5 important dates in Anthony Hopkins’ career
This Wednesday 1Is Mars came into the cinemas, the latest film by Florian Zeller, The sonwith Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern and Anthony Hopkins.
Anthony Hopkins played through all the roles, from cannibal to psychopath The silence of the Lambs to amnesiac grandfather in The father. We come back to 5 key dates in the life of this great man of cinema.
1952: Anthony Hopkins takes on Richard Burton
It was the meeting that changed everything. Anthony Hopkins was 15 at the time and wanted to be a professional pianist. It was around this time that he met aspiring British actor Richard Burton, who encouraged him to become an actor. His dreams then take a completely different direction. Three years later, at the age of 18, he enrolled at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and it was here that his acting career began to take shape. Today the piano still has a place in his life as he has composed and released several albums of classical music.
1991: The Silence of the Lambs made him an internationally recognized actor
“I was interviewed by a census worker. I tried his liver with buttered beans and an excellent Chianti. “. Hannibal Lecter, the cannibalistic psychopath from The Silence of the Lambs, is the person that comes to mind when you mention Anthony Hopkins. Despite only appearing in the film for 16 minutes, he knew how to petrify audiences by improvising lines and refusing to blink to become even more disturbing. This role propelled him onto the international cinema scene and earned him the Oscar for Best Actor.
1993: He becomes a Knight of the British Crown
Not Mister, but Sir Anthony Hopkins. The actor was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts. He then became a knight, appointed to the rank of ‘ knight bachelor“, during the New Year’s campaign (The Queen’s New Year Honors). Naturalized as an American in 2000, he lost his title but eventually retained it thanks to official recognition by the American government. Alfred Hitchcock, Elton John and Lewis Hamilton are too Knight Bachelor.
1997: Near death while filming The Edge
His career would have been very short… During the filming of The Edge with Alec Baldwin in Alberta (Canada), the incident happened. During a scene where Anthony Hopkins had to cross a river, he had to stay in freezing water for 10 minutes and didn’t realize his body temperature had dropped dangerously. Emerging from the water, completely exhausted, he was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia. Everything ended well for him and the filming of the film could continue, but he did not go far from the drama.
2021: He fell asleep before announcing his win for the Best Actor Oscar
Maybe he was dreaming about it when it happened. At the 2021 Academy Awards, Anthony Hopkins was nominated in the Best Actor category, where he faced Riz Ahmed, Gary Oldman, Steven Yeun and Chadwick Boseman. The latter was announced as the big favorite, Hopkins was also convinced and therefore did not go to the award ceremony. When his victory for his role in “The Father” was announced, he lay in bed for a long time and received the news the next morning. A very fun adventure! At 83, he became the oldest actor to receive this award.
… by Kim Vaillant
