One of British cinema's most beloved and instantly recognizable faces, Hardy's best movies have seen him produce acclaimed bows in the likes of The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Warrior.
While Tom Hardy is primarily known for his work on the silver screen, he has also featured in several prominent television shows. Hardy actually made his acting debut in one of the most lauded and influential miniseries of all time with a minor appearance in HBO's Band of Brothers, with the Englishman going on to have roles in the acclaimed likes of Peaky Blinders and Taboo in tandem with his film career. A versatile performer of the highest order who can play heroic to villainous and everything in between, some of Hardy's television bows actually number among his most memorable.
8 Band of Brothers
John Janovec
Band of Brothers
- Release Date
- 2001 - 2001-00-00
- Network
- HBO Max
- Showrunner
- Tom Hanks
Cast
Eion Bailey
WHERE TO WATCH
Band of Brothers tells the dramatized story of World War II's "Easy" company, as they go through training together, participate in major wartime events in Europe, all the way until the end of the war.
One of the best miniseries for a weekend binge, HBO's Band of Brothers chronicles WWII from the perspective of Easy Company, the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Created by Saving Private Ryan alums Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the ten-episode war drama was acclaimed for its immersive depiction of war, highlighting the horrors of the conflict with unflinching clarity while simultaneously paying tribute to the sacrifices of the real-life combatants. The miniseries features an ensemble cast, among them, a certain young actor in his first major role named Tom Hardy.
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Band of Brothers is 2001 HBO miniseries based on a 1992 non-fiction book by historian Stephen E. Ambrose that a huge ensemble cast in real-life roles.
Playing Private John Janovec, Hardy only has a minor background role in proceedings but still produces a few memorable moments and soundbites before his character dies tragically in a car accident just after the war comes to an end. Appearing in the final two episodes of the series, Hardy's most prominent involvement is during the harrowing sequence depicting Easy Company's liberation of a concentration camp, helping to capture the sense of horror and shock that such an appalling discovery would have precipitated.
7 The Virgin Queen
Robert Dudley
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The Virgin Queen
- Release Date
- 2006 - 2006-00-00
- Network
- PBS, BBC One
- Directors
- Coky Giedroyc
Cast
Anne-Marie DuffQueen Elizabeth I
Derek RiddellSir Walter Raleigh
Emilia FoxAmy Dudley-
Emma KennedyEllen
WHERE TO WATCH
The Virgin Queen is a historical drama miniseries focusing on the life of Elizabeth I of England. Released in 2006, it covers her transition from potential victim to ruler, her relationship with Robert Dudley, her triumph over the Spanish Armada, and her later years with the Earl of Essex.
- Producers
- Justin Bodle, Laura Mackie, Paul Rutman
A four-part historical drama miniseries from the BBC, The Virgin Queen chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth I. The final monarch of the House of Tudor, the series draws its name from the fact that Elizabeth never married despite numerous courtships. Featuring Sex Education's Anne-Marie Duff in the titular role, the miniseries sees Tom Hardy take the role of Robert Dudley, with The Virgin Queen depicting a clandestine romance between the pair that is often speculated upon by historians.
The chemistry between the Venom alum and his co-star Duff is evident from the pair's first scene together, serving to lend an air of authenticity and a further layer of emotional investment to proceedings.
Cast in his biggest television role to date, Hardy turns in a typically charismatic bow as the 1st Earl of Leicester. The chemistry between the Venom alum and his co-star Duff is evident from the pair's first scene together, serving to lend an air of authenticity and a further layer of emotional investment to one of the best shows about Elizabeth the First. Consistently tugging on the heartstrings across three episodes, the pair constructs a convincing and evocative snapshot of the relationship between the two historical figures assuredly.
6 Colditz
Jack Rose
A war drama directed by Stewart Orme and boasting an ensemble cast featuring Damian Lewis and Sophia Myles, 2005's miniseries Colditz recounts the tales of various prisoners of war who attempted to escape from the titular prison camp during WWII. The series' premise also features a complex love triangle involving the aforementioned Lewis and Myles' characters, one that is completed by Tom Hardy's Lieutenant Jack Rose.
Depicting Rose's desperate attempts to escape prison and prevent Lewis' duplicitous Nicholas McGrade from seducing his girlfriend back home, Colditz doesn't break any new ground but undoubtedly benefits from Hardy's assured performance and inimitable screen presence. Making the most of a limited premise and an uncomplicated dramatic charge in impressive fashion, the Mad Max star keeps this middling war drama steadily ticking over with his grounded take on Rose.
5 Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff
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Wuthering Heights
- Release Date
- January 1, 2009
Wuthering Heights (2009) is a British television film adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic novel, directed by Coky Giedroyc. The film stars Tom Hardy as the brooding Heathcliff and Charlotte Riley as the ionate Catherine Earnshaw. Set on the remote Yorkshire moors, this version explores the intense and turbulent relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine, against a backdrop of vengeance and supernatural elements.
- Creator(s)
- Peter Bowker
Based on Emily Brontë's classic 1847 novel of the same name, Wuthering Heights is a two-part miniseries from British network ITV. Debuting in 2009, the ITV adaptation features Hardy in the famous role of Heathcliff, one half of a pair of doomed lovers that also includes Catherine Earnshaw, played by Hardy's future wife Charlotte Riley. Capturing the tumultuous nature at the heart of his dramatic charge in sharp relief, Heathcliff stands as one of Hardy's most underrated performances.
