Edward John David Redmayne was born on 6 January 1982 in
Westminster, London.[2][3] His mother, Patricia (née Burke), runs a
relocation business, and his father, Richard Redmayne, is a businessman in
corporate finance. His paternal great-grandfather was Sir
Richard Redmayne (1865–1955), a civil and mining engineer, and a leading figure in improving mine safety in the early twentieth century.[4] Sir Richard also led an enquiry into an experiment by the chain
Boots to reduce the working week, allowing workers to have a 48-hour weekend, which found that the workers were happier, had better health, and were less likely to be absent,[5] and advocated for its adoption across wider industry.[6] He has an elder brother,
James Redmayne, a younger brother, and an elder half-brother, Charlie Redmayne, who is
CEO of the UK division of publisher
HarperCollins[4] and a half-sister.[7]
Redmayne attended
Eaton House,[8] followed by
St Paul's Juniors (formerly Colet Court), on a choral scholarship, where he sang with the St Paul’s Choir,[9] then on a music scholarship to
Eton College,[9] where he was in the same year as
Prince William.[10][11] From the age of 10, Redmayne attended Jackie Palmer Stage School, where he found his love for acting and singing.[12][13] He went on to read History of Art at
Trinity College, Cambridge, specialising in Venetian architecture and surrealism,[14] and graduated with
2:1 Honours in 2003.[15] He received a choral scholarship to attend Cambridge.[16] He wrote his theses on
Brâncuși and
Yves Klein;[17] although
colour blind, he wrote the
final thesis on
International Klein Blue (IKB), which he has described as being highly emotional, and which he can always distinguish from others.[18] While at Cambridge, Redmayne was a member of the
University Pitt Club.[19]
Redmayne starred in Now or Later by
Christopher Shinn at the
Royal Court Theatre. The show ran from 3 September to 1 November 2008.[24] His performance received glowing reviews,[25] with critic and playwright
Nicholas de Jongh describing the performance as "riveting, suffused with the lineaments of neurosis and sadness."[25]
In November 2021, he returned to the stage as Emcee in a West End revival of
Cabaret at the
Playhouse Theatre, remodelled as the 'Kit Kat Club'. He previously played the role in a production at
Eton when he was 17 years-old, and then again in a production at the
Edinburgh Fringe.[33] Redmayne successfully approached
Jessie Buckley to star alongside him as
Sally Bowles, as well as
Rebecca Frecknall about directing the production.[33] The revival drew rave reviews,[34][35] with critic
John Lahr stating that the 'scintillating show' also offered the 'rousing spectacle of the next generation’s theatrical talent on the ascendant.' [36]Lahr described Redmayne's interpretation of the Emcee as "thrilling", "a puckish portrait of violent innocence, a cross between Peter Lorre and Peter Pan", with a "chilling metamorphosis".[36] John Nathan remarked, "Redmayne is a marvel. His Emcee — a slightly different species from the rest of the humans — is quite the most mercurial animal I have seen on stage".[37] The revival led with seven wins at the
2022 Olivier Awards, including
Best Musical Revival and Redmayne's own for
Best Actor in a Musical, setting a record for being the most award-winning revival in Olivier history, as well for being the first production to obtain awards in all 4 eligible acting categories.[38] In April 2024, the production transferred to the
August Wilson Theatre on
Broadway, where he reprised the role of the Emcee opposite
Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles.[39] For his performance, Redmayne received a nomination for the
Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical at the
77th Tony Awards.[40]
Film and television
Redmayne made his screen debut in 1998 in an episode of Animal Ark.[41] His television credits include the BBC miniseries Tess of the d'Urbervilles, the miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, and the two-part miniseries Birdsong.[42]David Chater, who served as a correspondent in many conflict-ridden areas, described his performance as a WWI soldier in Birdsong as "mesmerising", "astonishing", "so little is visible on the surface and yet a whole universe of emotions is simmering away behind those limpid eyes."[43]
In 2014, Redmayne starred as
Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, a role for which he won the
Academy Award,
BAFTA,
Golden Globe, and
Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor, depicting the debilitating challenges of
ALS.[50][51] Stephen Hawking was very pleased by the portrayal, stating "I thought Eddie Redmayne portrayed me very well. At times I thought he was me. I think Eddie’s commitment will have a big emotional impact."[52][53] Dr Katie Sidle, a consultant neurologist specialising in the field of
motor neurone disease (MND), stated in an interview in the
British Medical Journal, "Eddie’s performance in the film was utterly remarkable . . . The patients and carers loved the film. They thought it was very relevant to them."[54]
