(1986-)
Who Is Armie Hammer?
Actor Armie Hammer is the great-grandson of oil tycoon and philanthropist Armand Hammer. Despite coming from a family of successful businessmen, he struck out in a completely different direction as a TV and movie actor. Hammer first earned widespread recognition for playing the real-life Winklevoss twins in the hit movie The Social Network, about the creation of Facebook. He went on to star in films like Mirror, Mirror, The Lone Ranger and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., before earning a Golden Globe nomination for his work in Call Me By Your Name.
QUICK FACTS
FULL NAME: Armand Douglas Hammer
BORN: August 28, 1986
BIRTHPLACE: Santa Monica, CA
SPOUSE: Elizabeth Chambers (m. 2010-2023)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo
Early Years
Armand Douglas Hammer was born to Michael Armand Hammer and his wife, Dru Ann Mobley, on August 28, 1986, in Los Angeles. Hammer's father owned a TV and production company in L.A., but also operated a nonprofit Christian radio station, as well the Grace Christian Academy, in the Cayman Islands. For the young Hammer, this meant shuttling back and forth between the two locales. He initially attended the school founded by his father but later transferred to Los Angeles Baptist High School. Hammer decided to pursue an acting career instead of graduating, much to his parents' disapproval. He revealed to Spy.com that his decision was met with the following response: "You're dropping out of high school? No Hammer man has even dropped out of college without getting an MBA or a Ph.D!"
TV and Films
Early Roles: 'Arrested Development,' 'Veronica Mars,' 'Gossip Girl'
In 2005, the aspiring star landed his first TV cameo, on the sitcom Arrested Development. One year later, he found himself in a small part in the Nancy Drew–like drama Veronica Mars. Hammer further established himself in 2009 with a recurring role on the prime-time teen drama Gossip Girl. He played Gabriel Edwards, a love interest for Blake Lively's character, Serena van der Woodsen. That same year the actor also showed up in several episodes of The Reaper.
'The Social Network,' 'J. Edgar,' 'Mirror Mirror'
Hammer's first official feature film credit was a brief moment of screen time in the 2006 family film Flicka, about a girl raising a horse. Four years later, he truly broke through in the movie biz in David Fincher's The Social Network, playing twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. These brothers sued Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he stole the idea for Facebook from them. Rave reviews for Hammer's dual portrayal led to more feature films, including J. Edgar (2011) and Mirror Mirror (2012).
'The Lone Ranger,' 'The Man From Uncle'
In 2013, Hammer tackled his first leading-man role as the masked man in The Lone Ranger, with Johnny Depp as Tonto. In summer 2015, he co-starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with Henry Cavill. The Guy Ritchie-directed project was inspired by the popular 1960s TV series about two secret agents.
'Call Me by Your Name,' 'On the Basis of Sex'
Proving unafraid to take on controversial roles, Hammer starred in the critically acclaimed Call Me by Your Name (2017), as an American student pursued by a teenage boy in Italy. The film earned numerous Golden Globe nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Hammer. The following year, he portrayed a young Martin Ginsburg, husband of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in the biopic On the Basis of Sex.
Personal Life
While his acting career was taking root, Hammer met his future wife, model and TV personality Elizabeth Chambers, in 2006. Despite his claims of love at first sight, the pair didn't start dating until 2008. They married two years later and went on to have two children together.
The couple opened Bird Bakery in San Antonio, Texas, where they reside, in 2012. Chambers, a native of San Antonio, manages the place, but Hammer refers to them as a husband-wife team and seems super comfortable with married life. "I remember being single and trying to date, and it was just stressful and hard," he told Elle magazine. "It wasn't fun. This is fun."
Hammer and Chambers announced their split in July 2020 after 10 years of marriage.
Quotes
“My entire life had been this long, pressured conversation about the family I represented.”
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