Anthony Hopkins biography

Personal Life and Alcoholism

Hopkins was married to his first wife, Petronella Barker, from 1967 to 1972. The couple had one daughter, Abigail Hopkins, who was born in 1968. Hopkins then married again, to Jennifer Lynton, from 1973 to 2002.

Despite a promising career, the actor long battled alcoholism, once saying, "I led a pretty self-destructive life for a few decades. It was only after I put my demons behind me that I was able to fully enjoy acting." In 1975,

Hopkins began attending Alcoholics Anonymous and working to put those demons behind him.

Acclaim for Acting

The following year, Hopkins won an Emmy for his role as Bruno Richard Hauptmann in The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976). Throughout the 1980s, Hopkins continued to impress the critics with his work in film and TV, winning multiple Emmy Awards and a BAFTA Award.

In 1989, Hopkins returned to the stage for a production of the musical drama M. Butterfly. But it was in 1991 that Hopkins, now well into his fifties, finally found himself shot to superstardom. His unforgettable, 17-minute performance as the infamous psychopath Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs frightened and wowed fans and critics alike. At the time he took the role, Hopkins had been considering giving up on movies and retiring to London for a career on the stage. The fortuitous role resulted in not only an Oscar but a distinguished place in the popular consciousness as perhaps the number one on-screen villain of all time.

Hopkins has since played the role again in the films' sequels. Following up his first real Hollywood blockbuster, Hopkins wisely chose to follow up with his film The Remains of the Day (1993), for which he was nominated for another Academy Award. He would be nominated again for Nixon (1995) and Amistad (1997).

In 1993, Hopkins was knighted by the British Empire. In April 2000, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States and, in 2002, he married his third wife, Colombian-born Stella Arroyave. In 2006, he was awarded the Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.

The acclaimed actor has continued to work in major motion pictures in recent years, appearing in such films as Proof (2005), Beowulf (2007) and Thor (2011). More recently, he was cast as famed horror movie director Alfred Hitchcock in the 2012 biopic Hitchcock. Hopkins earned raves for his starring role in the film, which includes Helen Mirren as Hitchcock's wife, Alma Reville. The movie explores the making of Hitchock's horror classic Psycho.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.