Stephen Hawking is a renowned British theoretical physicist and cosmologist. He has conducted extensive research on black holes and theoretical cosmology. Hawking was born in 1942 in Oxford, England and studied physics and cosmology at Oxford and Cambridge. He was diagnosed with ALS in 1963 but continued his research career with the help of assistants and technology. Hawking is known for his contributions to relativity and quantum gravity, including theories on black holes and the origin and fate of the universe.