The thespian s a long line of storied performers that includes Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, and Ralph Fiennes in playing Heathcliff, producing a superb take on Brontë's iconic character. While the miniseries received mixed reviews and is not regarded as one of the best Wuthering Heights adaptations, Hardy's smoldering performance was lauded as one of its most notable elements of success. The undeniable chemistry between the Legend star and his future wife carries the movie, lending desolating legitimacy to one of the more poignant love stories that literature has to offer.
4 The Take
Freddie Jackson
An engaging adaptation of Martina Cole's novel of the same name, 2009's The Take is a four-part crime drama spearheaded by Tom Hardy in the leading role of Freddie Jackson. A brutish career criminal fresh off a stint in prison now returning to make a name for himself, Jackson is one of Hardy's most unashamedly villainous roles to date; a deeply unsympathetic character without a single redeeming aspect that the Legend star completely throws himself into portraying.
Hardy met his future wife, Charlotte Riley, for the first time while filming The Take.
Jackson might be one of Hardy's most unlikable characters, but he's undoubtedly one of the Englishman's most impressive and memorable dramatic charges in of sheer authenticity. The Dunkirk star is absolutely terrifying as Freddie, a volatile cocktail of brutal violence and sadistic malice brought to life in a performance that is as sinister as it is believable. Hardy's electric screen chemistry with his future wife, Charlotte Riley, serves as the cherry on the cake for a notably underappreciated crime offering.
3 Oliver Twist
Bill Sikes
One of Charles Dickens's best books, Oliver Twist serves as the inspiration for a five-episode television adaptation from the BBC. Debuting in 2007, the series features Hardy as one of Dickens' most prominent characters in the novel; Bill Sikes. A violent thug who Oliver encounters after being adopted into Fagin's gang, Sikes is never seen without his faithful bull terrier, Bullseye; a coincidental tip of the hat to Hardy's famous love for dogs.
Oliver Reed's foreboding take on the character in 1968's Oliver! might have seemed scary, but he pales in comparison to Hardy's version of Sikes.
The Englishman's adaptability is on full display in his bow as Sikes, breathing life into one of Dickens' most notorious villains in unnervingly convincing fashion. Oliver Reed's foreboding take on the character in 1968's Oliver! might have seemed scary, but he pales in comparison to Hardy's version of Sikes. The Englishman captures his charge's volatility and penchant for violence with terrifying authenticity, serving as a worthy antagonist for one of the best Dickens adaptations in recent memory.
2 Taboo
James Delaney
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In 1814, in the wake of his father's death, British businessman James Delaney returns to England, having spent the past twelve years in Africa. As he has little to his name, he sets about trying to reclaim his inheritance, against the gritty backdrop of 19th century London's political corruption, underhanded business practices, and criminal activity.
An eight-episode drama series created by Steven Knight and set during the 19th century, 2017's Taboo sees Tom Hardy step into the role of James Delaney. An adventurer who is presumed dead after spending more than a decade in Africa, the mysterious Delaney returns to London following the death of his father. The series received positive reviews, with Hardy's performance in the leading role highlighted as one of the show's strongest aspects.
Steven Knight and Tom Hardy collaborations |
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|---|---|
Locke (2013) |
Film |
Peaky Blinders (2014-2022) |
TV series |
Taboo (2017) |
TV series |
Hardy lends his trademark brooding gravitas to the character of Delaney, stealing every scene that he appears in off the back of his intense presence against the backdrop of a first-rate period drama. The moral ambiguity of Hardy's vengeful charge affords him a wider degree of freedom in bringing this memorable anti-hero to life, a state of affairs that the Englishman leverages to its maximum. Taboo has its shortcomings, but Hardy's bow as Delaney decidedly does not.
1 Peaky Blinders
Alfie Solomons
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Peaky Blinders
- Release Date
- 2013 - 2022-00-00
- Showrunner
- Steven Knight
- Directors
- Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper, Colm McCarthy, Tim Mielants, David Caffrey, Anthony Byrne
Cast
Annabelle Wallis-
Ian Peck
WHERE TO WATCH
Peaky Blinders is a historical crime drama created and written by Steven Knight and starring Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, and Helen McCrory. The television show is based on the gang, Peaky Blinders, a group that banded together after the end of World War I.
- Seasons
- 6
One of the most beloved and influential British series of all time, Peaky Blinders is a gangster epic focusing on a Birmingham crime family set in 1900s England. Starring Cillian Murphy in the leading role of Tommy Shelby, Steven Knight's period crime drama sees the show's titular gang encounter all manner of colorful ing characters and villains across six seasons. These characters include a charismatic Jewish gangster from Camden Town by the name of Alfie Solomons, brought to life by Tom Hardy in his finest television performance.
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Cillian Murphy is returning as Tommy Shelby, but in a Peaky Blinders movie over season 7.
A veteran of the First World War who uses a bakery as a cover for his distillery business, Alfie serves as the personification of the phrase "no honor among thieves." An electric screen presence given to philosophical musings and unpredictable bouts of intense violence, Hardy crackles in every scene that he appears in as Solomons, clearly relishing the creative freedom afforded to him by such an atypical character. A series mainstay who appeared in thirteen episodes after being introduced in the show's second season, Tom Hardy proved to be a compelling addition to an already first-rate show.
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