Hopkins' film debut was in 1968, when he portrayed Richard the Lionheart in A Lion in Winter. Somewhat unusual for a classically trained actor, Hopkins starred in many made for TV movies during the 1970s 1980s. His roles as Bruno Hauptmann in The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case and Adolf Hitler in The Bunker earned him Emmy Awards in 1976 and 1981 respectively. Hopkins' portrayal of psychotic cannibal Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs earned him an Oscar, although he is featured in only 16 of the film's 118 minutes—the shortest ever performance to earn a "Best Lead Actor" award.

He was nominated for three more Academy Awards for his roles in The Remains of the Day, (1993), Nixon (1995) and Amistad (1997). Also an accomplished writer, director, producer, composer and Broadway actor, Hopkins received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award lifetime achievement award in 2006.

1. "I was lousy in school. Real screwed-up. A moron. I was antisocial and didn't bother with the other kids. A really bad student. I didn't have any brains. I didn't know what I was doing there. That's why I became an actor."
2. "I am able to play monsters well. I understand monsters. I understand madmen."