Summary
- Anthony Hopkins' versatility shines through in his best movies, where he flawlessly portrays both sadistic killers and charming gentlemen.
- Hopkins' acting prowess is evident through his numerous awards and the legendary directors who are eager to work with him.
- From historical dramas to psychological thrillers, Hopkins' unforgettable performances in any genre prove his exceptional abilities.
Over the course of a film career spanning over 50 years, Anthony Hopkins has excelled in a wide variety of roles, and his best movies showcase his extraordinary talents. Hopkins is perhaps most associated with portraying well-educated and well-mannered British gentlemen, but his most memorable roles show that he is extremely versatile. He has played both sadistic serial killers and charming, salt of the Earth types, each with remarkable authenticity. As his career has developed, Hopkins' more recent roles have explored aging, legacy, and death with unflinching focus.
Hopkins has amassed a great number of awards in his career, including two Academy Awards for Best Actor. He is part of an elite club to have achieved this particular feat, but this is only one indicator of his acting prowess. The fact that legendary directors like Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and Richard Attenborough are always keen to work with him is another. Hopkins can inhabit many different roles, and he is renowned for his meticulous preparation and impressive memory. He has all the tools necessary to deliver unforgettable performances in any genre, and his best movies are proof of his abilities.
10 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
Frank Doel
Based on Helen Hanff’s memoir, 84 Charing Cross Road stars Anthony Hopkins as an antiquarian bookseller who finds rare books for a woman from New York over the course of 20 years. Despite their correspondence blossoming into a long and intellectually sustaining relationship, the pair never meet face-to-face. Nevertheless, they are united by their shared love of literature, and 84 Charing Cross Road is a charming fantasy for bibliophiles. The story contrasts the two environments of the characters. New York is buzzing with noise, while London is polite and reserved. The pair find that they both need a slice of each other’s world, and they get it through their friendship.
9 A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Lieutenant-Colonel John Frost
Anthony Hopkins is just one part of an ensemble cast teeming with prestige in the war movie A Bridge Too Far. Alongside Hopkins are Sean Connery, Michael Caine, James Caan, Laurence Olivier, Gene Hackman, and many more exceptional talents. A Bridge Too Far needs every member of its huge cast, because it ambitiously tells the story of Operation Market Garden in the Second World War from both sides of the conflict and features all ranks of military personnel from several Allied nations. It runs just shy of three hours, but A Bridge Too Far rewards those patient enough with a more expansive war movie than practically anything else on offer.
8 The Two Popes (2019)
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
The Two Popes is based on the true story of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s abdication, and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio’s preparations to succeed him, but the film imagines certain conversations. The Two Popes isn’t a literal biopic, but its two characters present conflicting philosophies of the Catholic Church and its place in the 21st Century, and their conversations reveal the deep fissure within the ancient institution. Anthony Hopkins plays the elder pope opposite Jonathan Pryce, and the story brings two incredible performances out of the seasoned veterans. The Two Popes is both a character study and a political drama centered around opposing religious ideals.
7 Howards End (1992)
Henry Wilcox
One of the finest Merchant-Ivory films of all, Howards End might appear at first to be beautifully decorated but stuffy and austere. In this way, the story reflects its primary concern, the British upper class, quietly obsessed with appearance and dignity. However, bubbling just below the well-mannered surface of Howards End is a toxic milieu of emotional violence, with characters attempting to deceive and defeat one another like any more outwardly brutal drama. The characters use sharp dialogue as their primary weapon, both to harm and to mislead. Howards End is also one of Emma Thompson’s best movies. She and Hopkins both capture the essence of repressed animalistic greed expertly.
6 The Lion In Winter (1968)
Richard
The Lion in Winter is a timeless political drama, meticulously plotted with direct but expressive dialogue.
The Lion in Winter gave Anthony Hopkins his first major film role, but Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn are at the center of the historical drama. The story unfolds over a couple of days as King Henry plots to appoint an heir to the throne from one of his three sons. Hopkins plays the battle-hardened warrior Richard, but he needs more than strength and seniority to ensure his place in the line of succession. The Lion in Winter is a timeless political drama, meticulously plotted with direct but expressive dialogue. It delivers on the detailed costumes and sets that a period drama should, but it’s much sharper than most.
5 The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
Burt Munro
Burt Munro was a motorcycle enthusiast from New Zealand who took a 40-year-old bike halfway across the world to set a series of land speed records on the salt flats in Utah. The World’s Fastest Indian tells his story with genuine warmth, and a charming comedic performance from Anthony Hopkins. Along his journey, Burt meets a cast of eccentric characters, and his naïve but friendly nature touches all their lives. Burt has a wonderful philosophy of life, choosing to leave his comfortable home in New Zealand to chase his passions, but he never forgets his roots, or the people waiting for him at home.
4 The Remains Of The Day (1993)
Stevens
Based on the seminal novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day tells the story of the staff at Darlington Hall during the lead-up to the Second World War. Anthony Hopkins plays Stevens, the butler of the house, whose commitment to his duties supersedes both his love for one of the housekeepers and his revulsion at his employer’s Nazi sympathizing. The Remains of the Day is a powerful drama about the conflict between love and duty, and the tragedy of passions left untended. Telling the story both before and after the war, the film lays bare Stevens’ frightened choices, masked only to himself as noble restraint.
3 The Elephant Man (1980)
Dr. Frederick Treves
The Elephant Man tells the real-life story of Joseph Merrick, a man with severe physical deformities who had to resort to being displayed as a sideshow attraction to make a living. Anthony Hopkins plays Frederick Treves, a surgeon who takes an interest in Joseph’s case, and observes him while he lives at the London Hospital. The pair strike up an unlikely friendship, as Frederick learns that all Joseph wants is to be treated like anybody else. The Elephant Man is one of David Lynch’s best movies, and the director’s superb vision manipulates the audience into inhabiting the role of the Victorian English society which gawked at Joseph.
2 The Father (2020)
Anthony
Anthony Hopkins became the oldest recipient of an Academy Award for acting when he won for his performance as Anthony in The Father. The film depicts the deteriorating mental state of an elderly man, seen through the loving relationship he shares with his daughter, played by Olivia Colman. Both Hopkins and Colman deliver superb performances, and they are aided by an emphatic directorial debut from Florian Zeller, who also wrote the script. The subjective narrative shows what Anthony believes is happening, and the facts slip further from reality as his dementia worsens, right up until the heartbreaking ending of The Father.
1 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Hopkins steals every scene he’s in, depicting the cannibalistic psychopath with chilling detachment.
Anthony Hopkins’ most iconic character of all came in his best film. Hannibal Lecter’s strange, playful relationship with Clarice Starling is the driving force behind the gruesome murder mystery at the heart of the movie. Clarice may be the protagonist, but Hopkins steals every scene he’s in, depicting the cannibalistic psychopath with chilling detachment. His unblinking eyes and restrained movements give the impression of a man in total control, even when locked behind bars or contained in a straitjacket. This makes Hannibal’s sudden burst into violence far more terrifying, but mostly, The Silence of the Lambs uses powerful dialogue as a tool for crafting suspenseful horror.
