Remember Stephen Hawking's Story and Legacy With These 5 Films
He was one of the greatest minds of our age, and one of the most inspiring examples of human resilience and curiosity. Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking passed away earlier today at the age of 76—more than fifty years after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare neurological disease that was expected to take his life before he turned 25.
In his time here on Earth, Hawking was known for his research on black holes and relativity, and for tackling bigger existential questions through science. But perhaps more importantly, Hawking's discoveries will not only be remembered by the scientific community, but also by the public-at-large, whom he was able to reach as he became something of a pop culture icon himself.
One of the ways he accomplished this was through films—both about him and his discoveries. Here are a few that will continue his legacy.
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The Theory of Everything
This Oscar-nominated biopic by director James Marsh is easily the most well-known film about Stephen Hawking. It was adapted from the book Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking, and tells the story of Stephen Hawking's early life, including his diagnosis, focusing on his relationship with Jane. Eddie Redmayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Hawking here.
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Hawking (2004)
Before Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch played another Doctor Stephen. In this made-for-TV movie, (which shares a title with another Stephen Hawking biopic from 2013), Cumberbatch portrays the physicist in his years as a Cambridge University student pursuing a PhD in Physics.
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A Brief History of Time
One of Stephen Hawking's most important books was a pop-science title that explains theories on the origin, development, and eventual fate of the universe to people with no scientific background. It was published in 1988 and turned into a movie in 1991.
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Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking
This 2010 Discovery Channel docu-series was written by Stephen Hawking himself, and consists of three episodes, each tackling big pop-science questions: Aliens, Time Travel, and The Story of Everything.
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God, The Universe, and Everything Else
This talk show-format, feature-length film from 1988 features Hawking alongside famous astronomer Carl Sagan and 2001: A Space Odyssey author Arthur C. Clarke, tackling existential questions about the universe together.
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