Edward John David Redmayne was born on 6 January 1982 inWestminster,London.[2][3] His mother, Patricia (née Burke), runs arelocation business, and his father, Richard Redmayne, is a businessman incorporate finance. His paternal great-grandfather was SirRichard Redmayne (1865–1955), a civil and mining engineer, and a leading figure in improving mine safety in the early twentieth century.[4] Sir Richard also led an enquiry into an experiment by the chainBoots to reduce the working week, allowing workers to have a 48-hour weekend, which found that the workers were happier, had better health, and were less likely to be absent,[5] and advocated its adoption across wider industry.[6] He has an elder brother,James Redmayne, a younger brother, and an elder half-brother, Charlie Redmayne, who is CEO of the UK division of publisherHarperCollins,[4] and a half-sister.[7]
From the age of 10, Redmayne attended Jackie Palmer Stage School, where he found his love for acting and singing.[8][9] Redmayne attendedEaton House,[10] followed byColet Court (now St Paul's Juniors), on a choral scholarship, where he sang with the St Paul's Choir,[11] then on a music scholarship toEton College,[11] where he was in the same year asPrince William.[12][13] He received a choral scholarship to attend Cambridge,[14] where he read History of Art atTrinity College, specialising in Venetian architecture and surrealism,[15] and graduated with2:1 Honours in 2003.[16] He wrote his theses onBrâncuși andYves Klein;[17] althoughcolour blind, he wrote thefinal thesis onInternational Klein Blue (IKB), which he has described as being highly emotional, and which he can always distinguish from others.[18] While at Cambridge, Redmayne was a member of theUniversity Pitt Club.[19]
Redmayne starred inNow or Later byChristopher Shinn at theRoyal Court Theatre. The show ran from 3 September to 1 November 2008.[24] His performance received glowing reviews,[25] with critic and playwrightNicholas de Jongh describing the performance as "riveting, suffused with the lineaments of neurosis and sadness".[25]
In November 2021, he returned to the stage as Emcee in a West End revival ofCabaret at thePlayhouse Theatre, remodelled as the 'Kit Kat Club'. He previously played the role in a production atEton when he was 17 years-old, and then again in a production at theEdinburgh Fringe.[33] Redmayne successfully approachedJessie Buckley to star alongside him asSally Bowles, as well asRebecca Frecknall about directing the production.[33] The revival drew rave reviews,[34][35] with criticJohn Lahr stating that the 'scintillating show' also offered the 'rousing spectacle of the next generation's theatrical talent on the ascendant.'[36]Lahr described Redmayne's interpretation of the Emcee as "thrilling", "a puckish portrait of violent innocence, a cross between Peter Lorre and Peter Pan", with a "chilling metamorphosis".[36] John Nathan remarked, "Redmayne is a marvel. His Emcee — a slightly different species from the rest of the humans — is quite the most mercurial animal I have seen on stage".[37] The revival led with seven wins at the2022 Olivier Awards, includingBest Musical Revival and Redmayne's own forBest Actor in a Musical, setting a record for being the most award-winning revival in Olivier history, as well for being the first production to obtain awards in all four eligible acting categories.[38] In April 2024, the production transferred to theAugust Wilson Theatre onBroadway, where he reprised the role of the Emcee oppositeGayle Rankin as Sally Bowles.[39] For his performance, Redmayne received a nomination for theTony Award for Best Actor in a Musical at the77th Tony Awards.[40]
Redmayne made his screen debut in 1998 in an episode ofAnimal Ark.[41] His television credits include the BBC miniseriesTess of the d'Urbervilles, the miniseriesThe Pillars of the Earth, and the two-part miniseriesBirdsong.[42]David Chater, who served as a correspondent in many conflict-ridden areas, described his performance as a WWI soldier in Birdsong as "mesmerising", "astonishing", "so little is visible on the surface and yet a whole universe of emotions is simmering away behind those limpid eyes."[43]
In 2014, Redmayne starred asStephen Hawking inThe Theory of Everything, a role for which he won theAcademy Award,BAFTA,Golden Globe, andScreen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor, depicting the debilitating challenges ofALS.[50][51] Hawking was very pleased by the portrayal, stating "I thought Eddie Redmayne portrayed me very well. At times I thought he was me. I think Eddie’s commitment will have a big emotional impact."[52][53] Dr Katie Sidle, a consultant neurologist specialising in the field ofmotor neurone disease (MND), stated in an interview in theBritish Medical Journal, "Eddie’s performance in the film was utterly remarkable . . . The patients and carers loved the film. They thought it was very relevant to them."[54]
