Tom Hardy (26 page)

Space cadet. Tom first launched himself into Hollywood when he played Praetor Shinzon in the 2002 film
Star Trek: Nemesis.

Separated at birth? Tom’s character was a clone of Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart.

All smiles with co-star Dina Meyer.

At the London premiere with his then wife, Sarah.

Bad boy. Tom’s looks have always marked him out for certain kinds of roles. Visible on his arm is the first tattoo of many – a leprechaun, in honour of his mother’s Irish roots.

On the road to recovery. The theatre work Tom undertook when he came out of rehab led to him winning the Outstanding Newcomer Award at the
Evening Standard
Theatre Awards in 2003.

Romance blossomed between Tom and Rachael Speed on the set of BBC television drama
The Virgin Queen.

Rake’s progress. Tom as Dorimant in
The Man of Mode
at the Olivier Theatre in 2007. He is pictured here with Bertie Carvell.

Tom and Rachael Speed at the after-party for
RocknRolla
. Their son, Louis, was born in 2008.

Playing prisoner Charles Bronson was a career-defining role for Tom.

Relaxing at the film’s premiere with (
left to right
) Bronson’s friend, Mark Fish, Kelly Daniels, director Nicolas Winding Refn and Rachael Speed.

(left to right)
: With Charles Bronson’s brother Mark Peterson, mother Eira Peterson and his own mother Anne.

At a charity screening of
Bronson
. The event raised money for Cambridge homeless charity, FLACK, of which Tom is a patron.

Never afraid to dream a little bigger. Christopher Nolan’s film
Inception
was an impressive, if mind-boggling, foray into the world of dream-stealing.

The
Inception
actors line up for a press call.
From left to right
: Tom, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Juno Page, Leonardo Di Caprio, Ken Watanabe and Cillian Murphy.