The best Anthony Hopkins roles
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Since making his big-screen debut in the 1968 film The Lion in Winter, Sir Anthony Hopkins has become a household name in film and one of the most prolific actors of all time. The Welsh star featured in classic 20th century movies from some of the biggest directors including David Lynch, Richard Attenborough, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola. Hopkins' acting prowess has seen him garner two Academy Awards for Best Actor from six nominations, two Emmy wins, and numerous other accolades including a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1993. Known for his dramatic and oftentimes terrifying roles, the 84-year-old actor is an ace at diving deep into characters, preferring to find spontaneity in a scene despite his insane ability to memorize his lines.
Anthony Hopkins is behind some of cinema's most iconic characters including Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon. But his prolific career has spanned so much more. He's played a Norse god, multiple doctors, and two U.S. Presidents. With nearly 150 acting credits, it's hard to narrow down the best, most moving, and critically acclaimed roles of his career, but we shall do our best. Here are EW's picks, in no particular order, for the best roles of Sir Anthony Hopkins' career from Oscar winners The Silence of the Lambs and The Father to fan favorites like Westworld and Thor.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter - <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (1991)
Anthony Hopkins brought the brilliant and cunning Dr. Hannibal Lecter to life in Jonathan Demme's multiple Oscar-winning thriller The Silence of the Lambs. Behind bars, Lecter is enlisted by the determined FBI rookie, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), to catch a new serial killer, "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine).
Hopkins disappears into the unblinking cannibal, turning him into one of cinema's most iconic characters, with memorable quotes and spine-tingling stares into the camera. He's been parodied countless times, and while other actors have stepped into the role before and after with great acumen, namely Brian Cox and Mads Mikkelsen, no one's played Lecter with such incredible prestige as Hopkins.
Dr. Frederick Treves - <i>The Elephant Man</i> (1980)
In The Elephant Man, Hopkins plays Dr. Frederick Treves, a surgeon who rescues a heavily disfigured man who is a mistreated circus side-show freak in one of the least Lynchian movies of David Lynch's career. While John Hurt is the standout of the film, providing depth and empathy to the character of John Merrick, Hopkins' portrayal of the real-life doctor and author adds a human connection to the story that makes us confront our humanity.
Pope Benedict XVI - <i>The Two Popes</i> (2019)
Anthony Hopkins and his counterpart, Jonathan Pryce, were both nominated for Academy Awards in this intimate and tense biopic about the conversations and fragile alliance that the new, liberal Pope Francis (Pryce) forges with the conservative Pope Benedict XVI (Hopkins).
Hopkins is fantastic as the stubborn Pope at the height of scandal, meandering from moments of real malice to unexpected humanity. Watching Pope Benedict XVI uncharacteristically excited viewing a World Cup match with Pope Francis is an enduring image of harmony.
Lt. Col. John Frost - <i>A Bridge Too Far</i> (1977)
In this epic retelling of Operation Market Garden, the allies attempt to capture numerous important bridges in the Netherlands during World War II, Hopkins plays the role of John Frost, a British airborne officer who became a legend after his heroics during the operation that led to his capture.
Hopkins does well to stand out in the film that also features Laurence Olivier, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, James Caan, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, and more big-name stars. Director Richard Attenborough was so amazed by Hopkins' talent that he called him "the greatest actor of his generation" and began a long, fruitful relationship between the two.
<i>John Quincy Adams - <i>Amistad</i> (1997)
In this Steven Spielberg-directed drama, Hopkins plays the former president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, then a US Representative from Massachusetts, who is tapped to represent the 53 captured Africans from Sierra Leone in the Supreme Court to help free them.
While not as critically adored as other Spielberg films, Amistad shines in its character portrayals. Hopkins' high-pitched voice and moral gusto as the former president earned him an Academy Award nomination alongside a cast that features Djimon Hounsou, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew McConaughey.
Richard M. Nixon - <i>Nixon</i> (1995)
Hopkins steps into the shoes of another former US president; this time, he plays the disgraced 37th president of the U.S., Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone's Nixon. In this three-hour-plus biopic that sometimes veers into fantasy and speculation, Hopkins' portrayal of the life of Nixon from early years into his presidency is one of his best.
The actor's pinpoint voice and mannerisms of the president work in showcasing a repressed and determined figure. As EW's Owen Gleiberman writes of Hopkins' acting, "he uses his duplication of Nixon's neurotic mannerisms to burrow right into his mind."
Stevens - <i>The Remains of the Day</i> (1993)
A selfless butler who risked his life prior to the second World War soon realizes that his loyalty to his emperor may have been misguided in this Oscar-nominated adaptation of the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. As the butler who has spent 30 years of his life in total control, Anthony Hopkins provides depth and nuance to a man grappling with his morality and a burgeoning love for the head housekeeper, Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson).
Thanks to the chemistry between the two leads, Remains of the Day is one of those movies that makes you feel deep love for the characters at the heart of the film.
