Eddie Redmayne has paid tribute to Stephen Hawking following the death of the British scientist at the age of 76.
Eddie won the Best Actor Oscar in 2015 for his portrayal of the professor in ‘The Theory Of Everything’.
He described him as having a “truly beautiful mind” and added that he was “the funniest man I have ever met.”
In a statement shared on social media, he said: “We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet. My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family.”
‘The Theory of Everything’ (2014) charted the onset of his illness and his early life as the brilliant student grappling with black holes and the concept of time.
In an interview with W magazine in 2015, Eddie described the lengths he went to in order to perfect his portrayal of the professor.
“To play Stephen Hawking, I made a chronological graph of his physical condition,” he explained. “I literally listed the muscles breaking down scene by scene - what glasses he was wearing, whether he was using one or two walking sticks, what wheelchair he was in.”
The death of renowned British physicist at his home in Cambridge was announced by a family spokesman in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
In a statement, his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said: “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today.
“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.
“His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever.”
Other stars joined Eddie Redmayne in paying their respects on Twitter...