Tom Hardy

Thomas Hardy is a British actor best known for his roles in the films Black Hawk Down, Star Trek: Nemesis and Inception.

Born in England on September, 15 1977, actor Tom Hardy's first role in Band Of Brothers (2001) brought him to the spotlight. Other roles followed, including in the films Black Hawk Down (2001), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2014). Hardy is slated to fill the lead role of Al Capone in the highly anticipated biopic Cicero (2014).

Early Life

Tom Hardy was born Edward Thomas Hardy on September, 15 1977, in Hammersmith, London, England. The only child of comedy and novel writer Edward Hardy and artist mother Anne, Tom Hardy suffered from alcoholism, drug addiction and delinquency during his teen and early adult years.

Despite his demons, Hardy went on to pursue acting at the Richmond Drama School and the prestigious Drama Centre London. His intense commitment fine-tuned Hardy's acting skills. In a December 2002 interview with IGN, the actor stated, "When other schools would be doing, sort of, 30 hours, we were doing 60. And we'd be doing stuff that would prepare you in a very different way."

Career Success

Tom Hardy came into the limelight in 2001 with his first role in the acclaimed HBO war drama miniseries Band Of Brothers. That same year, he acted in the hit war film Black Hawk Down, playing a soldier left behind. Breaking out of military dramas, Hardy won the role as the lead villain in the film Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), starring opposite Patrick Stewart.

Over the next several years, Hardy starred in several film and television projects. In 2006, he collaborated with Shotgun director Robert Delamare to launch an underground theater company. He directed Blue On Blue, a play written by his father, and his role in Stuart: a Life Backwards (2007) garnered him a best actor honor nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

In 2008, Hardy was cast in a unique role as a gay hoodlum in the film RocknRolla, directed by Guy Ritchie, and achieved a British Independent Film Award (best actor) for his turn as Britain's most violent prisoner in Bronson. He tackled playing Heathcliffe in Wuthering Heights the following year, and gained more fame for his portrayal of Eames in Inception (2010), a hit film by acclaimed director Christopher Nolan.

Hardy went on to appear as Bane, the villain of the film The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and as Max in Mad Max: Fury Road (2014). He played the lead role of Al Capone in the highly anticipated biopic Cicero (2014), and starred in Legend (2015), playing both roles of infamous British mobster twin brothers, Ronnie and Reggie Kray.

Hardy has one child, son Louis Thomas Hardy (born on April 8, 2008), with ex-girlfriend Rachel Speed. In 1999, he married Sarah Ward; the couple parted ways in 2004. Hardy blames his drug habit for the split, after which he spent time in rehab to recover. Another engagement came in 2010, with English actress Charlotte Riley, but the couple broke off wedding plans just a few months later.