<B>From playing a rogue agent in <I>Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy</I>, to taking on the role of villainous Bane in <I>Batman: The Dark Knight Rises</I>—an in-depth look the versatile and edgy actor</B> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal> </P><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>With his raw talent, edginess, and ability to utterly inhabit the characters he plays, Tom Hardy is well on his way to becoming the finest actor of his generation. With a host of critically acclaimed performances under his belt, Tom's star is undoubtedly in the ascendant. Born into an idyllic, middle-class, suburban life, by his teenage years Tom had grown restless and started to rebel. Bad behavior in the form of alcoholism, drug abuse, and criminal activity ensued and, after a brief stint working as a model, fate intervened and he found his way into an acting course at a local college. Having been plucked from drama school to appear in <I>Band of Brothers</I>, by 2003 his addictions had got the better of him and he collapsed in Soho. Rehabilitation followed, as did a rare second chance at hitting the big time. It was Hardy's stand-out performances as Stuart Shorter in BBC TV's <I>Stuart, A Life Backwards</I> and as Britain's most notorious prisoner in the film <I>Bronson</I> which really made audiences and critics sit up and take notice. Since then, he has earned himself a reputation as a shape-shifting actor with the skill to slip effortlessly in and out of contrasting characters such as Eames in the blockbuster <I>Inception</I> and Heathcliff in <I>Wuthering</I><I> Heights</I>. This biography explores his wayward youth, his drama school years, his burnout, and his complex route to eventual success. With a host of major films in 2012 and beyond, he is clearly Hollywood's hottest property.