BATES MOTEL - FREDDIE HIGHMORE as Norman Bates - Hand-Signed Autograph Card - AFH1

 

Alfred Thomas "Freddie" Highmore (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor. He made his acting debut in the comedy film Women Talking Dirty (1999), and has since starred in Finding Neverland (2004), Five Children and It (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Arthur and the Invisibles (2006), August Rush (2007), The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), Toast (2010), and The Art of Getting By (2011). He won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer in two consecutive years (2004–05).

Since 2013, Highmore has starred as Norman Bates in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel, for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. In 2017, he won a People's Choice Award for his work on the fourth season.

Highmore was born on 14 February 1992 in Camden Town, London, England, into a show business family. His mother, Sue Latimer, is a talent agent whose clients include actors Daniel Radcliffe and Imelda Staunton, and his father, Edward Highmore, is an actor. He has a younger brother named Albert "Bertie" Highmore, born in 1995. Highmore's home is in Highgate, an area of North London. Highmore was educated at a primary school in Hampstead Garden Suburb in Hampstead in North London, and at Highgate School, an independent school in Highgate, followed by Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he earned a Double First in Spanish and Arabic.

Highmore began his acting career with small roles on television at the age of 7. He made his film debut in Coky Giedroyc's comedy Women Talking Dirty (1999), playing the son of a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) who has recently become estranged from her commitment-phobic French lover. In 2001, Highmore played a young King Arthur in the TNT miniseries The Mists of Avalon, a revisionist take on the Arthurian legends that depicted the women of Camelot as the real power behind the throne.

In 2001, in the BBC miniseries Happy Birthday Shakespeare, he portrayed the son of a tour bus driver (Neil Morrissey) who dreams of moving his family to Stratford-upon-Avon, while his mum (Dervla Kirwan) becomes sick and tired of her husband's money making schemes. Highmore has acted alongside members of his family in two separate films; his brother Bertie played his brother in Women Talking Dirty, and his father Edward played his father in Hallmark Entertainment's television film Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (2001).

In 2004, Highmore returned to the big screen for the family adventure film Two Brothers, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. He played the son of a French administrator who refuses to believe that his new friend, a tiger cub, might be dangerous after having tasted blood. He next had a major role alongside Kenneth Branagh, Zoë Wanamaker and Eddie Izzard in the fantasy film Five Children and It (2004). That same year, Highmore made his breakthrough with a critically acclaimed performance as troubled Peter Llewelyn Davies in Marc Forster's semi-biographical film Finding Neverland. He received several awards and nominations for the role, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer, and nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

In 2005, he portrayed the main role of Charlie Bucket in the musical fantasy film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, adapted from the book of the same name by Roald Dahl. He was reportedly recommended by co-star Johnny Depp, with whom Highmore had worked in Finding Neverland; Depp had been impressed by the young actor's performance and thus put his name forward for the role. Highmore had not seen the original 1971 version of the film, and decided not to see it until he was done filming so his portrayal of Charlie would not be influenced. For his role, he again won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer and was awarded the Satellite Award for Outstanding New Talent. Highmore also lent his voice to the film's accompanying video game of the same name.

He next appeared as a young Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) in the comedy-drama film A Good Year, which was released in the UK on 27 October 2006. Also in 2006, he began portraying protagonist Arthur Montgomery in the live-action/animated fantasy adventure film Arthur and the Invisibles, released on 13 December 2006. Two sequels followed: Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (2009) and Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (2010). For the third film and the trilogy's accompanying video game, Highmore provided voice acting. In 2007, he lent his voice to the adventure fantasy film The Golden Compass (2007) and its video game of the same name. He then portrayed the title character in the drama film August Rush (2007), alongside Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Robin Williams. The story follows a musical prodigy as he searches for his birth parents. This film received a wide release on 21 November 2007.

Highmore next starred in the dual role of American twins Simon and Jared Grace, alongside Sarah Bolger as their sister Mallory, in the fantasy adventure film The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), based on the popular children's stories of the same name by Tony DiTerlizzi. The film also had a video game, The Spiderwick Chronicles, in which Highmore reprised the characters of Simon and Jared in a voice role. That same year, he provided voice acting for the role of Little Jack in the animated film A Fox's Tale (2008). In 2009, Highmore voiced the lead character in the animated film Astro Boy, and provided his voice to its accompanying video game, Astro Boy: The Video Game. He then played the main role in Toast, a BBC autobiographical film about chef Nigel Slater, which was aired on 30 December 2010. The miniseries marked the third time Highmore has worked with Helena Bonham Carter. Also in 2010, he starred as Hally Ballard, opposite Ving Rhames, in the drama film Master Harold...and the Boys, based on the play of the same name by Athol Fugard. The following year, he co-starred alongside Emma Roberts in the romantic comedy-drama The Art of Getting By (2011).

