Sir Anthony Hopkins has spent most of his life known as one of the world's greatest actors. On Friday, he released something else entirely.
According to Billboard, Hopkins' album of original classical compositions, Life Is a Dream, came out August 21 on Decca. The 12-piece record was recorded in London with outgoing Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading the Philharmonia Orchestra. Hopkins is 88.
The album draws heavily from his personal history. One piece, "Margam," is a dreamy, lush look at the Welsh town where he grew up. "Farewell My Love" is dedicated to his wife of 23 years, Stella. "Fanfare and March" is described as boisterous and exhilarating. Hopkins has said the pieces serve as a musical companion to his 2025 autobiography, We Did OK, Kid.
Music has followed Hopkins his entire life, even as acting took over. He started playing piano at age 7, just after World War II ended. He has said he would have pursued music as a career if not for a lack of discipline. "I didn't have the skill as a musician or the patience with theory," he said. "So, I have no technical knowledge."
His father, a baker, is also a presence on the album. Hopkins watched his father struggle through the difficult post-World War II years and has described looking back at him with what he calls a kind of strange, morbid nostalgia.
"Music for me is based on pain," Hopkins said. "Life is painful, and my music reflects that...That's the beauty and eloquence of life, because no one in this world knows what happens once we close our eyes and die."
Dudamel, who conducted the recording sessions, said he responded to the music on its own terms. "What drew me in was its authenticity," Dudamel said via email. "Anthony writes without pretense and he follows his own artistic instinct. When I spent time with his scores, I wasn't thinking about the fact that they were written by one of the world's great actors. I was simply responding to the music itself. It has warmth, imagination, and a very personal voice, and I felt it deserved to be heard."
Hopkins spoke to Billboard from the living room of the Grace Kelly suite at Los Angeles' Hotel Bel-Air, wearing a bright lime pullover, tan jacket and khakis. He sipped tea and declined a plate of cookies. "I became fastidious [about eating] during the pandemic," he said.
The album's themes circle around memory, loss, and the passage of time. "They're all part of a great theme: that we're here, but, finally, we have to say goodbye. That's the poignancy and the beauty of life," Hopkins said.
