Sir Anthony Hopkins gave a broad smile and raised his fists in the air as he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday.
The Oscar-winning actor said the ceremony marked the realisation of a dream he had harboured ever since he was a young actor in Wales. "When I became an actor my dream was to come here to Hollywood," he said. "This is synonymous with the dreamland of the movie business, and that's where I always wanted to come."
The 65-year-old was accompanied to the unveiling by Salma Hayek, Gary Sinise and his Silence Of The Lambs co-star Jodie Foster. A crowd of fans cheered and applauded as the Welsh actor told of how he had walked down the legendary boulevard on his first trip to Hollywood, in 1973. He recalled how he stopped at Humphrey Bogart's star and wondered if he could also make it in Tinseltown.
"It's all a dream," he said. "This is a very great symbol for me, because I never knew I would be out here as well. It's an honour."
Sir Anthony is currently winning rave reviews for his portrayal of a disgraced college professor in The Human Stain. He'll next be taking on the role of Ptolemy, opposite Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie in Alexander The Great.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Sir Anthony was accompanied by Jodie Foster to the unveiling ceremony
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Salma Hayek and her new beau Josh Lucas also came along to see the Welsh actor receive the honour
