Eddie Redmayne appeared in a film.
Eddie Redmayne . In 2014 , Redmayne portrayed English physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything , winning an Academy Award , a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor . The Theory of Everything is a 2014 British biographical romantic drama film directed by James Marsh and adapted by Anthony McCarten from the memoir Travelling to Infinity : My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking , which deals with her relationship with her ex-husband , theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking , his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS , also known as Lou Gehrig 's disease or motor neurone disease ) , and his success in physics . The film stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones with Charlie Cox , Emily Watson , Simon McBurney , Christian McKay , Harry Lloyd and David Thewlis featured in supporting roles . The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2014 . The film was acclaimed critically worldwide , with praise for the musical score , cinematography and the performance of Felicity Jones and especially Eddie Redmayne , which earned him nominations for a variety of accolades in award shows and film festivals , including the Academy Award for Best Actor . The film received four Golden Globe Award nominations , winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor -- Motion Picture Drama for Redmayne and Best Original Score for Jóhannsson . It received 10 British Academy Film Awards nominations and won Outstanding British Film , Best Leading Actor ( for Redmayne ) and Best Adapted Screenplay ( for McCarten ) .