He’s devilishly handsome, unreasonably masculine, is a lover of dogs and is today (September 15) celebrating his 40th birthday; yes, we’re talking about Tom Hardy. To celebrate this milestone, NOW TV have compiled an exclusive list of 40 things you didn’t know about the Hollywood icon for Female First readers. Check them out below:

Tom Hardy turns 40 today (September 15)

Tom Hardy turns 40 today (September 15)

  1. His real name is Edward Thomas Hardy.
  2. Tom’s perfect night out involves karaoke and kebabs.
  3. He grew up in the south of France and speaks fluent French – ooh la la!
  4. He auditioned for the role of Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright’s adaptation of Pride & Prejudice which he ultimately lost out on to Matthew Macfayden.
  5. Tom Hardy’s manly escapades extend beyond the big screen. Back in April, he chased down and caught a moped thief.
  6. Tom is a big fan of the ballet and goes to see The Nutcracker every year, as well as being a supporter of the English National Ballet.
  7. He trained under Anthony Hopkins’ old teacher at the London Drama Centre.
  8. He was expelled from school twice with one teacher describing him as a “pimp and an alley cat”.
  9. Before the bright lights of Hollywood began calling his name, MySpace was the platform for Tom to showcase his considerable talents.
  10. He got arrested at 15 for joyriding in a stolen Mercedes.
  11. Tom had early aspirations to be a rapper.
  12. The name of his agent is inked onto his left arm.
  13. Tom Hardy loves dogs, so much so that he took his former pooch to the premiere of his film Legend.
  14. He was awarded the 2003 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer for his performances in both In Arabia We’d All Be Kings and for his role in Blood.
  15. He made his debut in the war film Black Hawk Down.
  16. In 1998, Hardy won The Big Breakfast’s ‘Find Me A Supermodel’ competition at age 21.
  17. Hardy battled addictions to alcohol and crack cocaine in his early-to-mid-20s. He entered rehab and has been sober since 2003.
  18. He’s the only actor to play a bad guy in both the Star Trek franchise and the Batman franchise.
  19. At drama school, he was in the same class as Michael Fassbender.
  20. Hardy named his childhood dog Max because he was a fan of the film Mad Max.
  21. He was allegedly knocked out by Shia LaBeouf.
  22. Tom has stolen some of his on-screen characters from Come Dine With Me.
  23. He has 15 tattoos, each of which have a different meaning.
  24. He wore three-inch heels for his role as Bane in Christopher Nolan’s Batman series.
  25. The little finger on his right hand is permanently bent after he stabbed a knife into a chopping board and severed a tendon in his finger.
  26. He has written two television shows with Kelly Marcel, both of which have been sold to production companies.
  27. He is good friends with Benedict Cumberbatch.
  28. Leonardo DiCaprio convinced him to read the script of The Revenant and take the role of John Fitzgerald.
  29. He’s been replaced by actors named Joel twice in the last few years; once by Joel Kinnaman in Suicide Squad and once by Joel Edgerton in Black Mass.
  30. Despite his overwhelming success and starring in a string of highly-acclaimed films, Tom has never himself won an Academy Award.
  31. In his role of Forrest Bundurant in Lawless, he used the granny from Looney Tunes’ Tweety Pie and Sylvester as his inspiration.
  32. Tom’s performance in Bronson was Steven Ogg’s main inspiration for Trevor Phillips in Grand Theft Auto V.
  33. When he had been asked whether he had had sex with a man, he replied, “Of course I have. I’m an actor, for f***’s sake.”
  34. He hates celebrity culture, once being quoted as saying, “I want to dispel that it’s all about celebrity-ism, I’m f***ing bored of people looking at whose shoes are interesting and what hat is interesting.”
  35. On the set of Black Hawk Down, he persuaded Ridley Scott to let him set himself on fire rather than use a stuntman for a scene.
  36. Tom claims he slapped Paul Bettany on set for The Reckoning.
  37. He married his first wife, Sarah Ward, only three weeks after meeting her.
  38. Tom met his second and current spouse, Charlotte Riley, on set for a movie adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.
  39. Tom ranks Gary Oldman as his “absolute complete and utter hero” and “the greatest actor that’s ever lived”.
  40. Tom loves dogs so much, he even adopted the pitbull from the set of The Drop after filming wrapped.
Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy

Watch some of Tom Hardy’s greatest movies on TV streaming service NOW TV. Available with a Sky Cinema Pass for £9.99, contract free.

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