Dustin Lance Black: Five things you didn’t know about Tom Daley’s boyfriend

Hands up if you knew exactly who Dustin Lance Black was before the news broke this morning that he is the man Tom Daley is currently “in a relationship” with?

How much do you really know about the man who stole Tom Daley's heart? (AP)

Hands up if you knew exactly who Dustin Lance Black was before the news broke this morning that he is the man Tom Daley is currently “in a relationship” with? No?

OK, fine, you over there: the bespectacled film buff who recognised almost instantly that the 39-year-old Oscar-winner was the talented screenwriter behind critically acclaimed Harvey Milk biopic, Milk, which came out in 2008.

Or perhaps you’re more familiar with the American gay rights activist, who founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights and has just returned from a challenging stint in Russia supporting those who are in danger for opposing the government's stringent anti-homosexual laws out there.

But what else do you know about Dustin Lance Black? Silence? We thought so. Here are five things you definitely didn’t:

1) He was raised a Mormon

Drawing from his strictly religious upbringing a wealth of inspiration for his written works, including the polygamy-exploring HBO show Big Love.

2) He has something in common with Kim Kardashian

No, they’re not related. But they do both have a sex tape doing the internet rounds. In fact, Black was forced to issue a public apology when a video showing the writer engaging in unprotected intercourse was leaked by a scorned former lover in 2009.

3) He’s a comedian

“Slept all day today after my trip to Russia. Did I miss anything?” he tweeted, about an hour after the internet erupted into fits of gossip speculating his relationship with Tom Daley. And lo, the LOLs flowed thick and loud and hard.

4) He’s got the power

Black is considered one of the most influential people in the US media, even making his way onto The Advocate’s Forty Under 40 list.

5) He wrote J.Edgar

Everyone’s talking about Milk – probably because it’s a magnificent example of Black’s screen writing talents. But did you know he wrote J.Edgar, the epic biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the former US President and Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl (OK, fine, Ed Westwick) as himself? Now you do.

We’re still awaiting confirmation from reps of Black and Daley over their relationship status, but their silence thus far is speaking speculative volumes. More on that when we have it.