Photo Source: Jamie Painter Young
Plenty of actors get stopped and praised, but there is something unique about the way people react to Noble. Perhaps it's because the show that has made him a star after decades in the business is "Fringe," a sci-fi program on Fox that may not burn up the ratings but has a fervent and loyal fan base. Or maybe it has something to do with his character, Dr. Walter Bishop, a lovable and frequently befuddled mad scientist who has literally crossed universes to rescue his son Peter, played by Joshua Jackson.
From the beginning, critical praise has been heaped on Noble for his complex, often hilarious portrayal of Walter, with Emmy buzz growing every year. Thus far, a nomination has eluded the actor, but it's impossible to imagine voters ignoring his work in the show's third season. No actor on television has demonstrated the range Noble has shown in the last year; due to the alternate universes and timelines shown on "Fringe," Noble played more than just Walter. He also played Walter in an alternate universe (aka "Walternate"), younger versions of both Walters, versions of both Walters 15 years in the future, and even an animated version of Walter. "That's right," Noble nods when this is pointed out to him. "I got to play seven Walters. What a gift."
Noble didn't set out to be an actor; growing up in Port Pirie, South Australia, he never considered that performing could be a profession. "I thought actors were all Americans or English people who moved to L.A.," he says. But while Noble was a university student, a friend encouraged him to take a drama class as an elective. "The man teaching it said, 'You have a remarkable voice. We're putting together a little piece, would you do it?' " Noble recalls. "I can't remember the name, but it was a Greek tragedy and I was playing the chorus. And I fell for it."
Noble moved to Adelaide, where he found there was plenty of work in nonprofessional theater. "It was amazing, creative work in small theaters," he says. "I still regard it as some of the best work I've ever done." As the professional theater scene began to build, Noble became more and more involved and eventually spent 10 years as the artistic director of the Stage Company of South Australia, which he co-founded. At age 40, he decided to take the leap into film and television. It wasn't an easy transition. "I very quickly went from a big fish in a small pond to being a minnow in this massive pond where nobody knew me and all the men of my age were quite established actors," he admits. "It was so difficult. I didn't know how I would ever get a job. Whenever I'd go for an audition, there would be all these blokes who had been doing television for 20 years."
Noble had been asked to give lectures at universities before, so one day he sat down to write down everything he knew about acting. "Fifteen pages later, I was like, 'That's not bad. I didn't know I knew all that!' " he recalls. "I took that and put it into a teaching journal and used some educational techniques I'd learned, and suddenly this thing happened." For the next four years, he made a living as a teacher. "It became successful for me and truly rewarding," he says. "I love it and I still love it and do it whenever I can."
Film and TV came along, mostly guest spots on series and small parts in Australian films. In 2003, Noble made a strong impression as the arrogant and destructive Denethor, who attempts to commit suicide by lighting himself and his son on fire, in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Roles in American movies like "Fracture" and "Running Scared" followed. But "Fringe" gave him a whole new career.
His daughter, actor Samantha Noble, first alerted him to the new show from "Lost" and "Alias" creator J.J. Abrams. "She was in L.A. and she said, 'Dad, there's a role I've heard about that is just for you,' " Noble recalls. "So I rang up my manager and asked, and they made a call and said, 'They don't want to see you; you're too young.'" About a month later, he was asked to put himself on tape. Noble rented a little studio and auditioned with what ended up being Walter's first scene in the pilot—where he is first found after being locked away in a mental institution for 17 years. "Two days later, I heard they wanted me."
In person, Noble looks much younger and spryer than Walter. The first key to changing himself physically for the role was slumping. "He has the weight of the world on his shoulders and has been driven down, so he has the posture of a beaten man," he says. "That really helped give me Walter. And they gave me salt-and-pepper hair. And I speak with a voice that is very hesitant because he was so unsure of everything." Sometimes, Noble finds himself playing Walter and the far more assured Walternate in the same day. "Walternate is very upright, his voice is much firmer, and he grooms himself beautifully," says Noble, adding it's an easy transition between the two. "Because there's a turnaround time where I can change over and go to hair and makeup, I stand up straight and I look in the mirror—that's all it takes. You put on one of those gorgeous double-breasted suits he wears and it happens."
As for research, Noble read everything he could get his hands on about science in the 1970s, when Walter was most active, and studied brilliant scientists like Marie Curie and Albert Einstein. "They were very different in how they saw the world," he says. "It's hard to have a conversation with somebody if you're that smart." He also based Walter on a friend from university, Dr. Ted Steele, whom he calls a truly mad scientist. "He's been persona non grata in four or five countries because of his radical views on things. But I love him, and his passion for whatever he does is amazing. Whatever he is doing, it's 100 percent."
Perhaps it's Walter's passion for everything—be it a radical scientific breakthrough or a great milkshake—that endears him so much to audiences. Noble admits he is recognized and stopped virtually everywhere in the world, with one exception: his homeland. "Australia is an awfully laid-back place," he says. "I went back for Christmas, and only three people rushed up to me. Two were Italian tourists. And one was a lady from China. No Australians. They're not impressed by me."
Outtakes
- TV appearances prior to "Fringe" include "24," "Journeyman," and "The Unit"
- Can currently be seen in the popular multi-platform game "L.A. Noire" as real estate tycoon Leland Monroe
- Cites among his favorite actors Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins, whom he calls "two of the greatest detail actors in the world"