Edward Thomas Hardy, or Tom Hardy as his millions of fans around the world know him, is an English actor, producer, and screenwriter who has been nominated for several awards – and won his fair share of them!
Since he first appeared on our screens in September of 1998 when he was cast in ‘Band of Brothers,’ Tom has made a name for himself by starring in more than 45 feature films. He’s been in many fan favorites, but what are the 5 most famous Tom Hardy movies of all time?
Inception (2010)
By the time Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ was released in July of 2010, Tom had already appeared in several films and was definitely considered a rising star, but it was this film that turned him into a household name almost overnight. In the film, Tom plays the role of Eames.
Eames is a shape-shifting identity thief who acts as the right-hand man of the main character Cobb. In this role, Tom comes across as suave, charming, and oozing with menace yet poise. It was this role that saw him gain many fans and a BAFTA Rising Star Award.
The film, which also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, and Elliot Page, debuted at number 1 on its opening weekend and had a worldwide box office revenue of USD $825,532,764.
Warrior (2011)
Though it didn’t generate anywhere near as much box office revenue as some of the other films featured on this list, ‘Warrior’ proved that Tom’s ‘Inception’ success wasn’t a fluke and it cemented him as an actor capable of penetrating any genre. It also earned him a brand new audience: sports drama fans!
In this film, Tom got the lead role of Tommy Riordan Conlon and starred alongside Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, and Jennifer Morrisson. To sum up, Tommy enters a mixed martial arts competition and asks his estranged former alcoholic father to train him. ‘Warrior’ covers themes of redemption, estrangement, alcoholism, sibling rivalry, and unconditional love.
When it was released on 9 September 2011, it debuted at number 3 at the box office and only grossed USD $23.3 million in worldwide box office revenue, despite having a USD $25 million budget. Although the film was not a commercial success, it is critically acclaimed and Tom’s performance has been described as “convincingly real”, “sensational”, and “beautiful.”
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Teaming up with Christopher Nolan once more, Tom’s acting chops (and fan base!) grew even more when he starred in ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ This was the first time Tom played the role of a villain, and he did it very well.
In the film, which starred Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, and his ‘Inception’ co-star Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tom plays the role of the supervillain Bane. Though he did not play the main character as Christian played Batman, Tom’s performance was praised and earned him an MTV Movie Award and a Teen Choice Award nomination for Best Villain.
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ rocked the box office in a big way. In total, the film made USD $1.081 billion at the box office, making it the seventh-highest grossing film of all time and the thirteenth film to even cross the USD $1 billion threshold.
Locke (2013)
Another film that Tom Hardy is famous for is the 2013 psychological drama ‘Locke.’ In this film, Tom is the leading man in this film in the most astonishing way: he’s the only character that appears on the screen. It takes incredible acting ability to pull off 88 minutes of just yourself on screen, and Tom proved once more that incredible acting ability is something he has in spades.
‘Locke’ tells the story of Ivan Locke as he drives from Birmingham to London to be with his one-night stand and colleague for the birth of their child – abandoning his work commitments and his family. During the drive, Locke receives 36 phone calls from his wife, boss, son (who was voiced by Tom Holland), a hospital, the police, and more.
Though the film didn’t do too well at the box office, only earning USD $2.8 million worldwide, ‘Locke’ achieved critical acclaim. Tom won a Best Actor Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association as a result.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The final most famous Tom Hardy movie is ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ which was released in 2015. Alongside Tom, the film featured actors including Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and other award-winning actors.
In ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ Tom plays the main character Max Rockantansky, who is a survivor of a world apocalypse. The film involves themes of humanity, survival, feminism, solidarity, redemption, and home.
The film earned itself USD $375.4 million at the worldwide box office and came in second at the box office on its opening weekend. ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and Tom’s performance in it were critically acclaimed and received 97% positive reviews from critics.