Paul Sherman was born on May 26th, 1956, in Reading, Berkshire, England, as Paul Robinson, the only child of Kenneth and Dorothy Robinson. His father was a printer, and his mother was a nurse. Paul left school at 18 and initially worked in insurance before enrolling at Redroofs Theatre School in Littlewick Green, near Maidenhead, in 1975.
During his summer break, Paul won a talent show in Bournemouth, which led to a chance encounter with a manager who arranged gigs for him in local nightclubs. However, when he applied for his Equity card, he discovered that there was already another Paul Robinson in the acting fraternity. So, he adopted the stage name Sherman, inspired by the title character in Alistair MacLean's thriller, "Puppet on a Chain."
Paul's early career included appearances in the TV show "Now Who Do You Do?" alongside Little and Large and Les Dennis, as well as the BBC series "I, Claudius" alongside Brian Blessed, George Baker, and Ian Ogilvy. He also appeared in the film "March or Die" alongside Gene Hackman, playing the role of Frederick Hastings, despite not being aristocratic.
In the late 1970s, Paul joined the Prospect Theatre Company, playing Dunois' Page and understudying the steward and Brother Martin Ladvenu in George Bernard Shaw's "Saint Joan" on a national and European tour. He also appeared in the title role in "The Adventures of a Bear Called Paddington" and in a national tour of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" as Benjamin and the baker.
Paul's radio work included a broadcast for Children in World Literature for T.S. service Cologne, and he appeared in a couple of BBC 2 playhouse productions. He was also a compere and impressionist in "Junior Showtime" in Manchester and Essex with Sue Hodge, Allo, Allo!
In the 1980s, Paul joined the Library Theatre Company, Manchester, playing a flamboyant weathercock in "The House That Jack Built." He was cast as John Dowell in the BBC adaptation of Ford Maddox Ford's novel "The Good Soldier," but the project was canceled due to ITV Granada holding the rights. Undeterred, Paul joined the Worcester Repertory Company, appearing in various productions, including "Godspell," "Outside Edge," "Wuthering Heights," "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," and "Puss in Boots."
Paul took a step back from the profession in the mid-1980s to help manage his family's printing business with his mother due to his father's declining health. However, he did appear as himself in "Remembering Widescreen," a documentary celebrating large screen cinematic formats, especially 70mm.
In 2014, "Remembering Widescreen" received its world premiere in Bradford as part of the Widescreen Weekend program. Two years later, in 2016, a special screening of "March or Die" took place at the Nashville Public Library in Tennessee, preceded by a podcast with the film's director, Dick Richards.
Paul has also contributed to a short description of the wonderful locations the production visited, especially the magnificent El Condor Fort in the Tabernas Desert in Almeria, built originally in 1969 for the film of the same name with Lee Van Cleef and Jim Brown.
In 2019, Paul was astonished to discover that scenes from "March or Die" were now accompanying a new rock video by Belgian band Fireforce. The song, "March or Die," the second track of their album "Rage of War," performed with great conviction by Matt 'Hawk' Asselberghs, tells the true story of one of the most heroic acts of bravery in Legion history: The Battle of Camerone on April 30th, 1863.
Paul is currently writing an untitled novel and has been awarded an Anthony Quinn BSc (Hon).
