Thomas William Hiddleston was born in Westminster, London, to English-born Diana Patricia (Servaes) and Scottish-born James Norman Hiddleston. His mother, a former stage manager, and his father, a scientist and managing director of a pharmaceutical company, had a significant impact on his early life. Hiddleston began his educational journey at The Dragon School in Oxford before moving to Eton College at the age of 13, coinciding with his parents' divorce. He then pursued his higher education at the University of Cambridge, where he earned a double first in Classics.
During his time at the University of Cambridge, Hiddleston was discovered by the Hamilton Hodell agency while performing in a play, and subsequently signed with them. He made his television debut in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby in 2001, followed by his first film role in Joanna Hogg's Unrelated in 2007. His breakthrough role came when he portrayed the villainous Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe feature film Thor in 2011, a character he would reprise in The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War.
In addition to his film work, Hiddleston has appeared in a range of other projects, including Steven Spielberg's War Horse, The Deep Blue Sea, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, and the romantic vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive. On television, he has appeared in the BBC series The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV" and "Henry V". In theatre, he has been involved in productions of "Cymbeline" and "Ivanov", earning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play for his role in "Cymbeline" and a nomination for his role as Cassio in "Othello".
