Which actor plays Bilbo Baggins in An Unexpected Journey?

Which actor plays Bilbo Baggins in An Unexpected Journey? Martin Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins. His performance anchors the 2012 film, which follows Bilbo from a quiet life in the Shire into an expedition led by Thorin Oakenshield’s company of Dwarves.

Freeman portrays the younger Bilbo, while Ian Holm appears as the older Bilbo in framing scenes connected to The Lord of the Rings. That casting distinction causes a frequent mix-up: Holm played Bilbo in the earlier trilogy, but Freeman is the principal Bilbo in all three Hobbit films. Elijah Wood appears as Frodo, Bilbo’s nephew, rather than as Bilbo.

In the story, Gandalf recruits Bilbo as the company’s burglar. Bilbo initially resists leaving home, but the adventure takes him through Rivendell and the Misty Mountains, where he encounters Gollum and finds the One Ring. Freeman’s role required both comic awkwardness and the gradual emergence of Bilbo’s courage and resourcefulness.