10 Greatest Actors Alive (And Currently Working)

Perhaps the actor of the moment, Tom Hardy is finally evolving from an outstanding character actor into something more approaching movie star—thanks largely to the great success of Mad Max: Fury Road. But anyone familiar with Hardy beforehand will know that he’s always been the real deal. Able to lift the most straightforward of roles into something else, he’s an uncanny screen presence, and one of cinema’s great chameleons. He approaches every role with an unnerving intensity, and his commitment to his characters is second-to-none.

But it’s taken a long time for Hardy to get where he is, and a stint as a heroin addict only served to stifle his early career promise. This only adds to his aura though, and the overall impression of Hardy as a tough character extends to his off-screen persona as well. Still, there’s a great tenderness beneath this, a layer of empathy that ensures even his most villainous creations have beauty within them, like flowers, encased in concrete.

See Him In: Locke: it’s just him, a car, and a telephone. And it’s utterly compelling.