Let's talk about: Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy was born on September 15, 1977 in Hammersmith, London. 

His mother is an artist and painter and his father is a writer. 

Tom was brought up in East Sheen, London. 

He studied first at Reed's School and then continued his education at Tower House School. 

He then went on to Richmond Drama school and then the Drama Centre in London. 

"I'm from East Sheen, I went to public school where I learned Latin at the age of nine, and certain expectations were made of me to go to St Paul's, Oxbridge maybe, and all that kind of thing. And I failed systematically to meet the mark - who I am and what I should have been are two very different things."

Tom spent his teens and early twenties battling delinquency, alcoholism, and drug addiction. He admitted that his battles with addiction ended his 5-year first marriage. 

He sought treatment and has been sober ever since. 

"I went entirely off the rails and I'm lucky I didn't have some terrible accident or end up in prison or dead, because that's where I was going. Now I know my beast and I know how to manage it. It's like living with a 400 pound orangutan that wants to kill me. It's much more powerful than me, doesn't speak the same language and it runs around the darkness of my soul."

At age 21, he had a brief contract with the agency Models One after winning a modeling competition. 

In 2003 he was awarded the Evening Standard Most Promising Newcomer Award for his theatre performances in the productions of In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings and Blood. 

 "Whatever character you play, remember they are always doing something. They are not just talking. They are alive; going through a drama in which they will go through some sort of dramatic human experience. Keywords: Alive and Experience. It is your job to make them become so. Anything you do on stage or film has a direct relation to something you have experienced in one form or another in real life. Use your imagination to exaggerate or lessen that sensation. Then, disguise it in characterization and don't forget to make lots and lots of mistakes. You'll do fine."

During the next five years he worked consistently in film, television, and theater. His parts were varied and he became well known for his ability to completely transform his appearance. 

In 2006, Tom created "Shotgun", an underground theater company along with director Robert Delamere and directed a play written by his father, called Blue on Blue. 

In 2007 he received a best actor BAFTA nomination for his performance in the BBC adaptation Stuart: A Life Backwards.  He was hailed for his convincing portrayal of Stuart Shorter, a homeless and occasionally violent man suffering from addiction and muscular dystrophy. 

In the film Bronson in 2008, Tom played the notorious Charles Bronson, the "most violent prisoner in Britain". He was unrecognizable bald, bulked-up, and with Bronson's signature strongman mustache. 

It won Tom the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. And in 2009 he was named one of Variety's "10 Actors to Watch". 

His big breakthrough performance was in Inception in 2010. It became one of the top 25 highest grossing films of all time. 

He began to be seen in more and more top films, including the role of Bane opposite Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises. 

His most recent role in Mad Max: Fury Road has been a huge hit. 

Tom is the patron for the charity "Flack" which is an organization to aid the recovery of the homeless in Cambridge. And in 2010, Tom was named an Ambassador for The Prince's Trust which helps disadvantaged youth. 

" I love people. People are lovely creatures. I'm one myself so I love to see people happy."

Tom has one son, Louis, and is married to English actress Charlotte Riley.

While I have seen Band of Brothers (and I am really due for a re-watch of that one!), Black Hawk Down, and Star Trek: Nemesis, it wasn't until I saw Tom in Wuthering Heights that he really got my attention. 

When I watched this adaptation, I had just come off of reading the book for the first time and he WAS Heathcliff. He was perfect in this role.

Fun fact: His wife, Charlotte Riley, played Cathy. 

I was a huge fan of him by the time he was in Inception and really enjoyed him in that movie as well. 

I wasn't a huge fan of This Means War, although I thought he was good in it and, as usual, very handsome. There were a few funny moments but overall I don't think it showed his range. I think part of it was that he didn't seem to enjoy the role himself. 

"I love to do things I hadn't done before. I didn't understand how you could do something that is so much fun and be so miserable doing it." He said about filming the movie. He said that he felt "other during filming and added, " I probably won't do a romantic comedy again."

*Have you seen any of Tom Hardy's movies? 

*If so, which one was your favorite?