Stephen Hawking in Popular Culture

No scientist since Einstein has been as recognisable to the general public as Stephen Hawking. His synthesised voice, his cameos on hit television shows, and the Oscar-winning film of his life made him a genuine cultural figure, a rare bridge between the laboratory and the living room. He understood the value of that reach, and used it to bring science to audiences who would never open a textbook.

These pages look at how the wider world met him: the acclaimed biopic The Theory of Everything and Eddie Redmayne's award-winning performance; his many television and film appearances, from Star Trek to The Simpsons to The Big Bang Theory; the story of the voice, the 1980s speech synthesiser he refused to give up because it had become part of who he was; and the documentaries and series in which he explained the cosmos himself.

For the real life behind the cultural image, see his biography; for the science the cameos rarely had time for, the discoveries.