Tom Hardy aka Edward Thomas Hardy, best known for taking over for Mel Gibson in blockbuster "Mad Max: Fury Road", is all set to celebrate his 38th birthday on 15 September, 2015 (Tuesday).

A London-born actor, who started off in supporting roles, has come a long way to become part of cult movies like "Mad Max: Fury Road" "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Inception" among many others.

Though he may not really qualify as a full-fledged commercial actor unlike his contemporaries, he still makes his presence felt with his outstanding performance and mind-blowing dialogue deliveries.

Life hasn't really been a bed of rose for Tom Hardy. After fighting and dealing with alcohol addiction and end of his marriage, this actor is now considered as one of Britain's brightest talents.

On his birthday, we compile some interesting "did you knows" about Tom Hardy that will surprise you.

1) Hardy was expelled from Reed's School for theft, and then kicked out of Richmond Drama School. In fact, he also failed to complete his studies at Drama Centre London.

2) Every tattoo on Tom Hardy's body has a story to tell. "Every tattoo I have means something to me. Each one is something that I've been through in my life or I've done or I've been," he said in an interview with Global Mail.

3) Before turning to acting full-time, Hardy won a modelling competition on Channel 4's "The Big Breakfast."

4) The actor spent his teens and early 20s battling delinquency, alcoholism and addiction to crack cocaine. He reportedly blamed the collapse of his five-year marriage to Sarah Ward for his addiction.

5) One of Tom Hardy's early aspirations was to become a rapper, and he actually came closer to making it a reality.

6) Tom is involved with Cambridge-based homeless charity FLACK, and The Prince's Trust and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, among others.

Also, check out best quotes by the actor from some of Tom Hardy's blockbusters.

Star Trek: Nemesis: "Captain Picard. Jean-Luc Picard. I'd always imagined you a little taller. Isn't that odd?"

Just in case you forgot, Hardy played the villain in mid-90s movie "Star Trek". What do we say, this is what his character Shinzon had to tell Captain Picard.

Mad Max: Fury Road: "My name is Max. My world is fire. And blood."

In this Hardy's character is like a man of few words, and a lot of action. Whatever we say about this film or Hardy's character Max Rockatansky, it's just too less.

Inception: "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling."

Hardy who plays Eames, tells this to his co-conspirators as he encourages them to maximise their imaginations. 

The Dark Knight Rises: "We will destroy Gotham. And then, when it is done and Gotham is ... ashes ... then you have my permission to die."

Hardy's villainous character Bane tells this while taunting Batman.

Bronson: "You don't want to be trapped inside with me, sunshine. Inside, I'm someone nobody wants to fuck with. Do you understand?"

Hardy in the title role of notorious Charles Bronson is absolutely unrecognisable, but his dialogues are just worth every money spent to watch this film.

Lawless: "It is not the violence that sets a man apart — it's the distance he is prepared to go."

Hardy plays the real man here. He is one of the three bootlegging brothers in the film, which also features Jason Clarke and Shia LaBeouf.

The Drop: "People like this, they take something from you, and you let them, they just act like they can keep coming back and you still owe them something and they never, never change. You can never change their mind."

Hardy's deceptive character Bob of a harmless bartender, tells this to Matthias Schoenaerts.

Catch the best of Tom Hardy --- here's a list of 10 best movies to celebrate the star's birthday.

1) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

2) Bronson (2009)

3) Inception (2010)

4) The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

5) Black Hawk Down (2001)

6) Layer Cake (2005)

7) The Drop (2014)

8) Warrior (2011)

9) Locke (2014)

10) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)