A tribute to Anthony Hopkins

Who is Anthony Hopkins? Think about it. Think about the time when you were lost for words staring at the TV witnessing a relic being etched into the fabric of time. 

You probably know this man from the award-winning psychological thriller, "The Silence of the Lambs". I sometimes get the chills thinking about the time I first saw it on the old heavy Sony Television. 

This was the scene of escape from the lock-up. This vicious man, or rather, the character he was portraying, quite literally frees himself using a pin that he takes out of his mouth and then proceeds to shackle the officer to the jail bar before he bites his face off. And mind you, this is after he orders the guards to fetch him some rare lamb chops for the second time that day. 

The scariest part is when he swings the policeman's bat in harmony with the music and keeps doing that until it's all a bloody mess. I'll never forget not being able to sleep or eat any form of meat for the next few weeks after I'd first watched that masterpiece. I also grew very cautious of people with large teeth.

Hannibal Lector, better known as Sir Philips Anthony Hopkins, was born on December 31, 1937, in Margam, Port Talbot, Wales. Given his astonishing works of art, it'd be hard not to say that not only is he one of the best actors in the industry, but the multitalented artist is also a film producer and director. 

Hopkins graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 1957 and went on to become a trainer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. During this time he met many of the biggest names in the industry today and received noteworthy recognition for his works there and was actually invited to join the Royal National Theater in 1965 by Laurence Olivier. 

Hopkins spent two years in the British Army after graduating in 1957 before traveling to London to begin studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. It was then that he truly became the protégé of the great actor, Sir Laurence Olivier.

In the mid-'60s, Olivier invited Hopkins to join the Royal National Theatre and become his understudy. "A fresh young actor in a company of extraordinary potential named Anthony Hopkins was understudying me and walked away with the part of Edgar like a cat with a mouse between its jaws," the legendary actor Olivier said in his memoir. 

When Olivier became ill with appendicitis during a performance of Dance of Death, Hopkins stepped in and stunned the audience with his performance. This goes to show that while someone is at the top they can recognize whom to pass the baton to.

Regardless of whether or not it was to be or not to be, after that, Hopkins went on to perform in the Shakespeare drama "King Lear" in the year 2018. 

Hopkins has won quite a few awards in his lifetime, which include two Academics for best actor awards, four BAFTAs, two Emmys, two Cecil B.de Millie Awards, and a British television award. 
One can easily call him The Father of Theatre which is very fitting because Anthony Hopkins' most recent film is called The Father, expected to be released in 2022.

Hopkins was billed as Olivier's heir to the British acting crown and had the drive to make the transition from stage to screen. 1967 was the year he last chose to appear on a tiny screen in the BBC production of A Flea in Her Ear. The next year, he was cast as Richard I in The Lion in Winter (1968), alongside Katharine Hepburn and other luminaries.

What a legacy and indeed, what a lifetime of astonishing works that we can be inspired from. A career spanning over six whole decades, it's no wonder that his oeuvre is so wide.

Among his many movies, here are 5 films that I think are the best: 

The Lion in Winter (1968)
Set in 12th-century France, the Academy Award-winning film stars King Henry II, who summons his sons and family to choose his successor over the Christmas season. Despite his fondness for his youngest son, John, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who has been released for the holidays, wants his eldest son, Richard, to replace him. The gathering sovereigns devise a plan to sway Henry and take command of the situation.

Legends of the Fall (1994)
Colonel William Ludlow has raised his three children, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel, in the remote Montana Mountains, away from society, incensed by the US government's betrayal of Native Americans. When Samuel returns home with his fiancée Susannah, Alfred falls in love with her, and she falls in love with Tristan, putting in motion a cycle of betrayals that somehow leads to the brothers' participation in WWI.

The Elephant Man (1980)
This was actually a very deep movie for me. I liked it because I read a dusty old book as a child once about Joseph Merrick. The Elephant Man is based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (played by John Merrick in the film). Dr. Frederick Treves comes upon John, and John was born with severe physical deformities and works as the Elephant Man. The film depicts John's climb into upper London society, his refined soul, and his tragic death. 

The Remains of the Day (1993)
I was actually required to watch quite a few war movies during my time studying American History. It starts out somewhere in pre-WWII Britain, where Lord Darlington's residence had a strict duty-bound head butler named James Stevens. Miss Kenton, who has been employed as a cleaner, tries to break through Stevens' etiquette, but their blossoming affections are suffocated beneath Stevens' strict etiquette. The self-sacrificing butler's steadfast allegiance is tested when he learns of his master's pro-Nazi leanings, as he admits to Kenton years later when they rejoin. A classic play on a coup d'etat. 

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
I already told you all about this one. In this psychological thriller, FBI trainee Clarice Starling is called away from her studies to interview former psychiatrist and imprisoned cannibalistic psychopath Hannibal Lecter in connection with gruesome murders committed by another serial killer known as Buffalo Bill, who skins his victims. I still don't get why she would opt to do something like that given the information she gets. However,  She can only get information from the manipulative killer if she exposes her own personal wounds so she winds up doing exactly that.