In early 2015, Redmayne appeared inthe Wachowski's film,Jupiter Ascending as Balem Abrasax. The film was widely panned, including his performance, and won him theGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor.[55]In recent years, the film and the performance have been re-evaluated,[56] with Keith Phipps writing that the "film has shown every sign of turning into a full-fledged cult hit."[57] Writing inVanity Fair in 2018, Laura Bradley remarked that "the idea that this film would have been improved by Redmayne playing his part in a more conventional (read: boring) manner is absurd."[58] In 2022, Joe Hoeffner echoing her thoughts, felt that with a more "normal villain", "the rest of the film would be flatter, less colorful, less deliriously camp...no matter what happens you can’t take your eyes off of the spacefaring Oedipus with the voice of a chainsmoker."[59]
That same year, Redmayne starred in the biographical dramaThe Danish Girl, directed byAcademy Award-winning directorTom Hooper. In the film, released in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2016, Redmayne portrayedtransgender pioneerLili Elbe, a casting choice that was met with backlash from the transgender community.[62] Nonetheless, Redmayne's performance garnered critical acclaim; in January 2016, he earned his second nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actor in consecutive years.[63][64] Redmayne later acknowledged the controversy surrounding his casting by stressing the importance of casting transgender people to play transgender characters.[65]
In 2022, Redmayne starred in thebiographicalcrime thriller film,The Good Nurse, playing notorious serial killerCharles Cullen, and was nominated for aGolden Globe Award, aBritish Academy Film Award, and aScreen Actors Guild Award. Leah Greenblatt atEntertainment Weekly wrote, "an eerie, pitch-perfect Redmayne, wearing Charlie's nice-guy drag like a battering ram, lets his mask slip so incrementally that the final scenes feel like a true terrifying rupture."[70] Aurora Amidon atPaste remarked, "Redmayne plays Charles with such a sense of naturalism and magnetic intensity that it’s easy to forget he’s not in the room right there with you."[71]
In 2024, he starred in and produced the television seriesThe Day of the Jackal, playing an elusive British assassin code-named the "Jackal".[72] The performance was acclaimed, and he received nominations for aScreen Actor's Guild Award,[73] aCritics Choice Award[74] and aGolden Globe Award.[75] Joel Golby, writing fortheGuardian commended Redmayne for playing his "chameleonic and ice-cold" character, and for conveying a lot while having little dialogue; adding that "it’s as if he’s secretly uncovered a new way of acting".[76] Verne Gay atNewsday remarked, "To the broadest of screen stereotypes - brutal assassin on the run - he adds layer upon layer, nuance upon nuance".[77]
Redmayne has been widely admired for his style, withVogue describing him as having "seemingly preternatural panache on the red carpet, his deft ability to make even the nattiest and most colorful suits seem like second skin."[81] In the September 2012 issue ofVanity Fair, he was featured on its annual International Best Dressed List.[82] In 2015, he was named number one inBritish GQ's 50 best dressed British men,[83] and then again in 2016.[84]Sir Elton John andDavid Furnish described him as "the stylish intersection where Cary Grant's style meets Fred Astaire's lithe elegance."[84]GQ also named him as one of "the Most Stylish Men Alive" in 2015[85] and one of "the 13 Most Stylish Men In The World Right Now" in 2016.[86]
In August 2014, he was appointed ambassador of film education charityInto Film.[90] He has been a patron of theMotor Neurone Disease Association since 2015, having become associated with the charity following his portrayal of Stephen Hawking.[91] He is an ambassador of theTeenage Cancer Trust.[92] He is a patron of Go Live Theatre Projects (earlier known as Mousetrap Theatre Projects), a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children and young people through theatre, especially those who are disadvantaged or have additional needs.[93][94]
^"Jackie Palmer Stage School 'over the moon' for Oscar-winning former pupil Eddie Redmayne".Bucks Free Press. 23 February 2015.Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved4 December 2017.Marylyn Phillips, Principal of Jackie Palmer Stage School, says that Eddie and his former classmates James Corden and Aaron Taylor Johnson all keep in touch with the school that helped them on the way to stardom.
^"Eddie Redmayne Goes Undercover on YouTube, Reddit and Twitter | GQ".Youthhhube.Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved13 February 2020.[...]this is true so Jackie Palmer stage school is a place in High Wycombe outside of London and I would go there at weekends and do sort of acting and singing. And James was there. He was a couple years older me and my memory of it is he was a brilliant street dancer and we became pals[...]
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