Tom Hardy Shares Hilarious Pic Of His Early Acting Days

Tom Hardy is one of the biggest stars in the world of acting, but, if a post that he just shared on Instagram is to be believed, he's never forgotten where he came from.

The megastar recently shared an image of himself as a young colt actor, dressed up in full Shakespearean regalia and looking, well, like a bit of a prat. "We all have to start somewhere Shakespeare and we wasn't ready for it," captioned Hardy.

Despite the old photo, despite the ridiculous getup and despite the years, Hardy is still recognisable, pouting away and generally looking like he's having a great time.

Excitement is fast mounting for Fonzo, which will focus on the later life of the Chicago mobster - in particular, when he was incarcerated for tax evasion and suffering heavily from dementia.

According to the promotional notes, it will depict how Al Capone's 'past becomes present as harrowing memories of his violent and brutal origins melt into his waking life'.

Hardy was always marked out for big things. He won a TV talent search, The Big Breakfast's 'Find Me A Supermodel' competition at the age of just 21, back in 1998 while at drama school, before landing a role in Band of Brothers and making his film debut in 2001's Black Hawk Down.

His career on television began with a role in Star Trek: Nemesis, before Hardy made an impact on the London stage, winning Best Newcomer at the 2003 Evening Standard Theatre Awards. By his mid-20s, Hardy was on the brink of stardom, and he was ready for his big breakout role.

Bronson, which came out in 2008, launched Hardy onto the international film scene: his transformation into the notorious prisoner Charles Bronson, which included putting on three stones in weight, was nothing short of astounding and thrust Hardy into the spotlight.

His role as both of the Kray Twins in Legend is already, well, legendary and Hardy garnered his first Academy Award nomination, in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance alongside Leo DiCaprio in The Revenant.

Outside of acting, Hardy's personal life has attracted significant interest in the British press. He has spoken extensively about struggling with alcohol and drugs in the mid-2000s, just before his career took off properly, and was checked into rehab at one point to beat his addictions.

He married Charlotte Riley, his co-star in Peaky Blinders, and they have a child, plus Tom's other son from a prior relationship.