pinch of Snuff
Character:Charlie Heppelwhite
Release Date:09/04/1994
The Remains of the Day
Character:Harry Smith
Release Date:05/11/1993
How's Business
Character:Jack
Release Date:12/01/1991
Testimony of a Child
Character:Gerry
Release Date:05/07/1989
Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus
Character:Local Man
Release Date:17/09/1986
Silas Marner
Character:William Dane
Release Date:30/12/1985
Which Side Are You On?
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:08/04/1985
Bird Fancier
Character:Roy Pearson
Release Date:15/01/1985
Doll’s Eye
Character:Social Worker
Release Date:23/02/1983
Ends and Means
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1983
Ghost in the Water
Character:Mr. Reed
Release Date:31/12/1982
P.Q. 17
Character:PO Jordan
Release Date:15/12/1981
A Room for the Winter
Character:Robert
Release Date:03/11/1981
A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado
Character:Tom
Release Date:20/01/1981
Happy
Character:Vernon
Release Date:25/04/1980
Death of a Princess
Character:Steve Jackson
Release Date:09/04/1980
Cries from a Watchtower
Character:Andy
Release Date:18/10/1979
Black Jack
Character:Narrator
Release Date:09/09/1979
Zulu Dawn
Character:Cpl. Storey
Release Date:14/05/1979
On a Paving Stone Mounted
Character:
Release Date:12/12/1978
Travellers
Character:Young William/Middle William/Sales Rep
Release Date:09/10/1978
Mucking Out
Character:Brian Wilson
Release Date:06/05/1978
The Turkey Who Lives on the Hill
Character:Bill
Release Date:15/02/1978
Destiny
Character:Paul McShane
Release Date:31/01/1978
Some Enchanted Evening
Character:Peter
Release Date:05/01/1978
A Christmas Carol
Character:Fred (Scrooge's Nephew)
Release Date:24/12/1977
A Bridge Too Far
Character:Pvt. Wicks
Release Date:15/06/1977
Arnhem: The Story of an Escape
Character:Finnegan
Release Date:17/11/1976
Alfie Darling
Character:Bakey
Release Date:17/07/1975
Diane
Character:Jim
Release Date:09/07/1975
Father Dear Father
Character:Dumbo
Release Date:25/05/1973
Speech Day
Character:Woodwork Master
Release Date:26/03/1973
Television Appearances
Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks
Character:Narrator (voice)
DI Ray
Character:Terry Hunter
On the Edge
Character:Ray
Broken
Character:Joe Kerrigan
The Coroner
Character:John Roxwell
Code of a Killer
Character:Sidney Jeffreys
Inside No. 9
Character:Ernie
Father Brown
Character:Mr Feste
Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork
Character:Narrator
Last Tango in Halifax
Character:
Last Tango in Halifax
Character:Harry
White Heat
Character:Alan (present day)
Call the Midwife
Character:Tommy Smith
Vera
Character:Malcolm Kenrich
Downton Abbey
Character:Mr. Mason
Moving On
Character:Ronnie
Survivors
Character:Ted
Inspector George Gently
Character:
Kingdom
Character:Vincent Straker
Torchwood
Character:Clement McDonald
The Street
Character:
Johnny and the Bomb
Character:Sgt. Bourke
Life on Mars
Character:Reg Cole
Dead Man Weds
Character:Blind Man
No Angels
Character:
Shameless
Character:Norman Owens
New Tricks
Character:Pat the Rat
How Clean Is Your House?
Character:
How Clean Is Your House?
Character:Self - Narrator (voice)
Burn It
Character:Terry Grimshaw
The Afternoon Play
Character:Dave
The Royal
Character:Nesbitt
Nice Guy Eddie
Character:
Born and Bred
Character:Hubert Gough
Waking the Dead
Character:
Waking the Dead
Character:Clifford Day
Messiah
Character:Ian Fleet
Queer as Folk
Character:Roy Maloney
The Worst Witch
Character:Algernon Rowan-Webb
The Worst Witch
Character:Algernon Rowan Webb
Hornblower
Character:Matthews
The Lakes
Character:Peter Quinlan
Midsomer Murders
Character:Frank Dewar
This Life
Character:Jerry Cook
Dalziel & Pascoe
Character:
Silent Witness
Character:
Roughnecks
Character:Ian
Cracker
Character:Pathologist
Harry
Character:Thomas Thomas
Peak Practice
Character:Tim Shardlow
Peak Practice
Character:DS Patrick Hopkins
Heartbeat
Character:Dick Radcliffe
Heartbeat
Character:Herbie Lloyd
Heartbeat
Character:Malcolm Stainsby
Stay Lucky
Character:
The Paradise Club
Character:Mousey Pavitt
Young Charlie Chaplin
Character:Chimnery Sweep
Casualty
Character:Frederick Chambers
Casualty
Character:Mick McCarthur
Casualty
Character:Arthur
The Bright Side
Character:
The Bill
Character:
The Gathering Seed
Character:Bob Henshaw
Tenko
Character:POW
West End Tales
Character:Herbert
Minder
Character:Palmer
Treasure Island
Character:
BBC2 Play of the Week
Character:Finnegan
BBC2 Play of the Week
Character:Bill
Secret Army
Character:Eric Finch
Days of Hope
Character:Ben Matthews
Churchill's People
Character:Viventius
Playhouse
Character:Jim
Playhouse
Character:Vernon
Play for Today
Character:
Play for Today
Character:Andy
BBC Play of the Month
Character:
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