Anthony Hopkins certainly cemented his name in Hollywood history after he became the oldest recipient of a Best Actor Oscar at the age of 83. He took home the award in 2021 for his work in The Father, adding it the one he received in 1992 for playing Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. The Welsh legend was nominated for an Academy Award four other times in his illustrious career. Talk about a Tinseltown resume!
His personal life is just as exciting, as Anthony has put a ring on the finger of three different women, most recently with Stella Arroyave. The two previous marriages were to Petronella Barker and Jennifer Lynton. Keep reading to find out all there is to know about the loves in Anthony’s life, below.
Petronella Barker
Petronella was a mere 24 years old when she said “I do” to Anthony, according to PeoplePill. The pair has shared a love of theatre, as Petronella was following in the footsteps of her parents: comedian Eric Barker and actress Pearl Hackney. Two years into their marriage, the couple welcomed Anthony’s only child, daughter Abigail. The couple would divorce by 1972. Anthony reflected on his life at that time, saying, “I guess I am selfish. I have not been a good husband or father,” per The Mirror.
Anthony has a famously estranged relationship with Abigail. The father/daughter bond quickly soured after Anthony left the family to marry another woman, causing Abigail to spiral into drug abuse. “I came very close to killing myself. It was the worst time I can remember,” Abigail revealed in an interview, per The Mirror. “I totally abused my mind and body. The root cause was the fact that my father and I had an intermittent relationship when I was young. I was angry and there was a lot of grieving going on.”
In a rare statement about his only child in 2002, Anthony told Howard Stern, “I hardly ever hear from her, she probably has good reasons. I guess we are estranged. I hope she is well. She is too busy and has to do her own thing. I think she is in England somewhere. Life is life. You get on with it.”
Jennifer Lynton
Jennifer was a production assistant on a film Anthony had a role in when she picked him up from the airport and they began a relationship, according to the Daily Mail. Although Anthony was officially still married to Petronella, the two were estranged, which opened the door for his and Jennifer’s love to blossom. They married in 1973 and were together during his meteoric rise in Hollywood, including his first Oscar win. But by 2002, the couple had grown apart and decided to divorce.
Stella Arroyave
Anthony was still technically married (again) when he met Colombian-born beauty Stella in 2001 while he was shopping at her antiques store in Los Angeles, per The Telegraph. The pair walked down the aisle together in a star-studded wedding in 2003 at his Malibu mansion. In 2011, Anthony told The Independent that Stella had saved him from a dark period in his life. “She met me ten years ago when I was shut down. Shut down for some years. I didn’t feel shut down at that time. I felt I was quite happy. But I was dealing with slight depression — Not trusting anyone. Certainly not trusting women. Everyday she wakes up happy. She’s very positive about everything. I learnt from her just to take life as it comes.”
Since their meeting, Stella has shifted gears in her career, working in Hollywood as much as possible as both an actress and a screenplay writer. She has also become a rock for Anthony. “She’s a wonderful woman,” he told Daily Mail. “She looks after me that way and she needs to, because my nature is to do things very fast because I have convinced myself that I am still 45 years old. I walk far too fast and I’m always falling over and she reminds me not to.”
As the couple are still going from strength to strength to this day, Anthony’s third marriage seems to be the charm!