Richard Hammond

Birth Name:

Richard Mark Hammond

Birth Place:

Solihull, Warckswhire, United Kingdom

Profession

Director, Actor, Producer, Soundtrack, Stunts

He was voted Best Hair on TV in a December 2007 poll administered by Brylcreem
Received the 2007 TV Personality of the Year Award at the 10th annual GQ Men of the Year Awards
He attended Harrogate College of Art and Technology from 1987 to 1989 and has a degree in Photography and Television Production
Quote: "I'm aware that I'm a very, very lucky boy in lots of ways․ I try to do my bit to raise awareness about brain injury and how it affects people physically, mentally and socially․"
After finishing Art College, he began working in 1989 as a program assistant on the mid-morning show at BBC Radio York
After several stints in the radio business, he landed a TV role at Granada Men in 1996 that let him talk about and drive around new cars
After moving into a house in 2002, he auditioned for a new series of "Top Gear," but was told by his agent he wouldn't land the job
Paid £2 million in August 2008 for an 18th Century castle in Herefordshire that is reportedly haunted
While filming an episode of "Top Gear" at the former RAF Elvington airbase, he piloted a dragster called Vampire, but the jet-powered car crashed when the front-right tire failed while he was traveling at 288 mph

Fast Facts