Anthony Hopkins
Sir Anthony Hopkins, CBE (born December 31, 1937) is a British-born American actor who was born Philip Anthony Hopkins in Port Talbot, Wales. He was strongly influenced and encouraged to become an actor by fellow Welshman Richard Burton. He also conquered an alcohol addiction in 1975 and has not touched a drop since, drinking sparkling cider (which in the US refers to carbonated, unfermented apple juice) at his March wedding. He now resides in the United States where he became a naturalized citizen on April 12, 2000. However, as a dual national, he retains his knighthood and can use the title 'Sir' in the UK, but not in the US, since it is considered 'inappropriate' according to the British consulate.
He's been married three times. His first two wives were Petronella Barker (1967-1972) and Jennifer Lynton (1973-2003). He's currently married to Stella Arroyave. He has a daughter named Abigail Hopkins (born 1968) from his first marriage.
His most famous role was as the character Hannibal Lecter in the film The Silence of the Lambs for which he also won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He reprised the role twice in Hannibal and Red Dragon. Lecter's slurping sound from Silence of the Lambs was apparently improvised.
He has played many great characters including: Zorro (The Mask of Zorro 1998), Quasimodo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1982), Othello (Othello 1981), Pablo Picasso (Surviving Picasso 1996), Richard Nixon (Nixon 1995), Titus Andronicus (Titus 1999), John Quincy Adams (Amistad 1997), Adolf Hitler (The Bunker 1981), Charles Dickens (The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens 1970), William Bligh (The Bounty 1984), Richard Lionheart (The Lion in Winter 1968), and Abraham Van Helsing (Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992).
He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1987, and knighted in 1993.