Acting · Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, England, UK · Born November 25, 1944
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.
MovieBig Winners
2025
as Arthur Thistle
TVPlay for Today
2025
as Arthur Thistle
MovieDownton Abbey: The Grand Finale
2025
as Albert Mason
TVRose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks
2025
as Narrator (voice)
MovieTicker
2023
as Howard
TVDI Ray
2022
as Terry Hunter
MovieDownton Abbey: A New Era
2022
as Mason
MovieThe Infectious Imagination of Henry Bramble
2021
as Great Uncle Geoffrey
MovieEnola Holmes
2020
as Station Master
MovieRopeless
2020
as Larry Windsor
TVOn the Edge
2018
as Ray
TVTrust Me
2017
as Arthur Hardacre
TVBroken
2017
as Joe Kerrigan
MovieReg
2016
as Man 2
MovieThe Nest Egg
2016
MovieThe Sound of Music Live!
2015
as Franz
TVThe Coroner
2015
as John Roxwell
TVCode of a Killer
2015
as Sidney Jeffreys
MovieThe 12 Days of Christine
2015
as Ernie
TVInside No. 9
2014
as Ernie
TVFather Brown
2013
as Mr Feste
TVCarved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork
2013
as Narrator
TVLast Tango in Halifax
2012
MovieFirst Encounter: King Lear
2012
as King Lear
TVWhite Heat
2012
as Alan (present day)
TVCall the Midwife
2012
as Tommy Smith
TVVera
2011
as Malcolm Kenrich
TVDownton Abbey
2010
as Mr. Mason
TVMoving On
2009
as Ronnie
TVSurvivors
2008
as Ted
TVInspector George Gently
2008
MovieThe Shadow in the North
2007
as Paton
TVKingdom
2007
as Vincent Straker
TVTorchwood
2006
as Clement McDonald
MovieWhen Kim & Aggie Went To Hospital
2006
as Self - Narrator (voice)
TVThe Street
2006
TVJohnny and the Bomb
2006
as Sgt. Bourke
TVLife on Mars
2006
as Reg Cole
MovieMarian, Again
2005
as Phillip Walsh
TVDead Man Weds
2005
as Blind Man
TVShameless
2004
as Norman Owens
TVNew Tricks
2004
as Pat the Rat
MovieThe Key
2003
TVHow Clean Is Your House?
2003
TVBurn It
2003
as Terry Grimshaw
TVThe Afternoon Play
2003
as Dave
TVThe Royal
2003
as Nesbitt
MovieHornblower: Duty
2003
as Matthews
MovieHornblower: Loyalty
2003
as Matthews
Nice Guy Eddie
2002
TVBorn and Bred
2002
as Hubert Gough
MovieThe Many Lives of Albert Walker
2002
as Danny Peck
TVWaking the Dead
2001
TVMessiah
2001
as Ian Fleet
MovieHornblower: Retribution
2001
as Matthews
MovieHornblower: Mutiny
2001
as Mathews
MovieBlow Dry
2001
as Ken
MovieHornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters
1999
as Mathews
MovieHornblower: The Duchess and the Devil
1999
as Matthews
TVQueer as Folk
1999
as Roy Maloney
MovieHornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant
1998
as Mathews
TVThe Worst Witch
1998
as Algernon Rowan-Webb
MovieHornblower: The Even Chance
1998
as Matthews
TVHornblower
1998
as Matthews
MovieWritten in Blood
1998
as Brian Chappel
TVThe Lakes
1997
as Peter Quinlan
TVMidsomer Murders
1997
as Frank Dewar
TVThis Life
1996
as Jerry Cook
TVSilent Witness
1996
MovieJude
1996
as Mr. Willis
TVRoughnecks
1994
as Ian
MovieA Pinch of Snuff
1994
as Charlie Heppelwhite
MovieThe Remains of the Day
1993
as Harry Smith
TVCracker
1993
as Pathologist
Harry
1993
as Thomas Thomas
TVPeak Practice
1993
as Tim Shardlow
TVHeartbeat
1992
as Dick Radcliffe
How's Business
1991
as Jack
TVStay Lucky
1989
TVThe Paradise Club
1989
as Mousey Pavitt
MovieTestimony of a Child
1989
as Gerry
TVYoung Charlie Chaplin
1989
as Chimnery Sweep
MovieTheban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus
1986
as Local Man
TVCasualty
1986
as Frederick Chambers
MovieSilas Marner
1985
as William Dane
The Bright Side
1985
MovieWhich Side Are You On?
1985
as Narrator (voice)
MovieBird Fancier
1985
as Roy Pearson
TVThe Bill
1984
TVBig Deal
1984
as Max
TVThe Gathering Seed
1983
as Bob Henshaw
MovieDoll’s Eye
1983
as Social Worker
Ends and Means
1983
MovieGhost in the Water
1982
as Mr. Reed
MovieP.Q. 17
1981
as PO Jordan
A Room for the Winter
1981
as Robert
TVTenko
1981
as POW
West End Tales
1981
as Herbert
MovieA Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado
1981
as Tom
MovieHappy
1980
as Vernon
MovieDeath of a Princess
1980
as Steve Jackson
TVMinder
1979
as Palmer
MovieCries from a Watchtower
1979
as Andy
MovieBlack Jack
1979
as Narrator
Turning Year Tales
1979
as Tim
MovieZulu Dawn
1979
as Cpl. Storey
After Julius
1979
as Dan
MovieOn a Paving Stone Mounted
1978
MovieTravellers
1978
as Young William/Middle William/Sales Rep
TVStrangers
1978
as Des White
MovieMucking Out
1978
as Brian Wilson
MovieThe Turkey Who Lives on the Hill
1978
as Bill
MovieDestiny
1978
as Paul McShane
Some Enchanted Evening
1978
as Peter
MovieA Christmas Carol
1977
as Fred (Scrooge's Nephew)
TVTreasure Island
1977
Premiere
1977
as Young William
TVBBC2 Play of the Week
1977
as Finnegan
TVSecret Army
1977
as Eric Finch
MovieA Bridge Too Far
1977
as Pvt. Wicks
MovieArnhem: The Story of an Escape
1976
as Finnegan
MovieThe Chester Mystery Plays
1976
TVTrinity Tales
1975
as Dave the Joiner
TVDays of Hope
1975
as Ben Matthews
MovieAlfie Darling
1975
as Bakey
MovieDiane
1975
as Jim
TVChurchill's People
1974
as Viventius
TVPlayhouse
1974
as Jim
Second City Firsts
1973
as Brian Wilson
MovieFather Dear Father
1973
as Dumbo
MovieSpeech Day
1973
as Woodwork Master
TVPlay for Today
1970
TVITV Playhouse
1967
as Peter
TVBBC Play of the Month
1965
MovieDangerous Journey
as Narrator
