British physicist Stephen Hawking is all smiles after his flight at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral
British physicist Stephen Hawking is all smiles after his flight at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida April 26, 2007. Hawking took a flight on Thursday that gave the renowned scientist, who is confined to a wheelchair, a taste of the weightlessness of space. Reuters/Charles W Luzier

Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything” not only won him Oscar’s Best Actor Award, but also a congratulatory praise from the physicist himself.

Eddie Redmayne was personally greeted for his Oscar win by Stephen Hawking, who took to his Facebook page to congratulate the actor. The physicist recently wrote, “Congratulations to Eddie Redmayne for winning an ‪#‎Oscar for playing me in The Theory of Everything Movie. Well done Eddie, I'm very proud of you.-SH.” His sweet message to the actor has since received 179, 602 likes and 10, 870 shares. A total of 2, 485 Facebook users took time to comment on his post, others congratulating not just Redmayne but also Hawking himself for being an extraordinary person. User Fek' Mñz congratulated both Redmayne and Stephen Hawking and said “an amazing actor was needed to perform the life of an amazing person!” Another FB user named Joanna 'Sandgirl' Bialek thought Stephen being proud of the actor is a far better award than winning an Oscar.

According to Mail Online, Stephen Hawking missed out on the 87th Academy Awards held on Sunday since he was not well. The scriptwriter for “A Theory of Everything”, Anthony McCarten revealed the 73-year old was told by doctors he is not fit to fly. However, his presence during the awards ceremony was felt when Eddie Redmayne paid tribute to the physicist during his acceptance speech.

The actor reportedly paid his respects to all those suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but specially mentioned in his speech Stephen Hawking's “exceptional family-Jane, Jonathan and the Hawking children.” He also thanked fellow co-star Felicity Jones, who played Stephen Hawking’s wife Jane, and his own wife Hannah Bagshawe.

According to NBC News, following the Oscar awards ceremony, Eddie Redmayne said he intends to visit Stephen Hawking to celebrate his best actor win. Hawking and Redmayne had recently spent time together prior to the Oscar’s ceremony. Mail Online revealed the physicist was there to cheer on Eddie Redmayne when he won another top prize during the BAFTA Awards held in early February.

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