Hopkins, Anthony (1937-…), is a distinguished British motion-picture and stage actor. He gained international fame for his performance as the serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the movie The Silence of the Lambs (1991). He also played Lecter in the films Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002). Hopkins won Academy Awards as best actor for his performances in The Silence of the Lambs and The Father (2020). In The Father, he played a man with dementia.
Philip Anthony Hopkins was born on Dec. 31, 1937, in Port Talbot, Wales. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London, England. Hopkins made his stage debut in 1960. He appeared in his first movie, The White Bus, in 1967. From 1967 to 1974, Hopkins was a principal actor at the prestigious National Theatre, in London, where he starred in many classical plays. In 1974, Hopkins went to the United States to appear in the play Equus on Broadway. He lived in the United States off an on for many years. During that time, he made a number of movies. In 1976 and 1981, he won Emmy Awards for performances in made-for-television films.
Hopkins has acted in many other movies since his 1967 debut. Such films include The Lion in Winter (1968); Hamlet (1969); A Doll’s House (1973); Magic (1978); The Elephant Man (1980); 84 Charing Cross Road (1987); Howards End (1992); Shadowlands and The Remains of the Day (both 1993); Legends of the Fall (1994); Nixon (1995); Amistad (1997); The Mask of Zorro (1998); and Titus (1999).
Hopkins’s other films include Hearts in Atlantis (2001); The Human Stain (2003); Alexander (2004); The World’s Fastest Indian (2005); All the King’s Men (2006); Beowulf (2007); The City of Your Final Destination (2009); and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010). He also appeared in The Rite (2011); Hitchcock (2012), in which he played the British director Alfred Hitchcock ; Noah (2014); The Dresser (2015); Solace (2016); and The Two Popes (2019). Hopkins wrote, directed, and starred in Slipstream (2007).
Hopkins was named a knight in 1993, becoming Sir Anthony Hopkins. In 2000, he became a U.S. citizen but also kept his British citizenship.
