6 Facts About Tommy Flanagan You May Have Never Known

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Tommy Flanagan has lived a charmed life, though his early days showed no indication he'd end up becoming a Hollywood star known for starring in "Sons of Anarchy" and grabbing screen time in 1995's epic film _Braveheart.

There may be more that you don't know about the Scottish actor that may surprise you. Read on.

Flanagan was doing perfectly well as an actor before he hit pay dirt with his role as Chibs Telford in the hit series "Sons of Anarchy."

He already had acting credits as far back as 1992, when he starred in an episode of the BBC's anthology "Screen One." He's also appeared in more than 30 films, beginning with 1995's Braveheart.

Not a bad entry into moviemaking.

He's used his facial scars to his advantage. His nickname on "Sons of Anarchy," "Chibs," in Scottish slang, means "knife." Flanagan, while working as a DJ in real life, had been stabbed during a fight with armed robbers in Scotland. He was cut from ear to ear by the robbers, giving him a distinctive look that TV and movies have capitalized on.

His other movie titles also hint at his badness: Sin City, Alien vs. Predator, Gladiator, and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.

If the scars weren't enough to let the world know about his rough past, then his childhood neighborhood will.

According to thingsyoudontknow.com, as a child, Flanagan grew up in a place called Easterhouse, near Glasgow, Scotland, where hardened English criminals would hang out.

Not surprisingly, it was not a wealthy neighborhood.

scotsman.com says Easterhouse was named as one of "the worst places to live in the UK."

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Despite going through that traumatizing experience of being stabbed and living in a tough suburb, Flanagan's early life seemed normal enough. He served as an altar boy at a church close by, and later, learned how to be a DJ. That gig led to his unfortunate, though some would say fortunate, scars. thingsyoudontknow.com says friends told Flanagan those distinctive lines on his face could serve him well for television or the movies, so he ended up working in a theatre for three years. That turns out to have been a good move.

Flanagan is the third of five children, and one of his brothers, Andrew Flanagan, is also an actor. Andrew Flanagan's roles included movies like Valhalla Rising, Being Humans, and The Near Room. Tommy Flanagan doesn't seem to talk much about his siblings, so that slate is still fairly blank.

Though Flanagan was unable to vote in the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 because of his tight schedule on-set, he says he supported making Scotland a separate country.

Eonline posted his tweet at the time.

The dream was not to be: 55 percent voted against the referendum, while only 45 percent voted for it.