Tom Hiddleston had his career breakthrough when he took the role of Loki in the Thor franchise; however, he became known worldwide back in 2016 because of his brief relationship with Taylor Swift. He’s about to celebrate a birthday, so we’ve collected these 10 things most people don’t know about the actor:
10. Upbringing
He was born in Westminster, London, to Diana, an arts administrator and former stage manager, and James, a physical chemist. While his father hails from Greenock, Scotland, his mother is from Suffolk, England. He has two sisters: a younger sister Emma, who is an actress, and an older sister Sarah, who is a journalist in India.
Source: www.eonline.com
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9. Posh Education
Like Prince William, Hiddleston also boarded at Eton College and after that, he went to Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge where he earned a double first in Classics. It was at Cambridge that he was first discovered. He was performing in a student production of A Streetcar Named Desire when a talent agent spotted him. Afterwards, he studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2005.
Source: www.bustle.com
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8. Multilingual
The Thor actor is multilingual! He speaks French, Italian and Spanish and also knows Greek, some Russian, Latin, German, Korean and Mandarin Chinese.
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7. UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
He was a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 2013. He participated in Live Below the Line, a challenge that involved living on just £1 a day for five days to raise awareness of poverty and hunger issues around the world.
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6. Disapproving Dad
The I Saw the Light actor’s father wasn’t as into the idea of his son acting as his mother was. “He was genuinely worried that I would be bored and unfulfilled,” Hiddleston told the Telegraph. “Acting was completely other from anything he knew and he just couldn’t see that it was a real job.”
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5. Failed Audition
The Crimson Peak star auditioned for the title role in Thor. Despite putting on 18 pounds of muscle to audition, he lost out and Chris Hemsworth was cast instead. He didn’t completely miss out though. He was cast as Loki, Thor’s evil adopted brother. To prepare for the role, he trained in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira.
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4. Love Life
He dated British actress Susannah Fielding from 2008 to 2011. They broke up because his career became his main focus. He reportedly dated Jessica Chastain briefly in 2013 and he was also spotted with Jane Arthy at 2013 the Wimbledon finals, but he claims that they weren’t dating. In 2015, he was rumored to be dating Elizabeth Olsen, his co-star from Captain America: Civil War, but they both denied it. In 2016, he briefly dated Taylor Swift.
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3. First Kiss
The War Horse actor had his first kiss at the age of 10. “Yes, 10 years old, tongues and everything. [Laughs] She was a huge crush, we were in the same class, a lot of note swapping, and eventually it all went down in a cricket pavilion on an autumn night. It was very thrilling,” he said.
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2. Bad Review
Hank Williams’ grandson, Hank Williams III, was not a fan of the Hiddleston’s performance as his grandfather in I Saw the Light. He would have preferred if Matthew McConaughey had been cast instead. “Matthew McConaughey would be a good person for this role because he has played many roles as a Southern man. And he is from the South. And that is something no amount of money or acting classes can put into a role,” he said. “The other reason I thought Matthew would be a good fit for the role is because he has a natural arrogance, aka fire, that is needed for this role. Hank Sr. was very very sure of himself and basically very cocky. And Matthew always brings that fire to the table in every role he [plays].”
Sam Emerson / © Sony Pictures Classics / Courtesy Everett Collection
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1. Loves Dancing
The Midnight in Paris actor loves to dance. He had been classically trained in dancing for period films like Return to Cranford, but he’s also got some serious club moves. He displayed this at a press conference in South Korea. He was so into his dancing that he knocked over a chair.