Birthday:
31 December 1937, Margam, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Height:
5' 8½" (1.74 m)
Biography
Anthony Hopkins was born on 31 December 1937, in
Margam, Wales. Influenced by Richard Burton, he decided to study at
College of Music and Drama and graduated in 1957. In 1965, he moved to
London and joined the National Theatre, invited by Laurence Olivier, who
could see the talent in Hopkins. In 1967, he made his first film for
television, A Flea in Her Ear (1967) (TV).
From this moment on, he enjoyed a successful career in cinema and television. In 1968, he worked on The Lion in Winter (1968) with Timothy Dalton. Many successes came later, and Hopkins' remarkable acting style reached the four corners of the world. In 1977, he appeared in two major films: A Bridge Too Far (1977) with James Caan, Gene Hackman, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Elliott Gould and Laurence Olivier, and Maximilian Schell. In 1980, he worked on The Elephant Man (1980). Two good television literature adaptations followed: Othello (1981) (TV) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) (TV). In 1987 he was awarded with the Commander of the order of the British Empire. This year was also important in his cinematic life, with 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), acclaimed by specialists. In 1993, he was knighted.
In the 1990s, Hopkins made movies like Desperate Hours (1990) and Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993) (nominee for the Oscar), Legends of the Fall (1994), Nixon (1995) (nominee for the Oscar), Surviving Picasso (1996), Amistad (1997) (nominee for the Oscar), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Meet Joe Black (1998) and Instinct (1999). His most remarkable film, however, was The Silence of the Lambs (1991), for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor. He also got a BAFTA for this role
From this moment on, he enjoyed a successful career in cinema and television. In 1968, he worked on The Lion in Winter (1968) with Timothy Dalton. Many successes came later, and Hopkins' remarkable acting style reached the four corners of the world. In 1977, he appeared in two major films: A Bridge Too Far (1977) with James Caan, Gene Hackman, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Elliott Gould and Laurence Olivier, and Maximilian Schell. In 1980, he worked on The Elephant Man (1980). Two good television literature adaptations followed: Othello (1981) (TV) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) (TV). In 1987 he was awarded with the Commander of the order of the British Empire. This year was also important in his cinematic life, with 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), acclaimed by specialists. In 1993, he was knighted.
In the 1990s, Hopkins made movies like Desperate Hours (1990) and Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993) (nominee for the Oscar), Legends of the Fall (1994), Nixon (1995) (nominee for the Oscar), Surviving Picasso (1996), Amistad (1997) (nominee for the Oscar), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Meet Joe Black (1998) and Instinct (1999). His most remarkable film, however, was The Silence of the Lambs (1991), for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor. He also got a BAFTA for this role
Awards
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role | The Lion in Winter | Nominated |
| 1970 | British Academy Television Award for Best Actor | Hearts and Flowers | Nominated |
| 1972 | British Academy Television Award for Best Actor | War and Peace | Won |
| 1976 | Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie | The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case | Won |
| 1977 | Saturn Award for Best Actor | Audrey Rose | Nominated |
| 1978 | BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role | Magic | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
| 1981 | Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie | The Bunker | Won |
| 1982 | Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Nominated |
| 1985 | CableACE Award for Actor in a Movie or Miniseries | Mussolini and I | Won |
| 1987 | 15th Moscow International Film Festival Award for Best Actor[40] | 84 Charing Cross Road | Won |
| 1988 | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | The Tenth Man | Nominated |
| 1990 | Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie | Great Expectations | Nominated |
| 1991 | Academy Award for Best Actor | The Silence of the Lambs | Won |
| BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role | Won | ||
| Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor | Won | ||
| National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Saturn Award for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
| London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| 1992 | Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actor [41] | Won | |
| Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor | Bram Stoker's Dracula | Nominated | |
| 1993 | David di Donatello for Best Actor | The Remains of the Day | Won |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor | Won | ||
| London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Academy Award for Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
| BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role | Shadowlands | Won | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor | The Remains of the Day & Shadowlands | Won | |
| National Board of Review Award for Best Actor | The Remains of the Day & Shadowlands | Won | |
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor | The Remains of the Day & Shadowlands | Won | |
| 1994 | Bronze Wrangler for Theatrical Motion Picture (with Edward Zwick, William D. Wittliff & Brad Pitt) |
Legends of the Fall | Won |
| 1995 | Academy Award for Best Actor | Nixon | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
| 1997 | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor | Amistad | Won |
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
| Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Saturn Award for Best Actor | Meet Joe Black | Nominated |
| 1999 | London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year | Titus | Nominated |
| 2001 | Saturn Award for Best Actor | Hannibal | Nominated |
| 2003 | Hollywood Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting – Male Performer | The Human Stain | Won |
| 2005 | New Zealand Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | The World's Fastest Indian | Won |
| 2006 | Hollywood Film Festival Award for Ensemble of the Year | Bobby | Won |
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
| Cecil B. DeMille Award | Won | ||
| 2008 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts Academy Fellowship[42] | Won |
Acting style
Hopkins is renowned for his preparation for roles. He has indicated
in interviews that once he has committed to a project, he will go over
his lines as many times as is needed (sometimes upwards of 200) until
the lines sound natural to him, so that he can "do it without thinking".
