‘Loki’ Star Tom Hiddleston: What to Know About the Beloved Marvel Actor

With the premiere of Loki, the latest Marvel show on Disney+, Tom Hiddleston is once again proving that he’s one of the superhero franchise’s star players. The 40-year-old actor has been a part of the MCU since he took on the role of Loki, Thor’s brother and the God of Mischief, in 2011’s Thor. This breakout role turned him into a household name, leading to a prolific and celebrated career in Hollywood.

Early Life

Hiddleston was born in London in 1981 and attended Eton College as a boy. He went on to study the Classics at Cambridge University and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he graduated in 2005. Following his education, he went on to have supporting roles in productions like Miss Austen Regrets, Midnight in Paris, War Horse, and Cranford. He also appeared in the crime drama Wallander alongside actor and director Kenneth Branagh, a relationship that would end up making his career. 

Big Break

Branagh was selected by Marvel to direct Thor, and Hiddleston auditioned to play the God of Thunder. While the role ended up going to Chris Hemsworth, Branagh had a different idea. Hiddleston ended up winning the role of Loki, and the film ended up being a major breakout for him and for Hemsworth. Loki became a fan-favorite with the first Thor film, and that only magnified after the release of 2012’s The Avengers, where Hiddleston was the primary villain. The actor earned an extremely dedicated fanbase at this time, known as “Hiddlestoners.”

Marvel Madness

Hiddleston’s appeal was evident during the Hall H panel about Thor: The Dark World in 2013, when the actor came out on stage in full Loki costume and commanded the massive crowd. Hemsworth may have been the lead of the Thor franchise, but Hiddleston was the star. 

Other Projects

Hiddleston also expanded his body of work beyond the MCU, starring in films like Only Lovers Left Alive, I Saw The Light, High-Rise, Crimson Peak, and Kong: Skull Island. While most of these films were smaller than the usual Marvel fare, they proved that Hiddleston was willing to take on interesting projects for the sake of working with prestigious directors.

The Summer of Hiddleswift

While Hiddleston’s romantic life has largely stayed out of headlines, he dated megastar Taylor Swift for three months during the summer of 2016. The brief romance was so thoroughly documented by the paparazzi — including the time when Hiddleston wore a now-infamous tank top that read  “I Heart T.S.” to Swift’s Fourth of July party — many thought that the relationship was simply a stunt for publicity. However, Hiddleston assured the public that it was real. 

“Taylor is an amazing woman. She’s generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time…Of course, it was real,” he told GQ following their breakup. He spoke at length about how the relationship was difficult because of the high-profile nature of their work in the interview. “I only know the woman I met,” he explained. “She’s incredible. A relationship in the limelight… A relationship always takes work. A relationship in the limelight takes work. And it’s not just the limelight. It’s everything else.”

Awards Recognition

Hiddleston received great acclaim for his starring role in the limited series The Night Manager, based on a John la Carré novel of the same name. He received a Primetime Emmy nomination for her performance and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. After reprising the role of Loki in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, Hiddleston returned to the theater starring alongside Charlie Cox in Betrayal in London’s West End. The show eventually got a run on Broadway as well, and Hiddleston received a Tony Award nomination for his performance.

Future Projects

Hiddleston is currently reprising his role as the trickster god in Loki on Disney+, and is also set to voice the character in the upcoming Marvel animated series What If…. Hiddleston will also be starring in the Apple+ series The Essex Serpent alongside Claire Danes.