Jonathan Freeman

Jonathan Freeman (born February 18, 1950) is an American actor and puppeteer. He is known for voicing Jafar in Disney's Aladdin franchise, as well as the Kingdom Hearts franchise and the 2011 Aladdin musical.

Freeman was born in Bay Village, Ohio on February 18, 1950. He graduated from Ohio University.

As well as being the voice of Jafar in Aladdin, a role he once said he is called in to reprise every 3 to 6 months, Freeman is also known for being the puppeteer for Tito Swing of the Jukebox Band (Flexitoon Puppets) on the PBS series Shining Time Station. Freeman reprised his role as Jafar in the Aladdin sequel The Return of Jafar and the Hercules crossover episode "Hercules and the Arabian Night".

In 1994, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in She Loves Me. Additionally, he appeared in the Broadway revival productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Producers, On the Town, and 42nd Street, during which his caricature was drawn for Sardi's restaurant in 2002.

Freeman can be heard on the 1997 Varèse Sarabande studio recording of the flop 1965 musical Drat! The Cat!.

He was also seen on stage as Cogsworth in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and originated the role of Grimsby in Disney's Broadway production of The Little Mermaid.

Freeman began his run starring as Admiral Boom and the Bank Chairman in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins on December 12, 2009.

Freeman also reprised his role as Jafar in the musical adaptation of Aladdin, which played at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre from July 7–31, 2011. After nearly eight years with the show, Freeman played his final performance with the company on January 23, 2022.