Anthony Hopkins biography, oscar, young, net worth, age, children, height and weight 2025

Anthony Hopkins' biography

Anthony Hopkins... That Oscar-winning, chilling stare and subtle, ironic smile of Hannibal Lecter! The Academy awarded him Best Actor for his portrayal of the serial killer in The Silence of the Lambs, audiences shocked and frightened not by the character, but by the sheer genius of the actor.

Knighted by Queen Elizabeth, Sir Anthony considers it bad form to flaunt his title among fellow actors, but drives Hollywood stars crazy when he mentions his humble origins as a baker's son. Artist, composer, director, and actor—Hopkins continues to amaze audiences with his boundless energy and compelling new roles. His net worth is estimated near $160 million.

Childhood: Margam - Pontypool

The Welsh baker family—Richard Arthur and Muriel Annie Hopkins—could hardly have imagined the fate awaiting their son, born on the last day of 1937. Early education revealed that the child had congenital dyslexia. His father, a temperamental yet distant man, sent the boy to private school in Pontypool, hoping that at John West Monmouth school Anthony would overcome what they saw as a strange affliction.

Anthony Hopkins in childhood (from the right in the photo with his mother)

As the actor recalls, he was a real troublemaker at school. He couldn't and didn't want to communicate with his peers, and studying was difficult—the teenager understood very little.

Only in his eighth decade did Hopkins discover he had an autism spectrum disorder, which had interfered with his studies.

Still, he remained at this prestigious Welsh boys' school for nearly three years, during which he made his first independent decision: his future would be in the creative arts. The twelve-year-old decided that piano or painting could provide a good living. But life had other plans for him.

Youth: Wales - London

Hopkins had a chance encounter with rising English cinema star Richard Burton, whose enthusiastic advice to try acting changed everything. After winning a study grant, Anthony enrolled in acting college in 1955. The young man's desire to prove wrong everyone who had laughed at him in school drove him to graduate with excellence from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Anthony Hopkins at the Boys' School and in the army (from the right)

After completing his military service, Anthony headed to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Now a certified theater actor, the twenty-eight-year-old Hopkins worked at the Royal National Theater as understudy to the brilliant Laurence Olivier. His theatrical experience led to several significant roles, including The Dance of Death and Antony and Cleopatra. But Anthony dreamed of film stardom—theater wasn't the limit of his ambitions.

Career: America - Hollywood

After playing Prince Richard in The Lion in Winter (alongside legends Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole), Hopkins made his move to America, where he was invited to play Philip Calvert in the When Eight Bells Toll action film. Hopkins then took on Pierre Bezukhov in the television miniseries. The actor received a BAFTA television award for the best male role.

A workaholic by nature, Hopkins grabbed every role offered, hoping to strike gold like a prospector in the mines. But he was content with smaller projects for now: the A Doll's House (1973) drama, The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976, Emmy) thriller, A Bridge Too Far (1977) historical war film, the Audrey Rose (1977) psychological drama, the Magic (1978) mystical thriller.

Ask for nothing, expect nothing was my credo. We, humans, are just a bunch of sinners wandering in the dark.

In 1980 David Lynch invites Anthony to the ambitious The Elephant Man project for the role of surgeon Frederick Treves. Despite eight Oscar nominations, the film only won recognition from the British Academy and the French César.

Anthony Hopkins at the Larry King show

Then came the roles of Hitler (The Bunker by George Schaefer), for which the actor was awarded an Emmy, Quasimodo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Michael Tuchner), Ravik (from the Arch of Triumph by Waris Hussein). Throughout the eighties, Hopkins worked prolifically, building toward his breakthrough role.

Then in the early nineties came Jonathan Demme's thriller The Silence of the Lambs. Enter what would become the greatest movie villain of all time: Hannibal Lecter. As Hopkins would later say, barely scrolling through the script, he instinctively understood that the role was his.

Anthony Hopkins and his Oscar for his role of Hannibal Lecter

This is where Hopkins deployed his signature motionless stare and enigmatic smile to extract childhood memories from FBI cadet Clarice - memories of fleeing her adoptive parents' home to save a lamb from slaughter, who was brilliantly played by Jodie Foster. The film was a revelation, sweeping five Oscars in 1992 - something that hadn't happened at the Academy since 1934.

Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs

Unlike many actors, Hopkins didn't coast after his Oscar win. The nineties were marked by many interesting works. He played Professor Van Helsing in Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula. Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Gary Oldman joined the now-famous actor on set. In Lee Tamahori's The Edge adventure drama, Hopkins played with Elle Macpherson and Alec Baldwin. Martin Brest's psychological drama Meet Joe Black, where Hopkins starred opposite Brad Pitt, shocked the audience.

Anthony Hopkins about love. A scene from Meet Joe Black

Hopkins considers among his most successful roles his portrayal of the president in Oliver Stone's Nixon, his performance alongside Emma Thompson in James Ivory's The Remains of the Day, and his role as a motorcycle racer in Roger Donaldson's The World's Fastest Indian. The actor notes the lightness and fun that prevailed on the set. Of course, the actor's favorite role, which he twice used in the pictures Hannibal and Red Dragon, is Dr. Lecter.

