Oscars ‘Daily Bite’: Tom Hardy is having a picture-perfect year

Last year was a good one for Tom Hardy, and this year could be even better.

The British actor starred in four major films in 2015. Two passed without much notice -- the Soviet-era thriller “Child 44” and the Kray brothers biopic “Legend” – but two made a much bigger splash: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the 10-time Oscar nominated action film in which Hardy plays the title role, and “The Revenant,” which has earned Hardy his first Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor.

Since appearing in Nicolas Winding Refn’s intense prison film “Bronson” in 2008, Hardy has been hovering somewhere between Actor of His Generation (thanks to his performance in the one-man drama “Locke”) and Major Star (thanks to his turns in Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and “The Dark Knight”). His strong showing at this year’s Oscars certainly helps raise his profile, even if the supporting actor statue seems destined for Sylvester Stallone.

As of this writing, there are rumors that Daniel Craig has dropped out of his James Bond role. Betting sites have Hardy as the leading candidate to fill the suit.