Hardy spent much time in his youthdrinking alcohol and usingcrack cocaine to cope with stresses and has suffered significant bouts ofdysthymia. He has previously said that he was "out of control" with his alcohol and drug use before going to rehabilitation in 2003.[17][18][19]
In 1998 Hardy wonThe Big Breakfast'sFind Me a Supermodel competition at the age of 21 (although the programme said he was 20), earning him a brief contract with Models 1.[20] Hardy joinedDrama Centre London in September 1998, and was taken out early after winning the part of the United States Army Private John Janovec in theHBO-BBCmini-seriesBand of Brothers.[21]
He made his feature film debut inRidley Scott's war thrillerBlack Hawk Down (2001).[22] During this time, Hardy also had a brief stint as arapper andhip-hop producer with his friend Edward Tracy (under the name "Tommy No 1 + Eddie Too Tall"), with whom he recorded a mixtape calledFalling On Your Arse in 1999 that remained unreleased until 2018.[23]
In 2007 he appeared inBBC Two's drama based on a true storyStuart: A Life Backwards. He played the lead role of Stuart Shorter, a homeless man who had been subjected to years of abuse and whose death was possibly a suicide.[30] The same year he playedBill Sikes in the BBC miniseriesOliver Twist, an adaptation ofCharles Dickens's novel that aired onPBSMasterpiece Classic in the US. In February 2008 he played a drug-addicted rapist in the British horror-thrillerWΔZ.[31] In September 2008 he appeared inGuy Ritchie's London gangster film,RocknRolla; Hardy played the role of the gay gangster Handsome Bob.[32] In 2008 Hardy starred in the filmBronson, about the English prisonerCharles Bronson, who has spent most of his adult life insolitary confinement. For the film, he put on threestone (42 lb or 19 kg).[33]
In 2011 Hardy appeared in the filmWarrior, which was released on 9 September 2011 byLionsgate Films. His performance as Tommy Riordan, who is trained by his father to fight in a mixed martial arts tournament against his brother, gained praise from critics. Hardy also starred inThis Means War (2012), a romantic comedy directed byMcG. He played thesupervillainBane inThe Dark Knight Rises, the final film in Nolan'sThe Dark Knight Trilogy, released on 20 July 2012.[42] He played a bootlegger inJohn Hillcoat's crime dramaLawless (2012).[43] Hardy signed up to play the lead role ofSam Fisher inUbisoft's film adaptation of their video game seriesTom Clancy's Splinter Cell.[44][45] He also appeared inRiz Mc's music video for the song "Sour Times".[46]
In 2013 Hardy starred in the drama filmLocke.[47] In 2014 he appeared in the crime filmThe Drop alongsideJames Gandolfini, in what would be Gandolfini's final appearance in a feature film before his death. Hardy also joined the cast of the BBC crime dramaPeaky Blinders in its second series. He portraysAlfie Solomons (who is based on areal-life East End Jewish gangster named Alfred Solomon), the head of a Jewish gang based inCamden Town, and the runner of a distillery which disguises itself as a bakery.[48] Writing forMedium, Shani Silver described Hardy's portrayal of Alfie Solomons as 'The Scene-Stealingest Character Of All Time', commenting that "I’ve never understood if Alfie was meant to be a villain or comedic foil or some pick-a-mix of both, but I’ve never loved every second of someone’s screen time more."[49]
Hardy starred in five films in 2015. The first,Child 44, set in 1950sSoviet Union, saw him playing Leo Demidov, a Soviet secret police agent who investigates a series of child murders. Despite mild praise for his acting,Child 44 was reviewed negatively by critics and was a box office failure.[50] Hardy then played the title character,Max Rockatansky, in the action filmMad Max: Fury Road (2015).[51][52] His performance was praised by critics[53][54] and overall the film received critical acclaim and became a box office success,[55] grossing over US$378 million against a $150 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing film in theMad Max franchise.[56] He played a dual role as London gangstersReggie and Ronnie Kray in the crime thrillerLegend (2015).[57] On 7 December 2015 Hardy won Best Actor at theBritish Independent Film Awards for his portrayal of the Kray twins, and on the same night attended the premiere of the biographical western thrillerThe Revenant, in which he reunited with hisInception co-starLeonardo DiCaprio atLeicester Square, London.[58] On 14 January 2016 Hardy received his firstAcademy Award nomination forBest Supporting Actor for his performance inThe Revenant.[59]
