Jonathan Freeman (actor)

Last updated
Jonathan Freeman
Jonathan Freeman Photo Op GalaxyCon Richmond 2020.jpg
Freeman at the 2020 GalaxyCon Richmond
Born (1950-02-05) February 5, 1950 (age 75)
Alma mater Ohio University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Voice Actor
  • Puppeteer
Years active1972–present

Jonathan Freeman (born February 5, 1950) is an American actor and puppeteer. He is known for voicing Jafar in Disney's Aladdin franchise, as well as the Kingdom Hearts franchise and the 2011 Aladdin musical.

Contents

Early life

Freeman was born in Bay Village, Ohio on February 5, 1950. [1] He graduated from Ohio University. [1]

Career

As well as being the voice of Jafar in Aladdin , a role he once said he is called in to reprise every 3 to 6 months, [2] Freeman is also known for being the puppeteer for Tito Swing of the Jukebox Band (Flexitoon Puppets) on the PBS series Shining Time Station . Freeman reprised his role as Jafar in the Aladdin sequel The Return of Jafar and the Hercules crossover episode "Hercules and the Arabian Night".

In 1994, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in She Loves Me . Additionally, he appeared in the Broadway revival productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying , The Producers , On the Town , and 42nd Street , during which his caricature was drawn for Sardi's restaurant in 2002. [3]

Freeman can be heard on the 1997 Varèse Sarabande studio recording of the flop 1965 musical Drat! The Cat! .

He was also seen on stage as Cogsworth in Disney's Beauty and the Beast , and originated the role of Grimsby in Disney's Broadway production of The Little Mermaid . [4]

Freeman began his run starring as Admiral Boom and the Bank Chairman in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins on December 12, 2009. [5]

Freeman also reprised his role as Jafar in the musical adaptation of Aladdin , which played at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre from July 7–31, 2011. [6] [7] After nearly eight years with the show, Freeman played his final performance with the company on January 23, 2022. [8]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976 Let My Puppets Come Madame (Puppetry and Voice) and The ChauffeurSoftcore Pornographic film
1987 Forever, Lulu Don
1988 Homeboy Hotel Room Man
1990A Shock To The SystemDecorator
1992 Aladdin Jafar (voice) [9]
1994 The Return of Jafar Direct-to-video
1996 The Associate Hockey Game Executive
1997 The Ice Storm Ted Franklin
2001 Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse Jafar (voice)Direct-to-video
2002 Mickey's House of Villains [9]
2007 The Hoax Thick Voice (voice)
2011 Too Big to Fail Senator Richard ShelbyTelevision film
2016 Life, Animated Himself
2020 The High Note Martin
TBA Aladdin: The Broadway Musical JafarFilmed recording of 2019 West End musical

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1989K.I.D.S. TV NewsD.J. McCawUnknown episodes
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Waiter #2Episode: "Here's a Cute Way to Wrap up the Holiday Season"
1989–1995 Shining Time Station Tito Swing58 episodes
1990 Mathnet JoshuaEpisode: "The Case of the Unkidnapping"
Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift Tito SwingTelevision special
1995Aladdin on Ice Jafar (voice)Television special; uncredited
1996–1998 Remember WENN Rollie Pruitt6 episodes
1998 Hercules Jafar (voice)Episode: "Hercules and the Arabian Night"
2001–2003 House of Mouse 10 episodes
2002 Teamo Supremo Zomnambulist (voice)Episode: "Things That Go Bump in the Night!"
2005–2006 American Dragon: Jake Long Eli Excelsior Pandarus, Jack Frost (voice)3 episodes
2008 Gossip Girl ButlerEpisode: "The Ex-Files"
2006–2009 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Mr. Marty Krebs
Wallace Thayer
2 episodes
2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit BobbyEpisode: "Merchandise"
2011 Submissions Only Greg BonomelliEpisode: "The Miller/Hennigan Act"
2016 Elementary HolderEpisode: "How the Sausage Is Made"
2017Oh My Disney Show: "Watch a Disney Movie With ... Aladdin's Jonathan Freeman"HimselfS2, EP 34
2019 TODAY Episode: "Jonathan Freeman, Voice of Jafar, Reveals A Secret To Playing Aladdin Villain"
2022 Helluva Boss Paimon, Cash Buckzo (voice)Episode: "The Circus"

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994Aladdin Activity Center Jafar
2001 Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge
2002 Kingdom Hearts
2005 Kingdom Hearts II
2007 Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+
2010 Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
2023 Disney Speedstorm
Disney Dreamlight Valley

Web

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016 Broadway.com's Role Call: "Jonathan Freeman of Aladdin"Himself

Theme parks

YearTitleRoleNotes
1998 Fantasmic! JafarVoice

Theatre work

Broadway credits

Off Broadway credits

Regional/Stock credits

Soundtrack

YearArtist/WriterSongFilmRole
1989 Kevin Roth "Cosher Bailey's Engine"
"Camptown Races"
"Jesse James"
"Celito Lindo"
"No Business like Show Business"
"Polly Wolly Doodle"
"The Desperado"
"Home on the Range"
"Jamaican Farewell"
"Born on the Fourth of July"
Shining Time Station Tito Swing
1990Lydia Maria Child"'Tis A Gift" Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift
1992 Alan Menken & Howard Ashman "Prince Ali Reprise"
"Humiliate the Boy"
"Why Me?"
Aladdin Jafar
1994"You're Only Second Rate" The Return of Jafar
2001 Randy Petersen & Kevin Quinn"It's Our House Now" Mickey's House of Villains

References

  1. 1 2 Willis, John (1996). Theatre World 1993-1994. New York: Applause Theatre Book Publishers. p. 215. ISBN   9781557832351.
  2. "Inside the Magic podcast LIVE - Show 330 - July 31, 2011". Inside The Magic. July 31, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  3. "Jonathan Freeman Gets Hung Up at Sardi's". Playbill, Inc. April 11, 2002. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  4. "Lewis, Palmer, Scott, Burgess and More Will Join Boggess in Disney's Little Mermaid". Playbill, Inc. March 20, 2007. Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  5. "Tony Nominee Freeman Joins Broadway's MARY POPPINS". December 11, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  6. Jonathan Freeman Will Bring Jafar from Screen to Stage in Disney's Aladdin at 5th Avenue Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed Will Co-Star in Disney's Aladdin; Complete Cast Announced Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, Retrieved September 17, 2013
  8. "Dennis Stowe Will Succeed Original Aladdin Cast Member Jonathan Freeman on Broadway". January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Jonathan Freeman (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 7, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.