Armie Hammer

With the help of a little movie magic and his innate talent, Armie Hammer pulled off one of the most talked-about film performances of 2010. The actor and great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer earned glowing reviews for his scene-stealing portrayal of real-life twins in "The Social Network" (2010), directed by David Fincher. While the film explored the complicated and controversial founding of the social website Facebook, it was Hammer's dual role that garnered some of the loudest buzz from critics and viewers alike. Before this breakthrough part, Hammer stirred up drama with a recurring guest appearance on the hit primetime series "Gossip Girl" (The CW, 2007-2012), a sure sign that his leading man stature and swagger made the actor viable for an array of television projects and blockbuster features. His well-received co-starring performance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Clint Eastwood's biopic "J. Edgar" (2011) only confirmed his status as a fast-rising Hollywood star, and even his title role in the notorious flop "The Lone Ranger" (2013) did little to slow his career.

Armand Douglas Hammer was born to a prominent family on August 28, 1986 in Los Angeles. His great-grandfather was oil tycoon, art collector and philanthropist Armand Hammer, who controlled the corporation Occidental Petroleum from 1957 to 1990. His businessman father, Michael Armand Hammer, owned a television and production company in Los Angeles. As a young man, the future star often traveled between Southern California and the Cayman Islands, where his father opened a non-profit Christian radio station and a school called the Grace Christian Academy. Hammer attended the latter before transferring to L.A. Baptist School in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. With his father's background in the film industry, it did not take long for Hammer to get bit by the acting bug. He made his television debut in 2005 with a cameo on the critically acclaimed yet short-lived comedy "Arrested Development" (Fox, 2003-06) followed by a minor role on the mystery drama series "Veronica Mars" (UPN, 2004-06; The CW, 2006). Hammer's feature film career began with supporting roles in independent movie projects, including the drama "Flicka" (2006) with Alison Lohman and Tim McGraw, and the psychological horror "Blackout" (2007) opposite Amber Tamblyn. He landed his first starring role in the 2008 biographical film "Billy: The Early Years." Hammer portrayed world-renowned Christian evangelist Billy Graham, from his teen years during the Great Depression to his rise in popularity in the late 1940s. Hammer gained more mainstream prominence after landing two recurring television roles in 2009 - as the devil's son on "Reaper" (The CW, 2007-09) and as a dashing European socialite on the high-society drama "Gossip Girl." Hammer's "Gossip Girl" story arc - one that had his character wooing Upper East Side queen Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) - was reportedly inspired by the controversial real-life breakup of actress Anne Hathaway and Italian real estate developer-turned-convicted fraud Raffaello Follieri. In 2010, Hammer proved he was more than just Hollywood's latest "It" boy with a challenging and much heralded role in "The Social Network," a David Fincher-directed drama about the founding of Facebook. The actor portrayed real-life identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The film required two actors - Hammer and Josh Pence - to embody the twins' movements and speech patterns on camera. To emulate the characters' identical features, special effects were implemented post-production to digitally replace Pence's face with Hammer's. "The Social Network" debuted at No. 1 at the box office in October 2010 and earned Hammer early buzz for various acting award nominations. He next had a key role in Clint Eastwood's acclaimed biopic "J. Edgar" (2011), playing Clyde Tolson, the right-hand man and rumored lover of feared FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio). After his part as the literal Prince Charming in the playful Snow White adaptation "Mirror Mirror" (2012), Hammer prepared for his first headlining role, portraying the title hero of "The Lone Ranger" alongside Johnny Depp's heavily made-up Tonto. Despite plenty of promotion, the movie was a resounding dud, but most reviews placed the blame on Depp and director Gore Verbinski rather than Hammer. After a self-deprecating cameo in the film version of the hit TV series "Entourage" (2015), Hammer returned to leading man status as Russian spy Illya Kuryakin in Guy Ritchie's "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."