Stephen Hawking

He acquired (the incurable) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) in the early 1960s. He was given less than two years to live but survived for more than fifty. Towards the end of his life he could barely move or talk...but could still think. And humankind continues as beneficiary of this man's brilliance.

He is a big fan of Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) and the only person ever to play himself in any Star Trek film or series. He is also a fan of Doctor Who (1963) and Red Dwarf (1988).

He and his first wife, Jane Wilde, had three children: Robert (b. 1967), Lucy (b. 1969) and Timothy (b. 1979).

In 1978, he received an honorary B.A. degree from Oxford University and a Ph.D from Cambridge (1981), Notre Dame (1982) and New York University (1982). He received a First Class honours degree from Oxford (1962) and a Ph.D from Cambridge (1966).

He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009 and achieved commercial success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; his book A Brief History of Time appeared on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. At the release party for the home video version of the A Brief History of Time, Leonard Nimoy, who had played Spock on Star Trek, learned that Hawking was interested in appearing on the show.

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1982 Queen's Honours List for his services to science.

He played himself in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), The Simpsons (1989), Futurama (1999) and The Big Bang Theory (2007).

He was awarded the Companion of Honour in the 1989 Queen's Honours List for his services to science.

Nimoy made the necessary contact, and Hawking played a holographic simulation of himself in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1993.

His electronic voice was used in Pink Floyd's song "Keep Talking" from their 1994 album "The Division Bell".

The same year, his synthesiser voice was recorded for the Pink Floyd song "Keep Talking", and in 1999 for an appearance on The Simpsons. Hawking also guest-starred in Futurama and The Big Bang Theory.

Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. His scientific works include a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. Hawking was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.

Hawking was portrayed by actors including Benedict Cumberbatch (in the 2004 TV movie Hawking) and Eddie Redmayne (in The Theory of Everything), but appeared as himself in shows including "The Big Bang Theory," "The Simpsons," and "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Coincidentally, when Redmayne won an Oscar for playing him, Cumberbatch was nominated for playing another famous English scientist: Alan Turing (in "The Imitation Game").

Hawking allowed the use of his copyrighted voice in the biographical 2014 film The Theory of Everything, in which he was portrayed by Eddie Redmayne in an Academy Award-winning role.

He featured in television commercials for Jaguar autos in the UK in 2016.

He died on March 14, 2018. March 14th is also known as "Pi Day" because the date can be written as 3.14.