The Big Picture

• Tom Conti, a Scottish actor who is a veteran of both stage and screen, portrays Albert Einstein in Oppenheimer.
• Conti starred in one of the greatest movies of all time: Paddington 2.
• Conti previously worked with Christopher Nolan on The Dark Knight Rises.

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer might just be the director's most impressive and captivating film to date. As is the norm with Nolan, the film boasts a star-studded ensemble cast. Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist dubbed "the father of the atomic bomb," alongside Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon. The film tells the story of Oppenheimer, director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the World War II-era Manhattan Project, and his involvement in developing the atomic bomb.

Deemed by the internet as the unofficial rival to Greta Gerwig's Barbie, Oppenheimer finished its theatrical run as Nolan's biggest overseas box office success. After receiving 13 Academy Award nominations, it was the leading victor of the night. With 7 wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, and acting Oscars for Downey Jr. and Murphy, Oppenheimer is officially Nolan's top accolade earner. The film deals with more than merely the historical events leading to the weapon's creation, including the immense gravity of the ethical debate that surrounded the Manhattan Project. One of the most prolific participators in this discourse was Albert Einstein, the German-born theoretical physicist best known for his theory of relativity. In Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein is played by Tom Conti, who comes to the latest Nolan event following a long and lauded career.

Albert Einstein Has a Nobel Peace Prize for Physics

Albert Einstein, born in 1879 in the German Empire, is known across the globe as one of the most influential thinkers of all time. He was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in theoretical physics, with special regard to his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. His theory of relativity, published in parts between 1905 and 1915, laid the groundwork for our understanding of gravity and its role within nature. Broken into two categories, his theory of special relativity described the laws and behavior of physical phenomena in the absence of gravity, while general relativity dealt with the forces of natural law, providing an explanation of the law of gravitation.

Prior to publishing his theory of relativity, Einstein studied and worked in Switzerland, where he gained Swiss citizenship and received his Ph.D. Back in Germany, he spent nearly two decades as the director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics, before receiving his aforementioned Nobel Prize. In 1933, Einstein renounced his German citizenship and left for America, opposing the rise of Adolf Hitler's regime.

Albert Einstein Is One of Many Key Figures in 'Oppenheimer'

In 1939, Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt, in which he aimed to warn the U.S. government of Germany's potential research into nuclear weapons. Einstein wagered, due to recent developments in the research surrounding fission, previously unseen amounts of power could be achieved through fission chain reactions, and harnessing such power into a bomb was both conceivable and catastrophically concerning. He believed that German powers were actively pursuing this form of research and urged the United States government to do the same. This warning is widely regarded as one of the key events to spark the doomsday clock and the race to atomic power.

In 1940, due to his outward expression of pacifist tendencies, Albert Einstein was denied the required security clearance to participate in or give input to the Manhattan Project. So other than, in part, encouraging the project's development by professing his concern to the United States government, Einstein played no role in the Manhattan Project's development of the atomic bomb. The same year he was denied the security clearance, Einstein officially became a citizen of the United States, where he would continue working for the remainder of his life before passing away in 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey. Before his death, Einstein often spoke to encourage the nuclear proliferation of the world's powers, and he even expressed deep regret for having written the letter to Roosevelt that encouraged the United States' research into atomic energy. In an interview following the end of World War II, Einstein admitted, "Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in developing an atomic bomb, I would have done nothing for the bomb."

Who Is 'Oppenheimer's Tom Conti?

A Scottish actor who is a veteran of both stage and screen, Tom Conti takes on the role of the prolific scientist with countless credits under his belt. From starring alongside David Bowie in 1983's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence to earning a 1984 Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Reuben, Reuben, Conti has graced film and television across multiple decades and continents. However, first and foremost, Conti is a thespian of the stage. Appearing in acclaimed productions on the West End and on Broadway in New York, Conti's performance in Whose Life is it Anyway? earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Perhaps most importantly, the truest fans of peak cinema will remember Conti for his role as Judge Gerald Biggleswade in Paddington 2 — one of the greatest films of all time.

Tom Conti and Christopher Nolan Have Worked Together Before

Although Tom Conti sports a fair amount of hair and makeup design in the Oppenheimer trailer, keen eyes will recognize Conti from a previous Christopher Nolan venture. In the culmination of Nolan's Batman trilogy, Conti appeared in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, credited simply as "Prisoner." His role was anything but simple, though. As a fellow captive of the cavernous prison in which Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne found himself, Conti's character was the catalyst that encouraged Bruce at his lowest point, leading him toward his escape and eventual redemption before triumphantly facing-off against Tom Hardy's Bane.

Oppenheimer is available to watch on Peacock in the U.S.

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