Nevertheless, Sir Anthony continued to actively work also in the 2000s. Hopkins delivered a brilliant and complex performance as Robert Ford, a doctor who also created an adventure park populated by androids, in Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's inventive sci-fi series Westworld. Hopkins delighted fans with his diverse acting talent as Sir Edmund Burton in Michael Bay's sci-fi adventure Transformers: The Last Knight.

Anthony Hopkins and Mark Wahlberg in the Transformers. The Last Knight

Mystery, crime, and supernatural themes define Hopkins' roles in films like Fracture, The Wolfman, The Rite, Beowulf, and Solace. Anthony's creative energy extended to writing and directing the art-house film Slipstream, where he plays an aging screenwriter caught between reality and illusion. Anthony invited his wife Stella Arroyave, Christian Slater, Mark Clarke Duncan, and Epatha Merkerson to star in the picture. Slipstream is Hopkins' third directorial work, with August (1996) on Chekhov and Dylan Thomas: Return Journey (1990). He also wrote the music for all his films himself.

In 2017 the actor also received a role in the HBO series Westworld. In the second season, his character surprised the audience with unexpectedly realistic rejuvenation using computer effects.

Westworld (the second season trailer)

It's worth noting that this classical story is adapted to contemporary (albeit fictional) England, where Hopkins' Lear is reimagined as a military dictator. The three daughters in the picture are played by Florence Pugh, Emily Watson, and Emma Thompson. The script was written by Richard Eyre, and he also directed the film, which was released in the autumn of 2018.

Sir Anthony Hopkins - a genius actor, despite the age, goes on shooting

A amusing incident occurred in 2018 on the set of the King Lear adaptation, where Hopkins starred in the title role. While filming in the English town of Stevenage, Anthony became so immersed in character that a concerned local woman offered to help him find his way to a nearby shelter.

King Lear - trailer

Personal life: three marriages, painting and music

Petronella Barker, a theater actress, captured Anthony's heart in 1967. A year after the wedding, the loving couple had a daughter, who was named Abigail. Like many acting families, the couple couldn't handle the constant separations, and Hopkins was battling alcoholism. Barker was not the type of woman who would put up with such "weaknesses" and she left Anthony with her daughter.

Anthony Hopkins and his first wife Petronella Barker

Hopkins quickly married his secretary Jennifer Linton. His second marriage was troubled, and after his chilling portrayal of Hannibal, Jennifer couldn't bear living with the man who'd brought that character to life and left him in 1995. They had an on-and-off relationship until finalizing their divorce in 2002.

Anthony Hopkins and his second wife Jennifer Linton

Anthony attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where he met actress Joyce Ingalls and began a relationship that lasted several years. Hopkins is also linked to an affair with singer Francis Kay.

Anthony Hopkins with his wife Stella Arroyave

He met his third wife, Stella Arroyave, whom he married in 2003, at an antique shop in South Africa. After a year and a half of courtship, Stella became his wife and the couple moved to Malibu. Hopkins credits her with bringing calm and balance to his life.

In addition, Stella, admiring her husband's artwork, encouraged him to pursue painting seriously. Hopkins had previously dismissed his work as "scribbles" and kept his paintings hidden in the basement. Now they can be seen at exhibitions. Inspired by his muse, Anthony even composed a waltz, which can be heard in the performance of world-famous violinist Andre Rieux.

Anthony Hopkins' waltz performed by Andre Rieux

Anthony Hopkins nowadays

Despite his age, Hopkins continues to shoot, though not as intensely as before. In 2019, Anthony Hopkins starred in "The Two Popes" alongside Jonathan Pryce. Hopkins portrayed Pope Benedict XVI in the film. Also in 2020, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in "The Father".

Anthony Hopkins Wins Best Actor (2021)

These days, Hopkins prefers living life on his own terms, focusing more on his marriage, writing memoirs, painting, and music than making films. As he says: "When you're young, you take any role because you're afraid someone else will get it and it'll become their breakthrough. I don't care anymore. I go my own way."

Anthony Hopkins: latest news and articles

Sam Wade

They erect a monument to such actors during their lifetime, honestly, I don`t know anyone from Hollywood who would command such respect

2021-05-12 23:48:25
Sylvia Hawkins

I saw how in quarantine he conducted live broadcasts on insta, despite his age, entertained fans, played with a dog :)) Hopkins is simply adorable in any years

2021-04-09 08:22:57
Kenneth Thompson

Just a master of cinema. I don’t remember someone who would have an even more «great» status

2021-04-05 11:03:27
Peter Walker

Hopkins is a genius actor, even in modern films he presents his roles with a bang. Well, about the Silence of the Lambs and so on, everything is clear

2021-03-17 21:13:03
Carla Fox

Everyone remembers him for the role of Hannibal Lecter. The image is very appropriate, and the role is played cool.

2021-03-11 12:10:58

Anthony Hopkins

Photos: Anthony Hopkins