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Trivia
Birth name:
Philip Anthony Hopkins
Date of birth:
31 December 1937
Place of birth:
Margam, near Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Height:
5' 8½" (1.74 m)
Spouse:
Stella Arroyave (1 March 2003 - present), Jennifer Lynton (13
January 1973 - 30 April 2002) (divorced), Barker, Petronella
(September 1967 - 1972) (divorced) 1 child.
Is proud of his improvisational touches as
Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) such as: the
unnerving effect on Jodie Foster when he mocked her character's West
Virginia accent; the distorion of the word "chianti" and the
vile slurping sound he makes after he describes eating the
"census-taker." Hopkins also notes that Hannibal never blinked
his eyes when he spoke.
Ranked #57 in Empire (UK) magazine's
"The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Often compared with fellow Welshman Richard
Burton.
Awarded Commander of the Order of the
British Empire in 1987.
Received an honorary degree of Doctor of
Letters from the University of Wales on July 16, 1988.
Knighted in the 1993 New Year Honors List.
Conquered his alcoholic addiction in 1975.
Piano virtuoso.
Father of Abigail Hopkins
Into the 1991 restoration of Spartacus
(1960), scenes were reintroduced which had been cut from the picture's
1967 reissue. One such segment has Laurence Olivier, in the role of
Marcus Crassus, attempting to seduce the slave Antoninus (played by Tony
Curtis). But the original soundtrack for this segment had become lost.
And so, Olivier having died in 1989, Anthony Hopkins imitated the voice
of Olivier (whom Hopkins had understudied at the Old Vic) for the
scene's re-created soundtrack. (The surviving Tony Curtis presumably
supplied his own voice.)
Born at 9:15am-UT
One of his greatest pleasures in past years
on his frequent visits tothe USA was to get in a car and drive across
the country, enjoying its immensity as well as his own anonymity.
Was selected by an Entertainment Weekly
on-line movie poll as the Best Modern Actor and the Best Villain for his
role as Hannibal Lecter. [September 1999]
Became a U.S. citizen on 12 April 2000, but
is allowed to retain his British knighthood and the title of Sir.
Received his Academy Award for The Silence
of the Lambs (1991) 11 years to the day of his father's death.
Volunteers at the Ruskins School of Acting
in Santa Monica, California, where he teaches everything from
Shakespeare to scenes, theory, and monologues.
Has the distinction of portraying two U.S.
Presidents: Richard Nixon in Nixon (1995), and John Quincy Adams in
Amistad (1997). He received Oscar nominations for both performances.
He ranked second in the Orange Film Survey
of the greatest British films actors in January 2001.
Had a brush with death while shooting The
Edge (1997) in Alberta, Canada. He fell in a river, and was rushed to
hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
Admitted that he felt very intimidated by
the real Lt. Col. John Frost, who he played in the movie A Bridge Too
Far (1977) when Frost visited the set one day to see how things were
going.
Served in the Royal Navy.
24 September 2003: Received star on
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre
Award in 1986 (1985 season) for Outstanding Achievement for his
performance in "Pravda".
He chose to play Prof. Van Helsing in
Dracula (1992) because he was still riding the success of his portrayal
of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and wanted to pick
a role as far removed from Lecter as possible.
His Oscar-winning performance as Hannibal
Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) was ranked #1 on the American
Film Institute's Villains list in its compilation of the 100 Years of
The Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains.
As a child, he was very close to his
maternal grandfather, who for some reason called him "George",
while his father called him "Charlie".
Is related to the poet William Butler Yeats
on his mother's side of the family.
He included some unusual touches for
Hannibal Lecter during his preparation for the role, among which were
making Lecter's voice similar to the cutting warble of Katharine Hepburn
and almost never blinking, a characteristic he picked up from watching
tapes of convicted murderer Charles Manson.
He was awarded the 1985 London Critics
Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor for his
performance in "Pravda".
Has played a (future) king of England
(Richard Lionheart in The Lion in Winter (1968)) and two U.S.
Presidents. Interestingly, President Richard Nixon and his brothers were
all named after British kings, so it's likely that he played Nixon's
namesake.
A Member of the RADA Council.
Has three roles in common with Brian Cox.
Both of them have played Titus Andronicus. Hopkins appeared on stage as
King Lear in 1986, the same year that Manhunter (1986), which starred
Cox as Hannibal Lecter, was released. He was succeeded in the role of
Lear by Cox in 1991, the same year that he succeeded Cox in the role of
Hannibal Lecter.
He and Brian Cox both have a connection to
Narnia. Hopkins played C.S. Lewis, author of "The Chronicles of
Narnia", in Shadowlands (1993). In Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion,
the Witch & the Wardrobe, The (2005) , Cox voices the Lion, Aslan.
Graduated from The Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art, London, England.
Is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company
(RSC), Stratford Upon Avon, England, where he spent three seasons after
graduating from RADA.
Was listed as a potential nominee on the
2005 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was suggested in the Worst
Supporting Actor category for his performance in the film Alexander
(2004), he failed to receive a nomination however. Had he gotten the
nomination, it would have been his first in 24 years. He was previously
nominated for Worst Actor in the film A Change of Seasons (1980) at the
very first Razzie Awards.
Won the Best Actor Oscar for The Silence of
the Lambs (1991), even though his character in only on screen for about
fifteen minutes.
Ranked #12 on Tropopkin's Top 25 Most
Intriguing People [Issue #100]
Has the distinction of twice playing former
British Prime Minister David Lloyd George in Young Winston (1972) and
"The Edwardians" (1972) (mini).
In Invercargill, New Zealand there is a
drama school names after him. The Anthony Hopkins School of Dramatic
Arts. He was present there for its opening as he was in Invercargill
filming scenes for the Worlds Fastest Indian at the time.
Though dyslexic, he's always possessed a
great memory for scripts.
On the September 20, 2005 broadcast of
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1986), he said that he is most proud
of The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Remains of the Day (1993) and
Proof (2005).
Likes to be called "Tony."
Ate the same menu as Pablo Picasso during
the filming of 'Surviving Picasso' (1996), in which he played Pablo
Picasso.
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