Ben Hardy

Though American audiences first caught wind of actor Ben Hardy when he took on the role of winged mutant Angel in "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016), fans in Hardy's home country of England knew him better as Peter Beale from the long running series "EastEnders" (BBC, 1985-). Born in Bournemouth, Hardy took a strong interest in acting while he was in secondary school, starring in a student film adaptation of "Far from the Madding Crowd." He would study acting at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama before embarking on a successful career on the stage, notably starring with Rupert Everett in a 2013 production of "The Judas Kiss" on London's West End. Later that year, he joined the cast of "EastEnders," and became a familiar face to viewers all over the UK. He would remain with the series for over two years, eventually leaving to appear in "X-Men: Apocalypse." In order to achieve the right posture for a character that would later be outfitted with massive CG wings, Hardy practiced moving around with a ten ft. long pole sitting on his shoulders. His next project would be decidedly more stripped down however, as he was cast as the 19th century writer John Polidori in "Mary Shelley" (2018). Then, after an appearance in the disaster movie "Only the Brave" (2018), Hardy landed another iconic role, portraying Queen drummer Roger Taylor in the musical biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018).