This leads to an almost casual style of delivery that belies the amount
of groundwork done beforehand. While it can allow for some careful
improvisation, it has also brought him into conflict with the occasional
director who departs from the script, or demands what the actor views
as an excessive number of takes. Hopkins has stated that after he is
finished with a scene, he simply discards the lines, not remembering
them later on. This is unlike others who usually remember their lines
from a film even years later.[23] Richard Attenborough, who has directed Hopkins on five occasions, found himself going to great lengths during the filming of Shadowlands (1993) to accommodate the differing approaches of his two stars (Hopkins and Debra Winger),
who shared many scenes. Whereas Hopkins, preferring the spontaneity of a
fresh take, liked to keep rehearsals to a minimum, Winger rehearsed
continuously. To allow for this, Attenborough stood in for Hopkins
during Winger's rehearsals, only bringing him in for the last one before
a take. The director praised Hopkins for "this extraordinary ability to
make you believe when you hear him that it is the very first time he
has ever said that line. It's an incredible gift."[12]
Renowned for his ability to remember lines, Hopkins keeps his memory
supple by learning things by heart such as poetry, and Shakespeare. In
Steven Spielberg's Amistad,
Hopkins astounded the crew with his memorisation of a seven-page
courtroom speech, delivering it in one go. An overawed Spielberg
couldn't bring himself to call him Tony, and insisted on addressing him
as Sir Anthony throughout the shoot.[10]
In addition, Hopkins is a gifted mimic,
adept at turning his native Welsh accent into whatever is required by a
character. He duplicated the voice of his late mentor, Laurence
Olivier, for additional scenes in Spartacus in its 1991 restoration. (Around that same time, he voiced the Olivier role on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of Spartacus.) His interview on the 1998 relaunch edition of the British TV talk show Parkinson featured an impersonation of comedian Tommy Cooper.
Hopkins has said acting "like a submarine" has helped him to deliver
credible performances in his thriller movies. He said, "It's very
difficult for an actor to avoid, you want to show a bit. But I think the
less one shows the better."[24]
Hannibal Lecter
Perhaps Hopkins' most famous role is as the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1991, opposite Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, who also won for Best Actress. The film won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
It is one of the shortest lead performances to win an Oscar, as Hopkins
only appears on screen for little over 16 minutes, less than 14% of the
film's running-time.[9] Hopkins reprised his role as Lecter twice in Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002). His original portrayal of the character in The Silence of the Lambs has been labelled by the American Film Institute as the number-one film villain.[25] At the time he was offered the role, Hopkins was making a return to the London stage, performing in M. Butterfly.
He had come back to Britain after living for a number of years in
Hollywood, having all but given up on a career there, saying, "Well that
part of my life's over; it's a chapter closed. I suppose I'll just have
to settle for being a respectable actor poncing around the West End and
doing respectable BBC work for the rest of my life."[12]
Hopkins played the iconic villain in adaptations of the first three of the Lecter novels by Thomas Harris. The author was reportedly very pleased with Hopkins' portrayal of his antagonist. However, Hopkins stated that Red Dragon
would feature his final performance as the character, and that he would
not reprise even a narrative role in the latest addition to the series,
Hannibal Rising.
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