Anthony Hopkins will forever be associated with one of the most chilling moments in cinema history. As the imprisoned psychopath Hannibal Lecter, he stares menacingly at Jodie Foster and says:

“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

Playing a cultured serial killer may have put him on Hollywood’s ‘A-list’, but Silence of the Lambs was just one of many films where Anthony Hopkins came in as supporting cast and ended up stealing the show.

With roles like the zealous Captain Bligh in The Bounty or the ethically-challenged Dr Treves in The Elephant Man, he was already well known for delivering powerful but never overstated performances. Hopkin’s most successful characterisations are all strong, intelligent yet deeply troubled men wrestling with their inner demons.

In searching for the essence of the actor, it’s hard not be drawn to Dick Hopkins, the prosperous Port Talbot baker who has been cited as a major influence by his son. He told his official biographer in 1999: “My father was a very forceful, vigorous personality who used to go off in all sorts of directions”.

As a fiery young star, fresh from Cardiff College of Music and Drama, Anthony Hopkins was known for similar attributes. He appears to have become a more reflective character after quitting alcohol in ‘seventies. “I just decided” - he told an interviewer in 1996 - “to get on with my life”.

His drinking exploits had done little to impede an early career that saw him much in demand for major stage and film productions. He was a protégé of Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre but it is America that enthrals him most and where he has scored his greatest triumphs.

If the acting hadn’t worked out he could always have made a good living as an impressionist. His Tommy Cooper is the best in the business.