Tom William Hiddleston is a well-known English actor, producer, and musical performer. He came into prominence after his portrayal of supervillain ‘Loki,’ the evil brother of the titular character in the 2011 film ‘Thor.’ He reprised his role as ‘Loki’ in films, such as ‘The Avengers,’ ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ In his early career, he appeared in popular TV shows, such as ‘The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby,’ which was based on the famous novel ‘Nicholas Nickleby’ by Charles Dickens. He also appeared as ‘Randolph Churchill,’ son of Winston Churchill, in a biographical TV film titled ‘The Gathering Storm.’ Gradually, he started getting more prominent roles, and finally reached the peak of his career after playing ‘Loki’ in the movie ‘Thor.’ Throughout his career, he has won several prestigious awards, including the ‘Laurence Olivier Award’ for ‘Best Newcomer’ for his role in the popular play, ‘Cymbeline,’ which was originally written by the popular English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare. Hiddleston is also known for his philanthropic activities. In 2013, he visited Guinea in order to provide assistance to women and children. He also educated people about issues, such as hunger and malnutrition. Hiddleston’s name was mentioned in Debrett’s 2017 list of the ‘Most Influential People in the UK.’

Childhood & Early Life

• Thomas William ‘Tom’ Hiddleston was born on February 9, 1981, in Westminster, London, England. His father, James Norman Hiddleston, worked as a physical chemist, while his mother, Diana Patricia Hiddleston, worked as an arts administrator. His father is of Scottish origin, while his mother is English. Unfortunately, his parents divorced when he was only 12 years old.
• He has two sisters. Emma, his younger sister, became an actress, while his older sister Sarah is working as a journalist in India.
  He studied at ‘Eton College,’ and later at ‘Pembroke College.’ Heavily inspired by his mother’s love for acting, he started taking active part in stage productions during his college days. He then decided to attend the ‘Royal Academy of Dramatic Art’ (RADA) to study acting. He graduated from ‘RADA’ in the year 2005.

Career

• Tom Hiddleston started acting while he was still a student. He appeared in Stephen Whittaker’s TV adaptation of ‘Nicholas Nickleby’ in 2001. In the same year, he also appeared in ‘Conspiracy.’ The next year, he played the son of Winston Churchill in the TV film ‘The Gathering Storm.’
• He made his film debut in the British drama ‘Unrelated’ in the year 2006. Directed by Joanna Hogg, the film starred him in the main role. The film also starred his sister Emma Hiddleston, along with actors like Kathryn Worth, Mary Roscoe, and David Rintoul. The movie received several awards.
• Over the ensuing years, Hiddleston played significant roles in several plays, such as ‘The Challenging’ (2006), ‘Cymbeline’ (2007), and ‘Othello’ (2008). His role in ‘Cymbeline’ was appreciated by the critics, and eventually won him the ‘Laurence Olivier Award’ for ‘Best Newcomer in a Play’ for his remarkable performance.
• In 2011, he appeared in the American superhero film ‘Thor,’ which was based on the ‘Marvel Comics’ character of the same name. The film, which was directed by Kenneth Branagh, portrayed Hiddleston as the supervillain ‘Loki.’ The movie turned out to be a commercial success and Hiddleston become popular across the globe.
• The same year, he also appeared in ‘Midnight in Paris,’ a fantasy comedy movie directed by Woody Allen, where he played a supporting role. The film turned out to be a commercial success, and also won several awards, including an ‘Oscar.’
• In 2012, he appeared in ‘The Avengers,’ a superhero film based on a ‘Marvel Comics’ superhero team of the same name. The film, which was directed by Joss Whedon, saw Hiddleston reprising his role as the supervillain ‘Loki.’ Loki, who happens to be the brother and arch enemy of Thor, is seen pursuing his dream of taking over the world in the movie. The film was a monumental success commercially, and earned nearly $1.5 billion worldwide.
• Hiddleston reprised his role as ‘Loki’ in ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ which released in 2013. Directed by Alan Taylor, the film was a commercial success. The same year, he also played the lead role in the play ‘Coriolanus,’ which was originally written by Shakespeare.
• Over the years, Hiddleston has also played main roles in films, such as ‘I saw the Light’ (2015) and ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (2017).
  Since 2017, Tom reprised his role as ‘Loki’ in ‘Marvel’ movies, such as ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017), ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018), and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019).
• All the movies went on to become blockbuster hits, breaking and creating records. He also voiced the character of ‘Lord Nooth’ in the animated movie ‘Early Man’ in 2018.
• Over the years, Tom Hiddleston has been a part of various TV series and television films like ‘A Waste of Shame’ (2005), ‘Victoria Cross Heroes’ (2006), ‘Darwin’s Secret Notebooks’ (2009), ‘Henry V’ (2012), and ‘Trollhunters’ (2016).
• In 2019, Tom Hiddleston made his Broadway debut with 'Betrayal,' for which he bagged in a 'Tony Award' nomination. He earned his first 'Golden Globe Award' and bagged in two 'Primetime Emmy Award' nominations for his performance in 'The Night Manager.'

