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American actor and puppeteer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jonathan Freeman (born February 5, 1950) is an American actor and singer. He is known for voicing Jafar in Disney's Aladdin franchise, as well as the Kingdom Hearts franchise and the 2011 Aladdin musical.
Jonathan Freeman | |
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Born | Bay Village, Ohio, U.S. | February 5, 1950
Alma mater | Ohio University |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1972–present |
Freeman was born in Bay Village, Ohio on February 5, 1950. He graduated from Ohio University.
As well as being the voice of Jafar in Aladdin, a role he once said he's called in to reprise every 3 to 6 months,[1] 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 direct-to-video sequel to Aladdin, The Return of Jafar.
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.[2]
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.[3]
Freeman reprised his role as Jafar in the Hercules crossover with Aladdin.
Freeman began his run starring as Admiral Boom and the Bank Chairman in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins on December 12, 2009.[4]
Freeman also reprised his role as Jafar on stage in the new musical adaptation of Aladdin, which played at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre from July 7–31, 2011.[5] He reprised the role in the Broadway production, which opened in March 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre,[6] and he is the only actor from the original cast of the animated film to do so. Also, he reprised the role in the special West End performance was filmed shot on location at the London's Prince Edward Theatre on August 31, 2019. After nearly eight years with the show, Freeman played his final performance with the company on January 23, 2022.[7]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Let My Puppets Come | Madame (Puppetry and Voice) and The Chauffeur | Softcore Pornographic film |
1987 | Forever, Lulu | Don | |
1988 | Homeboy | Hotel Room Man | |
1990 | A Shock To The System | Decorator | |
1992 | Aladdin | Jafar (voice) | |
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 | ||
2007 | The Hoax | Thick Voice (voice) | |
2011 | Too Big to Fail | Senator Richard Shelby | TV film |
2016 | Life, Animated | Himself | |
2020 | The High Note | Martin | |
TBA | Aladdin: The Broadway Musical | Jafar | Filmed recording of 2019 West End musical |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | K.I.D.S. TV News | D.J. McCaw | Unknown episodes |
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Waiter #2 | Episode: "Here's a Cute Way to Wrap up the Holiday Season" | |
1989–1995 | Shining Time Station | Tito Swing | 58 episodes |
1990 | Mathnet | Joshua | Episode: "The Case of the Unkidnapping" |
Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift | Tito Swing | (TV special) | |
1995 | Aladdin on Ice | Jafar (voice) | (TV special) (uncredited) |
1996–1998 | Remember WENN | Rollie Pruitt | Episodes: "Christmas in the Airwaves" "Who's Scott Sherwood?" "The New Actor" "The Importance of Being Betty" "Happy Homecomings" "Some Time, Some Station" |
1998 | Hercules | Jafar (voice) | Episode: "Hercules and the Arabian Night" |
2001–2003 | House of Mouse | Episodes: "The Stolen Cartoons" "Donald's Lamp Trade" "Max's Embarrassing Date" "Where's Minnie?" "Donald and the Aracuan Bird" "House of Crime" "House of Magic" "Pete's House of Villains" "Pete's Christmas Caper" "Halloween with Hades" | |
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) | Episodes: "The Heist" "Eye of the Beholder" "A Befuddled Mind" |
2008 | Gossip Girl | Butler | Episode: "The Ex-Files" |
2006–2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Mr. Marty Krebs Wallace Thayer | Episodes: "Identity Crisis" "The Healer" |
2010 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Bobby | Episode: "Merchandise" |
2011 | Submissions Only | Greg Bonomelli | Episode: "The Miller/Hennigan Act" |
2016 | Elementary | Holder | Episode: "How the Sausage Is Made" |
2017 | Oh My Disney Show: "Watch a Disney Movie With ... Aladdin's Jonathan Freeman" | Himself | S2, EP 34 |
2019 | TODAY | "Jonathan Freeman, Voice of Jafar, Reveals A Secret To Playing Aladdin Villain" | |
2022 | Helluva Boss | Paimon and Cash Buckzo (voice) | Episode: "The Circus" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Aladdin 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 |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Broadway.com's Role Call: "Jonathan Freeman of Aladdin" | Himself |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Fantasmic! | Jafar | Voice |
Year | Artist/Writer | Song | Film | Role |
---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
1990 | Lydia 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 |
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