Born in 1937 in Wales, Hopkins struggled academically but excelled in art. Graduated from Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1957. Trained at RADA in London after serving in British Army
Born Audrey Kathleen Ruston in Brussels in 1929 to aristocratic parents. Experienced traumatic family separation during father's Fascist activities. Survived Nazi occupation by performing ballet to support Dutch resistance
Born in Honolulu in 1967 to Australian parents. Started acting at age three in ballet. Made film debut in 1983 with Bush Christmas. Broke through with Dead Calm (1989) and Bangkok Hilton (1989)
Great actors connect emotionally with audiences through various acting techniques. Actors have been cultural icons since before films had sound. Method acting, Stanislavsky's System and Meisner Technique are key approaches
Salma Hayek gained fame as Frida Kahlo in 2002, earning Academy Award nomination. Elizabeth Hurley rose to international fame in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Jennifer Connelly won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in A Beautiful Mind. Halle Berry became first African-American woman to win Academy Award for Best Actress. Penélope Cruz became first Spanish actress to win Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
Hopkins received his knighthood in 1993 for his performances. His first major role was Richard the Lionheart in "The Lion in Winter" (1968). He won Best Actor Oscar for "The Father" (2020)