BWW Profile: Eddie Redmayne Oscar-Nominated Star of Stage and Screen

BWW Profile: Eddie Redmayne Oscar-Nominated Star of Stage and Screen

If the term "up-and-coming actor" needed a poster child, last year I would have said Eddie Redmayne would be a perfect match, owing to his Oscar win as Stephen Hawking in the acclaimed film THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING. Now, I would say the 34-year old British actor has moved from the up-and-coming category into the column of established film actors.

This Oscar season, Redmayne will once again face the red carpet and the possibility of leading actor Academy Award for his role in THE DANISH GIRL as the artist Einar who faces a personal conflict and the expectations of society when he transitions to Lily in the early 20th century.

Redmayne will also visit the early 20th century during his next high profile film in which he will also be introduced to the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling for the FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, opening in late 2016.

Going into the Oscars, Redmayne is highly favored in the Oscar race for best actor, just like last year. Other film roles for which Redmayne has garnered acclaim include Colin Clark, the weeklong companion for a troubled film legend in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN in 2011, and his sensitive and sweetly sung Marius in the hit film adaptation of LES MISERABLES.

Like many of this brother and sister actors from the United Kingdom, Redmayne is also a stage veteran, having originated roles in contemporary works and taken on iconic roles in classical theatre. American audiences first got a taste of his command of the stage when he costarred with Alfred Molina in the award-winning John Logan play RED for which he took home a Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Play in 2010. Redmayne had originated the role of a young art student at the Donmar Warehouse in London where he won the coveted Olivier Award for best supporting actor. Following his triumph in RED, Redmayne tried his hand at Shakespeare, appearing as in the title role of RICHARD II on the London Stage.

Other stages appearances include his debut as a youngster in the Sam Mendes directed revival of OLIVER!. In 2002, he was a memorable Viola in an all-male TWELFTH NIGHT at The Globe Theatre. Two years later, his performance in Edward Albee's THE GOAT OR WHO IS SYLVIA? earned Redmayne the Evening Standard Outstanding Newcomer Award.

Certainly, Redmayne will continue to delight audiences with roles on the stage and the big screen. Born with a proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, Edward John David Redmayne was born January 6, 1982 in London. His parents are Patricia (Burke) and Richard Redmayne, the chair of the prestigious financial house Cantor Fitzgerald Europe. His family lineage goes back many years when fortunes were made selling linens and draperies in London.

Redmayne was educated at Eton College where he was was a classmate of Prince William. The Duke of Cambridge and the actor played on the same rugby team. Another Etonian of the same class: actor Tom Hiddleston.

Photo Credit: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY