Thomas Edison — The Current War Character Profile

About Thomas Edison

Inventor of the electric lightbulb who promotes Direct Current (DC) technology. He fiercely guards his patents, sues Westinghouse, engages in a publicity war by demonstrating AC's dangers, and secretly supports the development of the electric chair. Later marginalized and merged into General Electric.

Thomas Edison — Character Profile

Affiliations

• General Electric
• Continental Edison
• Russian Academy of Sciences
• Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• National Academy of Sciences
• American Philosophical Society
• Academy of Sciences of the USSR
• Naval Advisory Board of Inventions

Quick Facts about Thomas Edison

Education

Cooper Union

Occupation

screenwriter, businessperson, engineer

Manner of Death

Natural causes

Thomas Edison's Known Relations

• Samuel Ogden Edison — Father
• Nancy Elliott — Mother
• Theodore Miller Edison — Child
• Charles Edison — Child
• Marion Estelle Edison Oeser — Child
• Thomas Alva Edison Jr. — Child
• Madeleine Edison — Child
• William Leslie Edison — Child
• Mary Stilwell Edison — Spouse
• Mina Miller — Spouse
• Carlisle Snow Edison — Sibling
• Lewis Miller — Relative
• General Electric — Employer
• Continental Edison — Employer
• Russian Academy of Sciences — Member of
• Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences — Member of
• National Academy of Sciences — Member of
• American Philosophical Society — Member of
• Academy of Sciences of the USSR — Member of
• Naval Advisory Board of Inventions — Member of

Character Facts

Played by

Benedict Cumberbatch

Appears in

The Current War (2018)

Role

Protagonist

Relationships (4)

• Thomas Edison — related — Bourke Cockran (Damien Molony)
• Thomas Edison — Conflict Arch Enemy — George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon)

  Primary rivals engaged in a nationwide battle for electrical infrastructure dominance.

• Thomas Edison — Professional Former Employer — Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult)

  Edison employed Tesla initially, but the professional relationship ended due to ideological and financial disputes.

• Thomas Edison — Professional Business Associate — Samuel Insull (Tom Holland)

  Insull acts as a key representative and associate for Edison's corporate interests.

Explore the full interactive character relationship map of The Current War

More characters from The Current War

• George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon)
• Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult)
• Marguerite Westinghouse (Katherine Waterston)
• Sherman Quincy (Celyn Jones)
• Samuel Insull (Tom Holland)
• Benjamin Vale (Harry Melling)
• J.P. Morgan (Matthew Macfadyen)
• Daniel Burnham (Colin Stinton)
• Franklin Pope (Stanley Townsend)
• Mary Edison (Tuppence Middleton)
• Robert Lane (Craig Roberts)
• Rudolph Young (John Schwab)