The series stars Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy , a young surgical resident with autism and savant syndrome at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital . Antonia Thomas , Nicholas Gonzalez , Chuku Modu , Beau Garrett , Hill Harper , Richard Schiff , and Tamlyn Tomita also star in the show . The series received a put pilot commitment at ABC after a previous attempted series did not move forward at CBS Television Studios in 2015 ; The Good Doctor was ordered to series in May 2017 . On October 3 , 2017 , ABC picked up the series for a full season of 18 episodes .

Question: who is the actor that plays dr. sean murphy
Answer: Freddie Highmore