Edward John David Redmayne is an English actor and model. Redmayne began his professional acting career as a youth in West End theater, before making his screen debut in 1998 with guest television appearances. His first film roles came in 2006 with Like Minds and The Good Shepherd, and he went on to play supporting roles in several films. Take a look below for 24 more fun and fascinating facts about Eddie Redmayne.

1. Redmayne was born on January 6, 1982, in the London borough of Westminster.

2. His mother, Patricia, runs a relocation business, and his father, Richard Redmayne, is a businessman in corporate finance.

3. His paternal great-grandfather was Sir Richard Redmayne, a civil and mining engineer.

4. He has an older brother, a younger brother, and an older half-brother and half-sister.

5. From the age of 10, Redmayne attended Jackie Palmer Stage School, where he found his love for acting and singing, alongside fellow star James Corden.

6. He attended Eaton House, Colet Court, and then Eton College, where he was in the same year as Prince William.

7. He went on to read History of Art at Trinity College, Cambridge, from where he graduated with 2:1 Honours in 2003.

8. Despite being colorblind, Redmayne wrote his dissertation on Yves Klein’s signature colour, International Klein Blue.

9. Prior to becoming a full-time actor, Redmayne modeled for Burberry in 2008 with Alex Pettyfer, and in 2012 with Cara Delevingne.

10. In the September 2012 issue of Vanity Fair, he was featured on its annual International Best Dressed List.

11. In 2015, he was named number one in GQ’s 50 best dressed British men.

12. Redmayne made his professional stage debut as Viola in Twelfth Night, for Shakespeare’s Globe at the Middle Temple Hall in 2002.

13. He won the award for Outstanding Newcomer at the 50th Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2004, for his performance in Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, and the award for Best Newcomer at the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards in 2005.

14. Later stage credits include Now or Later by Christopher Shinn at the Royal Court Theatre. The show ran from 3 September to 1 November 2008.

15. In 2009, Redmayne appeared in John Logan’s new play Red at the Donmar Warehouse in London, for which he won the 2010 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

16. Redmayne was cast in his first feature film Like Minds (2006) after being spotted by casting director Lucy Bevan performing in a play called Goats.

17. In 2011 he starred as filmmaker Colin Clark in the drama film My Week with Marilyn.

18. In 2014, he starred as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, a role for which he won the Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor, depicting the debilitating challenges of ALS.

19. Redmayne made his screen debut in 1998 in an episode of Animal Ark.

20. Redmayne starred in the biographical drama The Danish Girl, directed by Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper. In the film, released in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2016, Redmayne portrayed transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, a casting that was the subject of some controversy from the transgender community.

21. In 2016, Redmayne starred as Newt Scamander in the film adaption of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the first of a series within the Wizarding World of the Harry Potter film series, with a screenplay by J.K. Rowling.

22. In 2018, Redmayne starred in the stop-motion animated film Early Man, and reprised his role as Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

23. Redmayne married Hannah Bagshawe on 15 December 2014. They have a daughter born in 2016 and a son born in 2018.

24. Redmayne was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2015 Birthday Honours for services to drama.