Anthony - <i>The Father</i> (2020)
Hopkins quite surprisingly won his second Oscar over the late Chadwick Boseman for his portrayal of a man fighting dementia who refuses all help from his daughter (Olivia Colman). His characterization of a stubborn man is subtle, oftentimes humorous, and heartbreaking. The product is, as EW's Leah Greenblatt says, "a profoundly moving meditation not just on perception and reality, but also on the limits of familial care."
Adolf Hitler - <i>The Bunker</i> (1981)
Anthony Hopkins is no stranger to playing historical figures and in 1981, he won an Emmy for portraying Adolf Hitler in a portrayal about his final weeks of his life during World War II. His role is well-nuanced and precise, a stunning movie for the small screen that is well-acted and impressively moving.
Alfred Hitchcock - <i>Hitchcock</i> (2012)
Hopkins is fantastic in the role of the master of suspense, legendary director Alfred Hitchcock. In 2012's Hitchcock, his relationship with his wife (Helen Mirren) is explored while he attempts to make one of his most famous movies, Psycho. In a cast that features Scarlett Johannson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ralph Macchio, and Jessica Biel, Hopkins stands tall, embodying the spirit of the eccentric and driven director.
Odin - <i>Thor</i> franchise (2011-2017)
There has been no shortage of big-name actors entering the MCU and Anthony Hopkins was one of the most high-profile ones to fill the ever-expanding universe when he stepped into the shoes of Odin, King of Asgard and father to Chris Hemsworth's Thor. It was clear that he had fun in the role of Odin throughout the original Thor trilogy, adding emotional resonance to a fractured family. A standout moment is Anthony Hopkins playing Loki disguised as Odin in Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok.
Professor Abraham Van Helsing - <i>Bram Stoker's Dracula</i> (1992)
While Gary Oldman embodies the classic creature of horror, his counterpart, the vampire hunter Van Helsing, is portrayed by the commanding Anthony Hopkins in this colorful, fun, and blood-soaked adaptation of Bram Stoker's work from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. As the doctor and vampire hunter, Sir Anthony Hopkins is a great presence on screen, sometimes just as scary as Dracula, cursing his foes and providing moving oration of this period horror-drama.
Burt Munro - <i>The World's Fastest Indian</i> (2005)
Stepping out of his usual wheelhouse, Hopkins stars in this high-octane biopic about Burt Munro, the New Zealander determined to fix up a 1920 Indian motorcycle to set the land speed world record. The Academy Award winner does well in the shoes of the lesser-known historical figure in this film that highlights his passion and tenacity so well that we can't help but to cheer for him.
Dr. Robert Ford - <i>Westworld</i> (2016)
In a cast of big names and intriguing roles, Anthony Hopkins does his best to stand out as Dr. Robert Ford, creator of the robot amusement park in the hit HBO series, Westworld. As the omnipotent creator, he is able to balance fear with fatherly compassion and mystery in a role that was suited to his ability as an actor. While the show would continue after his departure, Dr. Ford and his monologues and God-like presence are sorely missed.
Pierre Bezukhov - <i>War & Peace</i> (1972)
Early in his career, Hopkins played the central character of Leo Tolstoy's acclaimed piece of world literature in the 1972 TV miniseries, War & Peace. As the young count who inherits a large fortune, the actor is brilliant as a boy stumbling through the world trying to find love and peace amongst a world in turmoil. His performance earned him a BAFTA award, a precursor to a career of award-winning and critically acclaimed work.
Colonel William Ludlow - <i>Legends of the Fall</i> (1994)
Based on a novella by Jim Harrison, Legends of the Fall is an epic tale about three brothers (Brad Pitt, Henry Thomas, and Aidan Quinn) living with their father (Hopkins) in remote Montana as they deal with love and betrayal during the brink of the first World War.
While Brad Pitt is the star of the film, Hopkins manages to shine in his own right as the patriarch of a family, teetering on the edge of being torn apart by the shared love of the same women (Julia Ormond). The jaded old Colonel does his best to remain calm and keep his sons in line as he struggles with forces outside of his control.
Corky - <i>Magic</i> (1978)
Hopkins proves he doesn't even need to appear on screen to be as memorable as ever in this eerie psychological horror film about a failed magician who finds success as a ventriloquist, until his dummy begins to control his life. The actor lends his voice to the dummy, Corky, adding perfect cadence and brilliant suspense to the terrifying trope of deadly dummies.
C.S. Lewis - <i>Shadowlands</i> (1993)
Sir Anthony Hopkins reunites with his A Bridge Too Far director, Richard Attenborough, in this passionate love story. Hopkins plays C.S. Lewis, the acclaimed writer of The Chronicles of Narnia, who finds love when he meets the poet Joy Gresham (Debra Winger). His quiet, shy portrayal of the author makes him even more relatable as he finds himself grappling with the newfound relationship that draws him out of his ever-reserved routine.
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