Which actor portrayed Stephen Hawking in the 2014 film 'The Theory of Everything'?

Eddie Redmayne portrayed Stephen Hawking in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything.

Directed by James Marsh, the biographical drama follows Hawking’s early years at Cambridge, his relationship with Jane Wilde, his diagnosis with motor neurone disease, and his rise as a theoretical physicist. Felicity Jones played Jane, whose memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen was the film’s principal source.

Redmayne prepared extensively by studying archival footage and meeting Hawking. His physically demanding performance traced the progression of Hawking’s illness without treating the character’s disability as a simple visual effect. Hawking approved of the portrayal and allowed the film to use his actual electronic voice in its later scenes.

The role became one of Redmayne’s most celebrated performances. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, along with BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild awards. A common mix-up is Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in the 2004 television film Hawking—not The Theory of Everything.