Anthony Hopkins

Lore & Background

Philip Anthony Hopkins was born in the Margam district of Port Talbot, Wales, on 31 December 1937. After graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1957, he trained at RADA in London. He was then spotted by Laurence Olivier, who invited him to join the Royal National Theatre in 1965. Productions at the National included King Lear, Coriolanus, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. In 1985, he received acclaim and a Laurence Olivier Award for his performance in the David Hare play Pravda. His last stage play was a West End production of M. Butterfly in 1989.

Hopkins's early film roles include The Lion in Winter (1968), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Magic (1978), and The Elephant Man (1980). He won two Academy Awards for Best Actor for playing Hannibal Lecter in the horror thriller The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and an octogenarian with dementia in the psychological drama The Father (2020). He was also Oscar-nominated for The Remains of the Day (1993), Nixon (1995), Amistad (1997), and The Two Popes (2019). Other notable films include 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), Howards End (1992), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Shadowlands (1993), Legends of the Fall (1994), The Mask of Zorro (1998), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

For his work on television, Hopkins received a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his performance in War and Peace (1972). He won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976) and The Bunker (1981). Other notable projects include the BBC film The Dresser (2015), PBS's King Lear (2018), and the HBO series Westworld (2016–2018).

Reader's Guide

Anthony Hopkins is a Welsh actor whose career spans stage, film, and television. He is considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors. His accolades include two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Laurence Olivier Award. He received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2005 and the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement in 2008. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 for services to drama. His most iconic role is Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won his first Oscar. His second Oscar came for The Father. He also earned Oscar nominations for The Remains of the Day, Nixon, Amistad, and The Two Popes. His stage work includes acclaimed performances at the Royal National Theatre and a Laurence Olivier Award for Pravda. His television work earned him two Primetime Emmys for The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case and The Bunker. He is also known for his role in the HBO series Westworld. His legacy is that of a versatile and highly awarded actor who has made significant contributions to drama across multiple media.

Did You Know?

• He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama in 1993.
• He won two Academy Awards for Best Actor: for The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and The Father (2020).
• He was spotted by Laurence Olivier and invited to join the Royal National Theatre in 1965.
• He received a Laurence Olivier Award for his performance in the David Hare play Pravda (1985).

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Sir Anthony Phillip Hopkins, CBE (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director and producer." — Anthony Hopkins "To act is to decieve, and to decieve, one must forget oneself." — Anthony Hopkins