Who is Timothy Hawking?

Born on April 15, 1979 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, Timothy Hawking is a corporate executive, as well as known as the youngest son of the late physicist Stephen Hawking. His father is considered one of the most celebrated scientists of all time and discovered numerous aspects of science in the fields of quantum mechanics and physics.

The Wealth of Timothy Hawking

At the beginning of 2020, Timothy Hawking has an estimated net worth of over $1 million, mainly earned through success in his work as part of the LEGO company.

He likely benefited from his father’s success, as Stephen had an estimated net worth of over $20 million at the time of his death, thanks to the success of many of the works he released.

Early life

Timothy grew up in St Albans and is of British descent. He is the youngest of three children born to educators Stephen and Jane Wilde Hawking. There was much controversy after his birth as he was believed to be the son of Jane during his relationship with Jonathon Hellyer Jones, at the time she and Stephen separated. Although disputes were made, a biological test indeed confirmed this truth, but he stated that he did not consider any father other than Stephen.

He grew up with his two older siblings and lived with his father, who was still able to speak naturally at the time, but his deteriorating physical condition caused him to slowly lose the ability to speak normally. Timothy admitted that he found it difficult to communicate with Stephen, but the two became close as he regularly visited him when he went for treatment. The two also often played games such as chess and ashes grew closerhe even fooled him a few times.

Education and career

Only one of Stephen’s children would pursue a similar career in science, and it wasn’t Timothy who chose a career in business.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Exeter University in England, where he graduated in French and Spanish. He then continued his studies and enrolled at the University of Birmingham and obtained a Master of Science degree. During this period he gained some work experience as an account manager for various small businesses in the UK.

After completing his postgraduate studies, he joined the toy business LEGO as executive. Lego is known as one of the most popular and well-known brands in the world – their toys are actually made up of several plastic bricks of different colors that interlock, leading to the creation of an unlimited number of figures.

Since its inception, Lego has collaborated with various pop culture icons, be it games and movies. They also have six Legoland theme parks around the world. Early in his career, Timothy was part of LEGO’s marketing team, working on long-term partnerships and strategies. He eventually became the company’s brand development manager, based in London.

Father – Stephen Hawking

Stephen grew up in a family of medical professionals – his father worked as a medical researcher while his mother worked as a secretary for a medical institute. The family later settled in St. Albans, where his father worked.

Stephene grew up in a very bright family who were often seen as eccentric by their peers. They often read books and lived in a big cluttered house. As the family placed a high value on education, he attended many prestigious schools in the area, but eventually settled on St. Albans School as they could not afford the high tuition fees of other schools. This led Stephen to live a normal childhood with a group of friends with whom he explored different concepts and played nerd games.

He was smart but was not considered a successful academic as he only focused on subjects he liked. As the years progressed, he tried his best to become more popular, lively, active and witty.

After graduating from high school early, he enrolled at University College, Oxford and found academic work at the university easily. He received a first class degree in physics, and after a trip to Iran he began his studies at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

The success of Stephen Hawking

Hawking would remain with the University of Cambridge throughout his life, an important part of the institution until his death. He was named the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a title he held for three decades while also serving as director of the Center for Theoretical Cosmology. As an academic, he was responsible for a combination of relativity with quantum mechanics, supporting the interpretation of many worlds. He also predicted that black holes emit radiation.

Although he achieved much in the field of academic science, he also made a name for himself in popular science as his theories and writings on cosmology were appreciated by many. His book “A Brief History of Time” was a bestseller for nearly five years. Over the years he received numerous awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

All his life he struggled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, which progressed slowly in his case. Over the years, he became paralyzed and lost his speech, leaving him to speak only with the help of a speech-generating device. He passed away in 2018 after living with the disease for more than five decades.

Private life

Timothy has largely lived out of the spotlight, though it is believed he is married and has a family. He has not openly discussed his personal life apart from his past. While he had many fond memories of his father, he also remembers difficult times for the family. As Stephen’s illness progressed, many assistants and nurses began living with them, leading to a somewhat intrusive setting of their family life. His parents also fought because of his mother’s Christian faith and his father’s lack of faith in religion. His parents divorced though they all remained close to his demise. Some aspects of his father’s life and their family life were adapted in the movie “The theory of everything”, released in 2014.