Peaky Blinders, the hit BBC crime drama set in Birmingham in 1919, has brought both popularity and notoriety to the show’s cast members. But little has been said about Freddie Thorne (portrayed by Iddo Goldberg), the character who played an integral role in shaping the direction of the show’s first season. How did his fate affect Thomas Shelby’s actions? The Rise and Fall of Freddie Thorne on Peaky Blinders
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An Actor Sets Sights On A Role
We often think about careers in show business as something that happens over time, almost like a natural progression. But for actors, there’s often much more strategic thinking at play when it comes to selecting which role to pursue next. Iddo Goldberg says he initially planned on focusing his career in theater before his wife convinced him to pursue screen work full-time. Now, more than 10 years later, Goldberg is one of Britain’s most recognizable character actors—and one of its busiest.
Putting it All On the Line
Of course, Iddo Goldberg is probably best known for his role as charismatic soldier David in one of Britain’s most successful TV dramas, but he was also part of another major success – ‘Peaky Blinders’. In a way that seems like rather poor timing, given how audiences had already spent several weeks watching Freddie Thorne’s character develop through six episodes, he was killed off in a dramatic episode which aired right before Christmas.
It wasn’t just at Christmas when people were shocked by events either – as soon as it happened viewers went online to say they couldn’t believe what they had just watched. But while they may have been upset at first, most people seemed to come around after thinking about it more deeply.
Getting Away With It
Upon his return from WWI, Freddie became a member of Birmingham’s ruling class. This provided him with certain privileges, like personal protection (which he exploited for blackmail), access to information about government contracts and grants, as well as weapons dealing. But we also see Freddie engaged in activities that were slightly beneath him. Like hiring a prostitute to seduce an MP so he could film them having sex without their knowledge and thus obtain political secrets he could sell to rivals or use to blackmail them later.
Things Take a Turn for the Worse
Peaky Blinders is a tough watch. It’s not just that it shows human beings at their worst (no, thank you), but also that it shows what we are capable of without remorse. That’s why when Freddie Thorne appears in series four as an old soldier returning to Birmingham after fighting in WWI, viewers should have been rooting for him from day one. Instead, he became the villain who had everything – ruining all those around him with his selfishness and greed until he was left alone with no one…and no possessions to his name.
Back From the Brink
The creator of Peaky Blinders has given fans a peek into what may have happened to one character between seasons 3 and 4. According to executive producer Caryn Mandabach, who spoke with BBC One, stars Tom Hardy (John Shelby) and Paul Anderson (Arthur Shelby) may return for season 5 in order to give closure to characters they portrayed in previous seasons.
We’re working with [Tom] – that’s part of conversations we had before Season 4 started, she said. Particularly with Paul [Anderson], we were like ‘we want him back’ so hopefully he’ll come back for a little bit.
Giving Up Acting To Return Home
Iddo Goldberg decided to give up his acting career in Hollywood to take care of his parents who were living in Israel. They needed me. My mom was an elderly lady, my dad had Alzheimer’s, my sister lived abroad. I wanted to see if I could make money as a writer in Israel, he said. But when he returned home, things didn’t go as expected: I was dreaming about everything from writing scripts to making documentaries. In reality, however, he couldn’t find any work and went bankrupt within six months. Desperate for a job so that he wouldn’t have to ask for financial help from his family once again, Goldberg decided to give acting another shot even though it meant taking a pay cut.
His Final Interview Before He Died
Iddo Goldberg, who plays gangster Freddie Thorne in Peaky Blinders, talks about his part in series four’s pivotal moment. In conversation with writer Sasha B. Gekman: SG: How did you become involved with Peaky Blinders? IG: I auditioned for it about a year before we started shooting—I had no idea what it was at that point; I hadn’t seen any of them. And then I got a call from my agent saying they wanted to offer me a role called Freddie (I didn’t know what it was). So then, over that year, between auditions, I watched all three series—that’s how long it took them to make their mind up!
Why did they get rid of Freddie Thorne?
Have you been watching Peaky Blinders? If not, I highly recommend it. It is a British crime series set in Birmingham just after World War I that stars Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, head of an Irish family who goes into organized crime after returning from war. In season 2 there was a new character introduced named Freddie Thorne. The show has been described as a slow burn and I love that aspect because it builds suspense over time to keep viewers engaged until big plot points come along at just the right moment. What really makes me love Peaky Blinders is how beautifully they portray Birmingham life during that time period—the clothing, speech, politics, and music are all authentic.
Why is Iddo called Goldberg?
The name was suggested by his brother, Adam Goldberg, a professional musician himself. I called him Goldberg when we were kids because he had a lot of gold teeth, said Adam. I was like ‘Look at that! Gold teeth!’ So he said to me ‘If you call me that one more time I will kick your ass from here to kingdom come.’ When we started making music together I had to call him something so I came up with ‘Goldie’. Then one day we were in my kitchen and my wife asked ‘What does it mean?’ And I told her and she was like ‘You are never calling him that again!’ So when I called her from work he answered as Iddo, my son’s friend’s name.
How old is Iddo Goldberg? The Rise and Fall of Freddie Thorne on Peaky Blinders
Iddo Goldberg age is 37. But, in fact, his character Freddie was 29 years old on Peaky Blinders , Season 3. In season 1 he was a soldier in WWI so that makes him roughly 27-28. The last we see of him is before Tommy goes off to fight in WWI so it can be assumed he’s around 26-27. So really Iddo Goldberg ages 7 years for his role as Freddie. The more you know…(;
Was Freddie Thorne real?
No, he wasn’t. The character was entirely fictional, created by novelist Irvine Welsh and adapted for television by Steven Knight (who also co-created Tom Hardy’s mysterious crime lord, Alfie Solomons). However, there was a real Charlie Kray. He was the youngest brother in a gangster family from London who were collectively known as the Firm—in an unfortunate bit of symmetry, their name sounds remarkably similar to Peaky Blinder. This group included both brothers Ronnie (1933–1995) and Reggie (1933–1995) as well as their sister Carol (born 1946), who later turned Queen’s evidence against her brothers after surviving three gunshot wounds in 1983.