In 2013, Highmore voiced the title character in the animated adventure film Justin and the Knights of Valour, released on 13 September 2013 in the UK and Ireland. Since 2013, he has portrayed the iconic role of Norman Bates, alongside Vera Farmiga as his mother Norma, in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel, a prequel to the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho that restarts the storyline in the present day. The series premiered on 18 March 2013. Highmore won a People's Choice Award (2016) for his performance, and has received nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television (2013), Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama (2013), and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2014–2015). He also wrote the fourth season episode titled "Unfaithful", and will write and direct one episode of the fifth and final season of the series. In August 2014, it was reported that Highmore and Bates Motel executive producer Kerry Ehrin had written a comedy pilot script that was purchased by NBC. However, the project was not picked up to series.

In 2015, he starred in the Libertines' music video for their single "You're My Waterloo", alongside actress Marama Corlett. In 2016, Highmore starred in Stephen Poliakoff's BBC Two seven-part miniseries Close to the Enemy, the coming-of-age comedy-drama film Holding Patterns, and Nick Hamm's political comedy-drama film The Journey. He has been cast to voice the Duke of Cheshire in the upcoming animated adaptation of The Canterville Ghost. In December 2016, it was announced that he will portray the title character Baby Face Nelson in an upcoming A&E drama pilot Baby Face, which he co-wrote and will executive produce with Kerry Ehrin.

INFORMATION ABOUT “BATES MOTEL” the TV series:

Bates Motel is an American psychological horror drama television series that aired from March 18, 2013 to April 24, 2017. It was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano, and is produced by Universal Television and American Genre for the cable network A&E.

The series, a contemporary prequel and reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho (based on Robert Bloch's novel of the same name), depicts the lives of Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) prior to the events portrayed in the film, albeit in a different fictional town (White Pine Bay, Oregon, as opposed to the film's Fairvale, California) and in a modern-day setting] Max Thieriot and Olivia Cooke both starred as part of the main cast throughout the series' run. After recurring heavily in the first season, Nestor Carbonell was added to the main cast from season two onward.

The series begins in Arizona with the death of Norma's husband, after which Norma purchases the Seafairer motel located in a coastal Oregon town so that she and Norman can start a new life. Subsequent seasons follow Norman as his mental illness becomes dangerous, and Norma as she struggles to protect her son, and those around him, from himself. Bates Motel's storylines ignore the timeline of the original film's sequels and give alternate versions of many of the characters and events in the original film. The series was filmed outside Vancouver in Aldergrove, British Columbia, along with other locations within the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.

A&E chose to skip a pilot of the series, opting to go straight-to-series by ordering a 10-episode first season. On June 15, 2015, the series was renewed for a fourth and fifth season, making Bates Motel A&E's longest-running original scripted drama series in the channel's history. The series' lead actors, Farmiga and Highmore, received particular praise for their performances in the series, with the former receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and winning a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television. Bates Motel also won three People's Choice Awards for Favorite Cable TV Drama, and for Favorite Cable TV Actress (Farmiga) and Actor (Highmore).

Series overview

Season

Episodes

Originally aired

First aired

Last aired


1

10

March 18, 2013

May 20, 2013


2

10

March 3, 2014

May 5, 2014


3

10

March 9, 2015

May 11, 2015


4

10

March 7, 2016

May 16, 2016


5

10

February 20, 2017

April 24, 2017

Season 1

The first season follows Norma and Norman Bates as they buy a motel after Norman's father dies. On one of the first nights of the two owning the motel, the former owner breaks in and sexually assaults Norma. Norman knocks the attacker out, and Norma stabs him to death. She decides it's best not to call the police and to cover up the murder. She and Norman dispose of the body. He complicates the cover-up by keeping a belt that belonged to the victim. When the town sheriff and his deputy notice that a man has gone missing, Norma and Norman must keep them from digging too far.

Season 2

The second season follows the aftermath of Norman's teacher's murder, as her mysterious past comes to light. Meanwhile, Norma finds herself making dangerous decisions in order to keep the motel running and preventing the impending bypass. Bradley's search for her father's killer leads to the extremes, and Dylan learns the disturbing truth about his parentage.

Season 3

The third season focuses on Norman's waning deniability about what's happening to him, and the lengths he will go to gain control of his fragile psyche. The dramatic events of last season leave Norma more aware of her son's mental fragility and fearful of what he is capable of. Meanwhile, Sheriff Romero begins to distance himself from the Bates family after he suspects Norma is lying to him about her husband's death.

Season 4

The fourth season follows Norma as she becomes increasingly fearful of Norman, going to great lengths to find him the professional help he needs. This complicates their once unbreakable trust as Norman struggles to maintain his grip on reality. Meanwhile, Sheriff Romero once again finds himself drawn into Norma and Norman's lives.

