Mention the name Armie Hammer and you’ll most likely get a blank look. After all, the name isn’t as familiar as Hugh Jackman or Chris Hemsworth. But given the rising star of this 31-year-old American actor, the name Armie Hammer may soon reach A-list status, as Matthew Myers discovers.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, with a stint in the Cayman Islands, Hammer dropped out of high school to study acting and landed his first appearances on television shows such as Arrested Development and Desperate Housewives. But it was when he played, of all people, Christian evangelist Billy Graham in the 2008 movie Billy: The Early Years, that his reputation began to grow. In fact, a Christian media group was so impressed with Hammer’s portrayal of the evangelist that they nominated him for a Faith and Values Award!
But in true character diversity, Hammer was then personally chosen by Aussie director George Miller to star as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the Justice League: Mortal movie, which sadly never saw the light of day. Still widely sought after, he played identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (with the help of CGI) in the 2010 Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook biopic The Social Network. The film’s success introduced the actor to cinemagoers on a worldwide level.
Given his good looks and acting talent, it was of no surprise to see Hammer move onto bigger-budget projects alongside notable stars. In 2011 he was cast in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar with Leonardo DiCaprio and the following year played Prince Alcott alongside Julia Roberts in the comedy drama Mirror Mirror. He then donned the black mask as The Lone Ranger partnering Johnny Depp and in 2015 joined Superman himself, Henry Cavill, in Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
While his popularity even brought him a guest spot on The Simpsons, reprising his role as the Winklevoss twins, his most noteworthy and significant role thus far comes with this year’s Call Me By Your Name. Somewhat the controversial movie, Hammer is obviously an actor who takes risks, which is something the more dexterous of actors have done in their careers.
At six feet, five inches with smoldering looks, Hammer is the kind of actor giving the likes of Chris Pratt or Channing Tatum a run for their money. In fact he’s currently leading at No.1 in the various Hollywood hunks polls! Married to television actress Elizabeth Chambers (2 Broke Girls), the couple has a three-year-old daughter and son born earlier this year. In a Playboy interview a few years back he spoke candidly about his sex life, even saying he had kept one of the Lone Ranger masks! But the actor drew the line at playing Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey, citing it was just mommy porn. “I’m not going to sit on top of the laundry machine in spin cycle reading about putting a ball gag in someone’s mouth. That doesn’t do it for me,” he said.
What does do it though, is taking on a role that’s both challenging and controversial, but brings with it integrity and creativity in what he’s described as ‘uncomfortable art’. In fact, Call Me By Your Name is not Hammer’s first gay role. Clyde Tolson in J Edgar and James Lord in the recently released Final Portrait were both homosexual characters.
The star’s next role will be alongside Jason Isaacs in Hotel Mumbai, which portrays the real-life drama of the Mumbai, India terrorist attacks of 2008. As the movie was shot in Australia last year, Hammer wound up celebrating his thirtieth birthday with family in Adelaide and dined in the Barossa Valley.
But perhaps the quirkiest and cutest bit of media attention the star has received was when his goofy dance from Call Me By Your Name (to the Psychedelic Furs Love My Way) went viral. Bloggers took to dubbing in various music grabs from Rihanna to Taylor Swift, making Hammer’s dance an Internet sensation.
In fact it was after seeing Home Alone way back in 1990 that Hammer decided to enter the acting profession, because making movies looked ‘fun’. In 2017 it looks like the actor has discovered the film world can be more than just fun. Going by the look on his face, it can be pure bliss.
