10 Things You Didn’t Know About Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy has been in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters and has melted the hearts of many with his rugged looks and oh-so-charming British accent. What is surprising, however, is that the 37-year-old actor still manages to lie low in the celebrity world and is often overlooked when discussions of “A-List” celebrities are started. He’s the kind of actor where you think to yourself, “hey, wasn’t that the guy in …?” and it’s because he was, thanks to his talent and versatile acting abilities but, for whatever reason, is overshadowed by the other stars in the film, until recently. While he definitely has a large fan base, especially thanks to being the star of the hugely successful film Mad Max: Fury Road, there are many things not widely known about Hardy. Check out 10 of them here.

10. Started as a Model

He is definitely good-looking but his brooding, bearded image doesn’t scream model; however, apparently it used to. Baby-faced at 21 years old, Hardy won the competition, Find Me a Supermodel, from which he got a contract with Models One. Although the modeling was only brief, it launched Hardy into the world of celebrity.

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9. Battled a Drug Addiction

Unfortunately, Hardy also fell straight into the darker side of the celebrity world, developing a problem with both drugs and alcohol. In his early and mid-20s, he battled an addiction to crack cocaine, which he thankfully beat in 2003 after going to rehab. “I am f–king lucky to be here. I would have sold my mother for a rock of crack,” he said of the extent of his addiction at the time.

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8.  Made His Debut In Band of Brothers

An up and coming actor usually has a few lesser known titles under his belt; however, Hardy made his small-screen debut in the award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and, of course, his film debut was just as big — he appeared in the 2001 blockbuster Black Hawk Down. He then hit it big again, landing the role of Shinzon in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.

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7. Has a Son

Tom Hardy has a seven-year-old son named Louis Thomas from a relationship with his ex girlfriend Rachael Speed who he was with from 2004-2009. Prior to his relationship with Speed, Hardy was married to Sarah Ward from 1999-2004; however, the marriage ended because of his cocaine addiction.

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6. Is Open About His Sexuality

While Hardy appeared in many films and TV shows, one of his first most recognizable roles was in 2008’s RocknRolla in which he played a closeted homosexual, Handsome Bob. Afterwards Hardy was asked about his own sexuality and relations with other men, which he was very open about: ““Of course I have. I’m an actor for f*ck’s sake. I’m an artist. I’ve played with everything and everyone. But I’m not into men sexually.” When asked again about the topic for one of his newest films however, he was not as up to talking about it.

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5. He’s a Method Actor

As can be assumed from the variety of his work and the quality, Hardy is very serious about every role he takes on, meaning he has often gone through extreme training and physical changes to give his all to a role. For 2011’s Warrior, Hardy endured eight hours of different training, including boxing, muay thai, and ju jitsu for seven days a week, for three months and, for his role as the villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, he added 30 pounds of muscle.

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4. Met His Wife On Set

He keeps his personal life very private, but Hardy is in fact to married to actress Charlotte Riley. The two met on the set of Wuthering Heights in 2008 and became engaged in 2008. The two married in the summer of 2014 and, in September 2015, announced they were expecting their first child together.

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3. Gary Oldman Is His Idol

As a well respected and sought after actor himself, Hardy looks to Hollywood icon Gary Oldman as his idol, calling him his “absolute, complete and utter hero,” as well as “the greatest actor that ever lived.” The two have worked together in 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and again in 2014’s Child 44.

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2. Likes To Fight

After taking on quite a few action-based and physical roles, it isn’t shocking that Hardy is a rough and tumble kind of guy in real life as well, which has even found its way behind the scenes on his movie sets. On the set of 2002’s The Reckoning, which also starred Paul Bettany, Willem Dafoe and Vincent Cassel, it seems Hardy “took a swing” at Bettany. In an interview Hardy stated, “I didn’t hit him, I slapped him. I didn’t want to leave a mark on his face.” There were also reports of Hardy physically fighting with co-star Shia LaBeouf on the set of Lawless; however, Hardy maintains they were “play fighting and mucking around.”

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1. He Was A Rapper

Believe it or not, before the modeling and acting, Hardy’s biggest aspirations were to become a rapper. Although it obviously didn’t work out, he got quite close, even getting himself a recording contract with the manager of The Fugees and working with Grammy-winning producers Warren Riker and Gordon Williams.