In early 2015, Redmayne appeared in the
Wachowski sisters' film, Jupiter Ascending as Balem Abrasax. The film was widely panned, including his performance, and won him the
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor.[55]
In recent years, the film and the performance have been re-evaluated,[56] with Keith Phipps writing that the "film has shown every sign of turning into a full-fledged cult hit."[57] Writing in
Vanity Fair in 2018, Laura Bradley remarked that "the idea that this film would have been improved by Redmayne playing his part in a more conventional (read: boring) manner is absurd."[58] In 2022, Joe Hoeffner echoing her thoughts, felt that with a more "normal villain", "the rest of the film would be flatter, less colorful, less deliriously camp...no matter what happens you can’t take your eyes off of the spacefaring Oedipus with the voice of a chainsmoker."[59]
That same year, Redmayne starred in the biographical drama The Danish Girl, directed by
Academy Award-winning director
Tom Hooper. In the film, released in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2016, Redmayne portrayed
transgender pioneer
Lili Elbe, a casting choice that was met with backlash from the transgender community.[62] Nonetheless, Redmayne's performance garnered critical acclaim; in January 2016, he earned his second nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Actor in consecutive years.[63][64] Redmayne later acknowledged the controversy surrounding his casting by stressing the importance of casting transgender people to play transgender characters.[65]
In 2022, Redmayne starred in the
biographicalcrime thriller film, The Good Nurse, playing notorious serial killer
Charles Cullen, and was nominated for a
Golden Globe Award, a
British Academy Film Award, and a
Screen Actors Guild Award. Leah Greenblatt at Entertainment Weekly wrote, "an eerie, pitch-perfect Redmayne, wearing Charlie's nice-guy drag like a battering ram, lets his mask slip so incrementally that the final scenes feel like a true terrifying rupture."[70] Aurora Amidon at
Paste remarked, "Redmayne plays Charles with such a sense of naturalism and magnetic intensity that it’s easy to forget he’s not in the room right there with you."[71]
Redmayne has been widely admired for his style, with
Vogue describing him as having "seemingly preternatural panache on the red carpet, his deft ability to make even the nattiest and most colorful suits seem like second skin."[75] In the September 2012 issue of Vanity Fair, he was featured on its annual International Best Dressed List.[76] In 2015, he was named number one in British GQ's 50 best dressed British men,[77] and then again in 2016.[78]Sir Elton John and
David Furnish described him as "the stylish intersection where Cary Grant's style meets Fred Astaire's lithe elegance."[78]GQ also named him as one of "the Most Stylish Men Alive" in 2015 [79] and one of "the 13 Most Stylish Men In The World Right Now" in 2016.[80]
Personal life
Redmayne married Hannah Bagshawe on 15 December 2014.[81] They have a daughter, Iris, born in 2016[82] and a son, Luke, born in 2018.[81]
In August 2014, he was appointed ambassador of film education charity
Into Film.[84] He has been a patron of the
Motor Neurone Disease Association since 2015, having become associated with the charity following his portrayal of Stephen Hawking.[85] He is an ambassador of the
Teenage Cancer Trust.[86] He is a patron of Go Live Theatre Projects (earlier known as Mousetrap Theatre Projects), a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children and young people through theatre, especially those who are disadvantaged or have additional needs.[87][88]
^"Jackie Palmer Stage School 'over the moon' for Oscar-winning former pupil Eddie Redmayne". Bucks Free Press. 23 February 2015.
Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017. Marylyn Phillips, Principal of Jackie Palmer Stage School, says that Eddie and his former classmates James Corden and Aaron Taylor Johnson all keep in touch with the school that helped them on the way to stardom.
^"Eddie Redmayne Goes Undercover on YouTube, Reddit and Twitter | GQ". Youthhhube.
Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020. [...]this is true so Jackie Palmer stage school is a place in High Wickham outside of London and I would go there at weekends and do sort of acting and singing. And James was there. He was a couple years older me and my memory of it is he was a brilliant street dancer and we became pals[...]
^Schmank, M. Susie (20 June 2016).
"Eddie Redmayne and his wife welcome a baby girl". Los Angeles Times.
Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2018. ...welcomed their first child ... into the world on June 15, a representative confirmed to The Times. Source cites parents' representative in The Times (London).
^Billington, Michael (6 December 2011).
"Richard II - review". The Guardian.
Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.