10 Things You Didn't Know About Eddie Redmayne

He's more than just a Magizoologist.

Fantastic Beasts Eddie Redmayne
Warner Bros.

Eddie Redmayne is a phenomenally versatile actor. Right now, he's helming the world's next foray into the Harry Potter universe, playing the bumbling but charming Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. However, Redmayne has been winning over movie audiences for years.

His first major film role was in 2012, when he played Marius Pontmercy in Tom Hooper's musical adaptation Les Miserables. Since then, Redmayne has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of Hollywood's most reliably satisfying performers.

In four years he's been nominated for two Academy Awards and even bagged one of them, a well-deserved accolade for his stunning role as Stephen Hawking in 2014's The Theory Of Everything.

But Redmayne has been working hard for much longer than four years, appearing on television, the stage and even the pages of fashion magazines before finally making it big. With Fantastic Beasts dominating the box office, and four sequels to come, it's a good time to learn more about the man behind the Magizoologist.

10. He Went To School With Prince William

Fantastic Beasts Eddie Redmayne
Chris Ison/PA Archive

Eddie Redmayne might be well on his way to establishing himself as acting royalty (an Oscar for Best Actor will do that), but when he was younger he experienced a very different kind of royalty.

As a kid, Redmayne attended Eton College, an independent boarding school for boys. Eton is incredibly prestigious (and probably a bit pretentious), having been founded almost six-hundred years ago in 1440 by King Henry VI.

According to Redmayne, he went to Eton with Prince William. Apparently the two were friends, and even played on the same rugby team, though they haven't actually seen each other since they left.

He also claims that he used to feel sorry for William, who, known as the future King of England, was subject to an excessive number of rugby tackles from fellow pupils. Take that, monarchy!

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Contributor

Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.