HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 11, 2000 — Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins became the 223rd celebrity to have his hands and feet marked in cement in front of the historic Mann’s Chinese this morning.
Hopkins‘ ceremony was attended by a boulevard of fans, his 87-year-old mother Muriel and actress Winona Ryder, who co-starred with Hopkins in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”
“It’s very Hollywood, but I like it,” Hopkins said after his hand and feet were imprinted in wet cement near the theater’s entrance. “I came out here years ago, and I stood here looking at Bogart, John Wayne, Bob Hope, you name it. And little did I know I’d end up here. … I never believed it would [happen].” An exuberant Ryder, who was touched by Hopkins‘ support at her Walk of Fame ceremony in October, described the Welsh actor as “heart-wrenching” and proclaimed that she had a crush on him since 1977’s “Audrey Rose.”
Hopkins, 63, has been nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning in 1992 for “The Silence of the Lambs.” He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993.
“The knighthood is terrific, it’s fabulous, but different … a more sedate, dignified thing,” Hopkins told Hollywood.com. “This has got its own dignity; it’s a Hollywood dignity. It symbolizes to me the Americans’ capacity for celebration.”
Hopkins will reclaim the big screen on Feb. 9, reprising his award-winning role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in “Hannibal,” the sequel to “Lambs.” Ridley Scott (“Gladiator”) directs, and Julianne Moore will take over for Jodie Foster in the role of FBI Agent Clarice Starling.
