Freddie Highmore is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most successful young talents.
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Highmore first graced the screen in 1999 at 7 years old, and he has not slowed down ever since.
He burst onto the acting scene in a series of children’s and fantasy roles, with some heavy-hitting dramas mixed in as well. He soon added voice work to his resume before landing two TV roles beloved by millions. That success has now freed him to tackle all types of projects, including one surprising comedic turn.
Scroll through to revisit some of Highmore’s most memorable and beloved roles.
Dr. Shaun Murphy (‘The Good Doctor’)
Highmore’s current television role is one of his best to date.
The actor’s the lead character in the ABC medical drama The Good Doctor, Dr. Shaun Murphy. Shaun is an autistic surgical resident who is also a savant. He is absolutely brilliant, but his daily struggle to understand human behavior puts him in sometimes dicey situations and forces him to makes strange decisions that sometimes save lives.
Norman Bates (‘Bates Motel’)
Anthony Perkins is immortalized as Norman Bates thanks to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, but Highmore’s turn as the insane serial killer fared bounds better than Vince Vaughn’s attempt in 1998’s Psycho shot-for-shot remake.
Highmore portrayed Norman for five seasons on the A&E drama Bates Motel, a modern prequel/adaptation of Psycho.
His nuanced performance of a teenager desperate to fit in, find love and protect his mother while battling psychotic breakdowns took on a new life to the character that most did not expect him to provide.
Charlie Bucket (‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’)
Tim Burton’s 2005 re-imagining of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a controversial film for many, but Highmore is a high-point of the production.
He plays the title character, Charlie Bucket, as he is taken on a wild and whimsical chocolate factory tour by Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka. His performance, which was released when he was only 13 years old, brings a innocent moral center to the whole tale, regardless of its controversial creative decisions.
Evan Taylor (‘August Rush’)
August Rush is an oft-forgotten musical gem that features another solid child performance from Highmore.
He once again takes on a title character role as Evan Taylor, also known as “August Rush,” Evan is a young orphan who is a remarkably skilled musician.
As he slowly amasses a following on the streets, his biological parents’ story is told in flashbacks, with audiences’ holding out hopes his newfound fame to bring them all back together.
Jared and Simon Grace (‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’)
The Spiderwick Chronicles saw Highmore take another turn into the fantasy genre with a twist.
The movie, based on Holly Black’s book series of the same name, saw Highmore star as two characters, twins Jared and Simon Grace. The boys move to a creepy mansion and discover a chest with notes about the existence of magical creatures one could only imagine.
However, they soon discover that the notes they found were far more real than they realized.
Arthur Montgomery (‘Arthur and the Invisibles’)
Another big moment for Highmore’s career came in 2006’s Arthur and the Invisibles.
This saw the young star lend his voice to a a major animated character for the first time. The film, in which he appeared as the title character, sees him voice a young boy whisked away on a journey filled with fantastical creatures.
He also reprised the role in 2009’s Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard and 2010’s Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds.
Toby Tenma / Astro Boy (‘Astro Boy’)
While this voice role was far less successful, it saw Highmore embody an iconic manga character.
Highmore voiced Osamu Tezuka’s beloved creation when it made its major film debut in 2009’s Astro Boy. He voiced both the titular robotic creation and the ill-fated young boy he was modelled after.
Adrian Baton (‘Tour de Pharmacy’)
The final selection on this lists is one of Highmore’s most unexpected turns.
The actor starred in a supporting role in the HBO cycling farce Tour de Pharmacy. He plays Adrian, a French woman who enters the Tour de France using a drawn-on mustache as her disguise.
It is a goofy, hilarious project that is a far cry away from his more recent dramatic turns on The Good Doctor and Bates Motel.
Photo Credit: ABC / Bob D’Amico
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