While champagne glasses clinked worldwide on New Year’s Eve, Sir Anthony Hopkins abstained from joining the alcohol-fueled festivities. The legendary Welsh actor marked nearly half a century of sobriety with a heartfelt Instagram video, sharing that he has been sober and thriving since December 29, 1975.
Born on December 31, 1937—making him 87 years old as of two days ago—Hopkins came of age in the 1960s London theater scene. There, he worked alongside seasoned colleagues like Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, and Richard Harris, who often began their entertaining anecdotes with phrases like, “I was on my tenth gin and tonic,” or, “I woke up under a piano after a week-long bender.” Hopkins himself wasn’t a stranger to alcohol, but a drunk-driving incident 49 years ago led him to reconsider his habits.
At the time, Hopkins was already an accomplished actor with a BAFTA nomination for his role in the 1968 historical drama The Lion in Winter, starring Peter O’Toole. By 1977, he had appeared in the classic war epic A Bridge Too Far. However, by then, he had already given up drinking.
“Good morning and happy December 29th! Why the 29th? Well, today marks 49 years since I stopped drinking,” the two-time Oscar-winning actor said in his latest Instagram video. He recalled enjoying the revelry that came with drinking but admitted he had a serious problem with alcohol and often couldn’t remember anything afterward.
“There was a time I drove a car completely drunk. On that fateful day, I realized I needed to confront my problem. So, I did. I reached out to some people who, like me, were alcoholics. Since then, I’ve been sober and feeling great. It’s wonderful to have fun—a drink here or there is fine—but if you have a problem with alcohol, there’s help available,” Hopkins said.
Looking remarkably healthy for his age, Hopkins remains active in his career. He recently worked on Locked, a thriller co-starring Bill Skarsgård, and Eyes in the Trees, a sci-fi adaptation inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau.