(1981-)

Who Is Tom Hiddleston?

Actor Tom Hiddleston broke into the mainstream with his role as Loki, the sinister brother of the hammer-wielding god Thor — played by Chris Hemsworth — in the blockbusters Thor and The Avengers. First emerging on British television and the stage, Hiddleston has appeared in other films with such big time directors as Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro.

Early Life

Thomas William Hiddleston was born on February 9, 1981, in Westminster, London, England, to James Hiddleston, a Scottish physicist, and his English wife, Diana, an arts administrator and casting director as well as a former stage manager. Hiddleston's mom introduced him to the world of movies and the theater at a young age and he was hooked on the notion of acting. While at Eton College and then University of Cambridge, he began appearing on stage. In 2001, he landed his first role on television in England, a small role in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (2001). More work followed, including Conspiracy (2001) and The Gathering Storm (2002).

Theater Career

Aside from the feature film Unrelated (2007) and a few sporadic TV gigs on the BBC (Wallander and the documentary Galapagos as the voice of Charles Darwin), Tom Hiddleston focused on being a theater-based thespian over the next seven years. This included him studying and graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2005. The actor won the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for best newcomer in a play for his performance in Shakespeare's Cymbeline. That same year, he appeared in Othello opposite Ewan McGregor.

Breakout Role as Loki

Hiddleston performed in a West End revival of Ivanov opposite Kenneth Branagh in 2008. Impressed with his costar's work, Branagh casted Hiddleston in the 2011 film Thor—based on the popular Marvel Comic Book hero—that he was set to direct. The action flick was a major international hit and so was Hiddleston as Thor's evil sorcerer brother, Loki. He played the same villainous role in The Avengers (2012) before being cast once again as Loki in 2013's Thor: The Dark World.

Hiddleston also had roles in high-profile films such as Midnight in Paris (2011) and War Horse (2011). The latter film earned him the 2012 Rising Star accolade at the Richard Attenborough Film Awards. The entertainer earned a spot in the film noir story Black Wings Has My Angel (2013), with Anna Paquin and Elijah Wood, and also went on to play the Great Escapo in 2014's Muppets Most Wanted, with Ricky Gervais.

Recent Work

Hiddleston revisited darker supernatural fare once again in the haunted house of director Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak (2015). That season also saw him portraying country crooner Hank Williams in the biopic I Saw the Light. In 2016, he starred opposite Hugh Laurie in the TV thriller The Night Manager, which is based on the novel by John le Carré, and garnered him a Golden Globe win for his role. In 2017, he starred in the King Kong film Kong: Skull Island. He also reprised his role in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: End Game (2019).

Personal Life

Despite being found swoon-worthy to so many, Hiddleston remains a bachelor. In the past he's been romantically linked to British actress Susannah Fielding and record executive Jane Arthy. In 2016, he had a brief relationship with pop star Taylor Swift.

In January 2013, he traveled with UNICEF UK to Guinea, West Africa, to visit children, families and communities. He's been involved and blogged about other UNICEF projects too, including "Live Below the Line" where he and thousands of others worldwide survived for a week on less than a dollar per day.

QUICK FACTS

Name: Thomas William Hiddleston
Birth Year: 1981
Birth date: February 9, 1981
Birth City: Westminister, London, England
Birth Country: United Kingdom
Gender: Male
Best Known For: Tom Hiddleston is a British television, stage and film actor who is best known for his role as Loki in the 'Thor' and 'Avengers' film franchises.
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