Season 5

The fifth season begins two years after the death of Norma. Publicly happy and well-adjusted, Norman struggles at home, where his blackouts are increasing and "Mother" threatens to take him over completely. Meanwhile, Dylan and Emma find themselves drawn back into Norman's world, and Romero hungers for revenge against his stepson.

Cast and characters

    • Vera Farmiga as Norma Louise Bates

    • Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates

    • Max Thieriot as Dylan Massett

    • Olivia Cooke as Emma Decody

    • Nicola Peltz as Bradley Martin (main seasons 1–2; recurring season 3)

    • Nestor Carbonell as Sheriff Alex Romero (recurring season 1; main seasons 2–5)

    • Kenny Johnson as Caleb Calhoun (recurring seasons 2 and 5; main season 3; guest season 4)

Bates Motel is an American psychological horror drama television series that aired from March 18, 2013 to April 24, 2017. It was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano, and is produced by Universal Television and American Genre for the cable network A&E.

The series, a contemporary prequel and reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho (based on Robert Bloch's novel of the same name), depicts the lives of Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) prior to the events portrayed in the film, albeit in a different fictional town (White Pine Bay, Oregon, as opposed to the film's Fairvale, California) and in a modern-day setting.  Max Thieriot and Olivia Cooke both starred as part of the main cast throughout the series' run. After recurring heavily in the first season, Nestor Carbonell was added to the main cast from season two onward.

The series begins in Arizona with the death of Norma's husband, after which Norma purchases the Seafairer motel located in a coastal Oregon town so that she and Norman can start a new life. Subsequent seasons follow Norman as his mental illness becomes dangerous, and Norma as she struggles to protect her son, and those around him, from himself. Bates Motel's storylines ignore the timeline of the original film's sequels and give alternate versions of many of the characters and events in the original film. The series was filmed outside Vancouver in Aldergrove, British Columbia, along with other locations within the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.

A&E chose to skip a pilot of the series, opting to go straight-to-series by ordering a 10-episode first season. On June 15, 2015, the series was renewed for a fourth and fifth season, making Bates Motel A&E's longest-running original scripted drama series in the channel's history. The series' lead actors, Farmiga and Highmore, received particular praise for their performances in the series, with the former receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and winning a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television. Bates Motel also won three People's Choice Awards for Favorite Cable TV Drama, and for Favorite Cable TV Actress (Farmiga) and Actor (Highmore).

Series overview

Season

Episodes

Originally aired

First aired

Last aired


1

10

March 18, 2013

May 20, 2013


2

10

March 3, 2014

May 5, 2014


3

10

March 9, 2015

May 11, 2015


4

10

March 7, 2016

May 16, 2016


5

10

February 20, 2017

April 24, 2017

Season 1

The first season follows Norma and Norman Bates as they buy a motel after Norman's father dies. On one of the first nights of the two owning the motel, the former owner breaks in and sexually assaults Norma. Norman knocks the attacker out, and Norma stabs him to death. She decides it's best not to call the police and to cover up the murder. She and Norman dispose of the body. He complicates the cover-up by keeping a belt that belonged to the victim. When the town sheriff and his deputy notice that a man has gone missing, Norma and Norman must keep them from digging too far.

Season 2

The second season follows the aftermath of Norman's teacher's murder, as her mysterious past comes to light. Meanwhile, Norma finds herself making dangerous decisions in order to keep the motel running and preventing the impending bypass. Bradley's search for her father's killer leads to the extremes, and Dylan learns the disturbing truth about his parentage.

Season 3

The third season focuses on Norman's waning deniability about what's happening to him, and the lengths he will go to gain control of his fragile psyche. The dramatic events of last season leave Norma more aware of her son's mental fragility and fearful of what he is capable of. Meanwhile, Sheriff Romero begins to distance himself from the Bates family after he suspects Norma is lying to him about her husband's death.

Season 4

The fourth season follows Norma as she becomes increasingly fearful of Norman, going to great lengths to find him the professional help he needs. This complicates their once unbreakable trust as Norman struggles to maintain his grip on reality. Meanwhile, Sheriff Romero once again finds himself drawn into Norma and Norman's lives.

Season 5

The fifth season begins two years after the death of Norma. Publicly happy and well-adjusted, Norman struggles at home, where his blackouts are increasing and "Mother" threatens to take him over completely. Meanwhile, Dylan and Emma find themselves drawn back into Norman's world, and Romero hungers for revenge against his stepson.

Cast and characters

    • Vera Farmiga as Norma Louise Bates

    • Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates

    • Max Thieriot as Dylan Massett

    • Olivia Cooke as Emma Decody

    • Nicola Peltz as Bradley Martin (main seasons 1–2; recurring season 3)

    • Nestor Carbonell as Sheriff Alex Romero (recurring season 1; main seasons 2–5)

    • Kenny Johnson as Caleb Calhoun (recurring seasons 2 and 5; main season 3; guest season 4)