We Did Ok, Kid: A Memoir by Sir Anthony Hopkins

Born and raised in Port Talbot—a small Welsh steelworks town amid war and depression—Anthony Hopkins grew up surrounded by men who were tough, emotionally shuttered, and prone to brutality and alcoholism. A struggling student deemed a failure by his peers and parents alike, he seemed destined for obscurity. Then, on a fateful Saturday night, the disregarded Welsh boy watched the 1948 adaptation of Hamlet, and everything changed. That spark of passion for acting set him on a path no one could have predicted, leading him from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art under Laurence Olivier's wing to an illustrious career spanning over sixty years—and an Academy Award.

With candour and a voice that is both arresting and vulnerable, Hopkins recounts the milestones of his career and the stories behind his most iconic roles: the creepy precision he drew from Bela Lugosi for Hannibal Lecter; the raw emotion he pulled from his father's stoicism for an unforgettable King Lear; chance encounters with Richard Burton that shaped his trajectory. But this is also a deeply honest reckoning with his personal struggles. His addiction cost him his first marriage, his relationship with his only child, and nearly his life—an abyss that ultimately propelled him toward sobriety, a commitment he has maintained for nearly fifty years. We Did Ok, Kid is a raw and passionate memoir from a complex, iconic man who has inspired audiences with remarkable performances and who, in these pages, confronts the ghosts of his past, his battles with isolation and fear, and his questions of mortality and what lies beyond.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK Ltd.

Date Published: 04/11/2025

ISBN: 9781398547421

Number of pages: 368

Binding:

• Paperback

Book genres:

• Biography
• Movies & TV

Target audience:

• Adults