Hardy is attached to star as the British war photographerDon McCullin in a film based on McCullin's autobiography,Unreasonable Behaviour.[67] Hardy reprised the role of Eddie Brock and Venom in the sequelVenom: Let There Be Carnage and co-wrote the story for the film.[68] He is also slated to star as theAntarctic explorer SirErnest Shackleton in a biopic being created by the same makers ofTaboo.[69] The Shackleton film, which will cover one of the most harrowing stories ofsurvival in exploration history, is also being produced by Hardy's production companyHardy Son & Baker.[69] In May 2024 he andMahershala Ali were announced to be working on the crime thriller77 Blackout. The Venom film franchise ended in October 2024 withVenom: The Last Dance.[70] Currently, Hardy stars inGuy Ritchie'sMobLand which premiered 30 March 2025 onParamount+. It featuresPierce Brosnan andHelen Mirren as heads of the Harrigan crime family.[71] Hardy also starred in the Netflix filmHavoc.
In 2010 Hardy became an ambassador forthe Prince's Trust, a British youth charity which provides training, personal development, business start-up support, mentoring, and advice.[72] In 2012 he and his then-girlfriend (now-wife)Charlotte Riley became patrons of Bowel Cancer UK.[73] Prior to the inauguralInvictus Games held in London in September 2014, he, along with other entertainers and athletes, read the poem "Invictus" in a promotional video.[74]
Hardy married Sarah Ward, a producer, in 1999, and they divorced in 2004.[75] He met and began dating the assistant director Rachael Speed on the set ofThe Virgin Queen in 2005, and they later had a son[76] before separating in 2009.[77] That year, he began a relationship with the actressCharlotte Riley after they met on the set ofWuthering Heights, and they were married in July 2014.[78] Together they have two children: a son born in October 2015 and a son born in December 2018. They had onerescue dog, Woodstock, and Hardy appeared with Woodstock in aPETA advertisement to promotepet adoption.[79] Woodstock died on 5 June 2017 due to an aggressive case ofpolymyositis at 6 years old.[80]
While portraying the prisonerCharles Bronson during the production ofBronson, Hardy met Bronson several times and the two became friends. Bronson was impressed with how Hardy managed to match his muscularity and how well he could mimic Bronson's personality and voice; stating that he believed Hardy was the only person who could play him, he also shaved off his trademark moustache and sent it to Hardy in the hopes that Hardy would wear it in the film.[81] According to Bronson's son, George Bamby, Hardy was banned from visiting Bronson in prison following the film's release.[82]
An avid practitioner ofBrazilian jiu-jitsu, he has won a number of jiu-jitsu competitions,[83][84][85] with one such occurrence being at the UMAC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championships in September 2022.[86] He is the lead ambassador for the REORG Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Foundation,[87] aRoyal Marines-backed charity allowing current and former military personnel to learn the martial art as part of their recovery and to combat physical and mental challenges.[88] Hardy was promoted to purple belt inBrazilian jiu-jitsu on 19 June 2023.[89]
In October 2023 Hardy signed theArtists4Ceasefire open letter to US PresidentJoe Biden, calling for a permanent ceasefire in theGaza war, the release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving aid to civilians inGaza.[90]
^Rebecca Macatee, "Tom Hardy Gets a Kiss From His Dog Woodstock in Pro-Adoption Campaign for PETA—See the Pic!"EOnline.comArchived 29 April 2015 at theWayback Machine, 28 April 2015.
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