Major Works

• His role in ‘Thor,’ the 2011 American superhero film, can be considered his first major and significant work in his career. The film, which was directed by Kenneth Branagh, is about Thor, the prince of a fictional realm named ‘Asgard.’ In the film, Thor is stripped off of his powers and banished to Earth.
• Hiddleston appears as his brother Loki, who tries to take the throne for himself. The film also starred Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, and Colm Feore. The film, which earned nearly $450 million worldwide, was the 15th highest grossing film of the year.
• Hiddleston appeared in the 2012 superhero film ‘The Avengers’ where he reprised his role as the supervillain ‘Loki.’ His role in the film is considered one of his most successful and significant works. Directed by Joss Whedon, the cast of the film includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner. The film earned nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, and became the highest grossing film of the year. The film also won several awards and nominations, including a nomination at the ‘Academy Awards.’
• In 2015, he appeared in ‘Crimson Peak,’ a gothic romance film directed by Guillermo del Toro. The cast included Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, and Jim Beaver. It was an average commercial success with mostly positive reviews. It won three ‘Saturn Awards’ and a ‘Fangoria Chainsaw Award.’
• ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ which released in February 2017, is one of his notable works. He appeared in the lead role in the film, which is about groups of scientists and soldiers in pursuit of a mighty monster named Kong. The film was directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and the cast included actors like Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, and Brie Larson. The film was a commercial success, and received positive reviews.
• His portrayal of ‘Jonathan Pine’ in the TV series ‘The Night Manager’ (2016) was appreciated by the critics. The role earned him many prestigious awards and nominations, including an award at the ‘Golden Globe.’
• Tom’s role in ‘Marvel’ movies, such as ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017), ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018), and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019) was appreciated by the critics. All the films did exceptionally well at the box-office, and ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ became the highest grossing movie of the year. It also received a nomination at the ‘Academy Awards.’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’ went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time, collecting a record $2.7 billion.

Awards & Achievements

Tom Hiddleston has won several significant awards throughout his career. Some of them are ‘Laurence Olivier Award’ for ‘Best Newcomer in a Play’ for his role in ‘Cymbeline’ in 2008, ‘Empire Award’ for ‘Best Male Newcomer’ for his role in the film ‘Thor’ in 2012, ‘MTV Movie Award’ for ‘Best Villain’ for his role in the movie ‘The Avengers’ in 2013, and ‘Evening Standard Theatre Award’ for ‘Best Actor’ for his role in the play ‘Coriolanus’ in 2014. He also received a ‘Golden Globe’ award in the ‘Best Actor’ category for the series ‘The Night Manager’ in 2016. He also received a ‘Primetime Emmy’ nomination for the same.

Personal Life

• Tom Hiddleston currently resides in the Belsize Park Area of North-West London. He dated British actress Susannah Fielding. He was in a relationship with record executive Jane Arthy. He dated singer Taylor Swift in 2016. He has been romantically linked to actress Zawe Ashton. In March 2022, the couple announced their engagement. In June 2022, Tom and Zawe announced that they are expecting their first child.
• He is known for his philanthropic activities, and is involved in several ‘UNICEF’ projects. He visited Guinea in 2013, in order to help the needy as well as raise awareness about problems like hunger and malnutrition.
• He is the ambassador of the ‘Illuminating BAFTA Campaign’ which helps in providing work for newcomers in films, television, and games. He was named one of the donors of ‘Justice and Equality Fund,’ the UK version of ‘Time’s Up Movement.’

Public image and acting style

One of the most high-profile actors in contemporary British popular culture, Hiddleston appeared on Debrett's 2017 list of the most influential people in the United Kingdom. In 2015, he was named the British Film Institute's first official founding ambassador. In 2016, Hiddleston was awarded the male Rear of the Year title, a light-hearted accolade that recognises British celebrities who are found to have a notable posterior. He has been named most stylish/best dressed man in several listings. Taffy Brodesser-Akner of GQ describes his off-screen persona as "a sweet-natured bookworm given the face and body of the only man who should ever be allowed to wear a suit". His Crimson Peak director Guillermo del Toro and the comic book writer Stan Lee have called him "the nicest guy on earth/you'll ever meet" with del Toro adding that he breaks the usual barrier of being either nice or good-looking.