Yes, Tom Hardy stars in Peaky Blinders. He plays the role of Alfie Solomons, a leader of a Jewish gang based in Camden Town. Hardy made his appearance in the show during its series 2, episode 2.
English actor Edward Thomas Hardy, who goes by his professional alias Tom Hardy, is known for his roles in films and TV series such as Lawless, This Means War, Venom, The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road, Bronson, Wuthering Heights, Taboo, The Virgin Queen and many more. Amidst all his works, his performance in one project which was highly lauded was as Alfie Solomons in the BBC historical crime drama series Peaky Blinders.
Peaky Blinders was created by Steven Knight. The plot of the series is set in Birmingham, England, and revolves around the crime gang Peaky Blinders and its cunning leader, Thomas Shelby. The gang was formed several months after the end of the First World War and is loosely based on the real urban youth gang of the same name. The series has six seasons with a total of 36 episodes. The final series was broadcast in 2022, and it was announced that the series would come to an end with a spin-off movie.
What role does Tom Hardy play in Peaky Blinders?
Hardy portrays the role of Jewish gangster Alfie Solomons. He is the leader of a Jewish gang which is based in Camden Town and his gang runs an illegal distillery. Hardy made his entry in the series through season 2. For the unversed, Hardy's character is based on a real-life Jewish gangster named Alfred Solomon.
When speaking about his character during an interview, The Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight said, "We have portrayed him as funny but with an edgy character. The Jewish gangs of the East End would have been just as famous but for some reason, history seems to have remembered Alfie Solomons. I don't know why. Maybe, he was prosecuted more often."
Is Alfie Solomons a villain in Peaky Blinders?
Not exactly. Tom Hardy's character Alfie Solomons is both an enemy and ally of the Peaky Blinders. The character was played exceptionally well by Hardy, leaving everyone scratching their heads on whether Solomons was the villain or a supporting character. It's safe to say that Solomons is a volatile and dangerous character whose loyalty changes based on his own ambition and greed.
During the second, third, and fourth seasons, Alfie seemed to be a villain for the Peaky Blinders and seemed to change sides depending on what brought him more advantages and power. However, by the fifth season, Alfie and the Peaky Blinders joined hands in order to kill Sir Oswald Mosley.
Did Thomas Shelby kill Alfie Solomons?
At the end of season four, when Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) confronts Alfie for his betrayal, Alfie reveals that he knew Thomas would track him down and would decide to kill him. Solomons reveals that he had cancer and wanted to die on his own terms. However, after Alfie unholsters and fires at Tommy, he is shot in the face and falls to the ground.
In season five it was then revealed that Alfie Solomons never died even after being shot and was living in Margate. His face was scarred from Tommy's shooting and he was left blind in his left eye.
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