Charlie Cox is to be a father for the first time.

Charlie Cox

Charlie Cox

The 'Daredevil' star - who is dating 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' producer Samantha Thomas - revealed his happy news at the Toronto Fan Expo when he joked about his "very pregnant" girlfriend at the event.

When asked if he is "going to be a daddy", he replied: "Very, very soon. In fact, my girlfriend was pretty amused when I said, 'I'm going to Toronto' a couple weeks beforehand.

"And I went, 'So, keep your legs closed!' "

Charlie then admitted he was glad Marvel Entertainment chief creative officer Joe Quesada brought up the subject.

He said: "I kind of feel like I'm putting you on the spot here, but one of the things she said to me before I left was, 'If you see Joe, you have to convince him to do a Baby Daredevil drawing for us.'"

Joe replied: "I can do that."

Samantha is thought to be due to give birth mid-September.

It's been a busy summer for Charlie, who has seen 'Daredevil' - in which he plays the titular character - renewed for a third series, with the new episodes set to air in 2017.

What's more, next year looks set to be even busier as Marvel's 'Iron Fist' and 'The Defenders' will also hit the small screen.

The actor starred as Owen Sleater in 'Boardwalk Empire' and also appeared in 'Downton Abbey' as the Duke of Crowborough for one episode in 2010.

In 2014, he portrayed Jonathan Hellyer Jones in 'The Theory of Everything' alongside Eddie Redmayne, who played Stephen Hawking.