Anthony Hopkins ranks as one of the most versatile and challenging actors of our time. Born in Wales in 1937, the son of a baker, Hopkins was a misfit growing up. This book details his difficulties—he failed at school, immersing himself in various forms of art rather than his studies; he later walked out on the National Theatre; and he lost himself in years of alcohol abuse. But these events now seen worlds away from the spectacular success Hopkins has gone on to achieve. Over the years he has won a multitude of awards, including an Oscar and, in 1993, a knighthood. This intimate biography of Hopkins is a penetrating study of obsession and ambition that is destined to rank as the definitive work on an important cultural icon.