From playing a rogue agent in Tinker, Tailor,
Soldier, Spy, to taking on the role of villainous Bane
in Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy is well on
the way to becoming the finest actor of his generation.
His raw talent, edginess and ability to utterly inhabit
the characters he plays have already prompted
comparisons to screen legends such as Marlon Brando and
Robert De Niro. With a host of critically acclaimed
performances under his belt and the bright lights of
Hollywood beckoning , Tom's star is undoubtedly in the
ascendant. Born into an idyllic, middle-class life in
the suburbs, by his teenage years Tom had grown restless
and started to rebel. Bad behaviour in the form of
alcoholism, drug-taking and criminal activity ensued and
after a brief stint working as a model, fate intervened
and he found his way onto an acting course at his local
college. Having been plucked from drama school to appear
in Band of Brothers, by 2003, his addictions had got the
better of him and he collapsed in Soho following a drugs
binge. Rehabilitation followed, as did a rare second
chance at hitting the big time.It was Hardy's standout
performance as Stuart Shorter in BBC TV's Stuart: A Life
Backwards and as Britain's most notorious prisoner in
the film Bronson, which really made audiences and
critics sit up and take notice. Since then, he has
earned himself a reputation as a shape-shifting actor
with the skill to slip effortlessly in and out of
contrasting characters such as Eames in blockbusters
Inception and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. This
affectionate and in-depth biography reveals the actor
and the life that has shaped him into the star he has
become. It explores his wayward youth, his drama school
years, his burnout and his complex route to eventual
success. With a host of major films on the horizon in
2012 and beyond, his is clearly Hollywood's hottest
property - and the best is yet to come. |
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