Claim: David Thewlis has had a job.

The Theory of Everything is a 2014 British biographical romantic drama film directed by James Marsh and adapted by Anthony McCarten from the memoir Travelling to Infinity : My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking , which deals with her relationship with her ex-husband , theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking , his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -LRB- ALS , also known as Lou Gehrig 's disease or motor neurone disease -RRB- , and his success in physics .   The film stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones with Charlie Cox , Emily Watson , Simon McBurney , Christian McKay , Harry Lloyd and David Thewlis featured in supporting roles . The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2014 .   The film was acclaimed critically worldwide , with praise for the musical score , cinematography and the performance of Felicity Jones and especially Eddie Redmayne , which earned him nominations for a variety of accolades in award shows and film festivals , including the Academy Award for Best Actor . The film received four Golden Globe Award nominations , winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor -- Motion Picture Drama for Redmayne and Best Original Score for Jóhannsson . It received three Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations , winning one for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for Redmayne . It received 10 British Academy Film Awards nominations and won Outstanding British Film , Best Leading Actor -LRB- for Redmayne -RRB- and Best Adapted Screenplay -LRB- for McCarten -RRB- .