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.

Filmography

• 2025Big Winners — Arthur Thistle
• 2025Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale — Albert Mason
• Play for Today — Arthur Thistle
• Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks — Narrator (voice)
• 2023Ticker — Howard
• DI Ray — Terry Hunter
• 2022Downton Abbey: A New Era — Mason
• 2021The Infectious Imagination of Henry Bramble — Great Uncle Geoffrey
• 2020Enola Holmes — Station Master
• 2020Ropeless — Larry Windsor
• On the Edge — Ray
• Broken — Joe Kerrigan
• Trust Me — Arthur Hardacre
• 2016Reg — Man 2
• 2016The Nest Egg
• Code of a Killer — Sidney Jeffreys
• 2015The 12 Days of Christine — Ernie
• The Coroner — John Roxwell
• 2015The Sound of Music Live! — Franz
• Inside No. 9 — Ernie
• Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork — Narrator
• Father Brown — Mr Feste
• Call the Midwife — Tommy Smith
• 2012First Encounter: King Lear — King Lear
• Last Tango in Halifax — Harry
• White Heat — Alan (present day)
• Vera — Malcolm Kenrich
• Downton Abbey — Mr. Mason
• Moving On — Ronnie
• Inspector George Gently
• Survivors — Ted
• Kingdom — Vincent Straker
• 2007The Shadow in the North — Paton
• Johnny and the Bomb — Sgt. Bourke
• Life on Mars — Reg Cole
• The Street
• Torchwood — Clement McDonald
• Dead Man Weds — Blind Man
• 2005Marian, Again — Phillip Walsh
• New Tricks — Pat the Rat
• Shameless — Norman Owens
• Burn It — Terry Grimshaw
• 2003Hornblower: Duty — Matthews
• 2003Hornblower: Loyalty — Matthews
• The Afternoon Play — Dave
• 2003The Key
• The Royal — Nesbitt
• Born and Bred — Hubert Gough
• Nice Guy Eddie
• 2002The Many Lives of Albert Walker — Danny Peck
• 2001Blow Dry — Ken
• 2001Hornblower: Mutiny — Mathews
• 2001Hornblower: Retribution — Matthews
• Messiah — Ian Fleet
• Waking the Dead — Clifford Day
• 1999Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil — Matthews
• 1999Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters — Mathews
• Queer as Folk — Roy Maloney
• Hornblower — Matthews
• 1998Hornblower: The Even Chance — Matthews
• 1998Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant — Mathews
• The Worst Witch — Algernon Rowan-Webb, Algernon Rowan Webb
• 1998Written in Blood — Brian Chappel
• Midsomer Murders — Frank Dewar
• The Lakes — Peter Quinlan
• Dalziel and Pascoe — Jack Henslowe
• 1996Jude — Mr. Willis
• Silent Witness
• This Life — Jerry Cook
• 1994A Pinch of Snuff — Charlie Heppelwhite
• Roughnecks — Ian
• Cracker — Pathologist
• Harry — Thomas Thomas
• Peak Practice — Tim Shardlow, DS Patrick Hopkins
• 1993The Remains of the Day — Harry Smith
• Heartbeat — Dick Radcliffe, Herbie Lloyd, Malcolm Stainsby
• 1991How's Business — Jack
• Stay Lucky
• 1989Testimony of a Child — Gerry
• The Paradise Club — Mousey Pavitt
• Young Charlie Chaplin — Chimnery Sweep
• Gruey — Mr. Grucock
• Casualty — Frederick Chambers, Mick McCarthur, Arthur
• 1986Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus — Local Man
• 1985Bird Fancier — Roy Pearson
• 1985Silas Marner — William Dane
• The Bright Side
• 1985Which Side Are You On? — Narrator (voice)
• Big Deal — Max
• The Bill
• 1983Doll’s Eye — Social Worker
• 1983Ends and Means
• The Gathering Seed — Bob Henshaw
• 1982Ghost in the Water — Mr. Reed
• 1981A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado — Tom
• 1981A Room for the Winter — Robert
• 1981P.Q. 17 — PO Jordan
• Tenko — POW
• West End Tales — Herbert
• 1980Death of a Princess — Steve Jackson
• 1980Happy — Vernon
• After Julius — Dan
• 1979Black Jack — Narrator
• 1979Cries from a Watchtower — Andy
• Minder — Palmer
• 1979Pillion — Writer
• Turning Year Tales — Tim
• 1979Zulu Dawn — Cpl. Storey
• 1978Destiny — Paul McShane
• 1978Mucking Out — Brian Wilson
• 1978On a Paving Stone Mounted
• 1978Some Enchanted Evening — Peter
• Strangers — Des White
• 1978The Turkey Who Lives on the Hill — Bill
• 1978Travellers — Young William/Middle William/Sales Rep
• 1977A Bridge Too Far — Pvt. Wicks
• 1977A Christmas Carol — Fred (Scrooge's Nephew)
• BBC2 Play of the Week — Finnegan, Bill
• Premiere — Young William
• Secret Army — Eric Finch
• Treasure Island
• 1976Arnhem: The Story of an Escape — Finnegan
• 1976The Chester Mystery Plays
• 1976Trade Unions: Seven Days that Shook Young Jim — Tony
• 1975Alfie Darling — Bakey
• Days of Hope — Ben Matthews
• 1975Diane — Jim
• Trinity Tales — Dave the Joiner
• Churchill's People — Viventius
• Playhouse — Jim, Vernon
• 1973Father Dear Father — Dumbo
• Second City Firsts — Brian Wilson
• 1973Speech Day — Woodwork Master
• Play for Today — Andy
• ITV Playhouse — Peter
• BBC Play of the Month
• Dangerous Journey — Narrator

Appearances as themselves (2)

• 2006When Kim & Aggie Went To Hospital — Self - Narrator (voice)
• How Clean Is Your House? — Self - Narrator (voice)