{"success":true,"data":{"id":"5c7393c5-70b7-41f6-ae40-d640ec70d5dc","title":"Anthony Hopkins, 88, announces surprising new career change after legendary acting career","summary":"SocietyOpen sub menu SearchEmail Anthony Hopkins, 88, announces surprising new career change after legendary acting career By Published July 10, 2026, 6:38 p.m. ET Comments See more of our coverage in your search results.","content":"*   [Society](https://pagesix.com/society/)Open sub menu\n\nSearch[Email](https://email.pagesix.com/?c=20fcghruiewhihiwh)\n\n# Anthony Hopkins, 88, announces surprising new career change after legendary acting career\n\n By \n\n Published July 10, 2026, 6:38 p.m. ET\n\nComments\n\nSee more of our coverage in your search results.\n\nAnthony Hopkins is pivoting to a career in music after a 65-year-stint as one of Hollywood’s most esteemed actors.\n\nThe “Silence of the Lambs” star, 88, has signed a contract with record label Decca Classics and will launch his career as a classical music composer with an album release.\n\n“Music was my first desire, my first wish,” the two-time Oscar winner [said in a statement](https://store.deccaclassics.com/collections/cd/products/life-is-a-dream-cd?srsltid=AfmBOoo3b30OZRb0NHEQpY0BbaVD8Sbua_fAuw0fIqnipLloVwIL77Lq), per the record label’s website.\n\n“I’ve been composing music all my life,” he added. “Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades, and I still find myself returning to them.”\n\n“Life is a Dream” — an album containing decades-worth of Hopkins’ compositions — is set for release Aug. 21.\n\nAnthony Hopkins, seen above in 1992, announced he’s making a career shift at age 88. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images\n\nThe Oscar-winning actor, pictured above in 2025, will release an album as a classical music composer next month. Getty Images\n\n## Explore More\n\nThe actor’s original works — which, according to Decca, were “inspired by Hopkins’ family, Wales and a lifetime of experience” — were performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.\n\nThe album’s first single, [“Bracken Road,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hVfFyUxAS4) from the longtime actor’s “1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra,” dropped Friday.\n\nThe label called “Life is a Dream” the “Thor” actor’s “most personal musical project to date,” and added that it “features works written across different periods of Hopkins’ life, revealing a composer whose music shares the same emotional depth and storytelling that define his screen career.”\n\nDecca continued, calling the album an “intimate musical memoir shaped by loved-ones, imagination, and heritage” and noting that “several pieces draw directly on his Welsh upbringing and the landscapes of his boyhood, while others reflect important people and experiences that have accompanied him over the years.”\n\nHopkins’ album is entitled “Life is a Dream” and drops Aug. 21. He’s shown here in 1971. Getty Images\n\n“Music was my first desire, my first wish,” the actor, seen here in 1991’s “The Silence of Lambs,” said in a statement. ©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Co / Everett Collection\n\n### Want more celebrity and pop culture news?\n\nStart your day with Page Six Daily.\n\n### Thanks for signing up!\n\n Enter your email address  \n\nPlease provide a valid email.\n\nBy clicking above you agree to the [Terms of Use](https://pagesix.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://pagesix.com/privacy).\n\nWant celebrity news as it breaks?\n\n- [x] \n\nDespite having a spectacularly successful career — including two Academy Awards, four BAFTAs, a pair of Primetime Emmys and a Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Golden Globes — the[“Legends of the Fall” star](https://pagesix.com/2024/02/09/entertainment/sir-anthony-hopkins-got-so-sick-of-legends-of-the-fall-director-he-just-flew-home/)once [slammed the entertainment industry’s highest honor](https://pagesix.com/entertainment/celebrities-who-have-slammed-the-oscars/).\n\n“You know, I’ve been around — I’ve got the Oscar myself for‘Silence of the Lambs’— and having to be nice to people and to be charming and flirting with them…oh, come on!” he told the Huffington Post back in 2012 before he won his second Oscar for “The Father.”\n\n“People go out of their way to flatter the nominating body, and I think it’s kind of disgusting,” the Welsh actor added. “That’s always been against my nature.”\n\nHopkins is the latest celebrity to announce a surprising change after a longstanding career.\n\n### Become a Page Six Hollywood Insider for FREE for the best stories, commentary and analysis in the business of entertainment.\n\nDaily newsletters, weekly podcasts and exclusive events will bring you all you need to know to stay in the know.\n\nGET FREE NEWSLETTER\n\nBy clicking \"BECOME AN INSIDER\" you agree to the [Terms of Use](https://pagesix.com/terms)&[Privacy Notice](https://pagesix.com/privacy)\n\nBECOME AN INSIDER\n\nThe album contains decades-worth of the highly decorated actor’s compositions. He’s pictured above in 1992. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images\n\nHopkins, pictured here in 1995’s “Nixon,” has won two Academy Awards among many other high-profile acting honors. ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection\n\nStart the Conversation\n\nHave your say.Share your thoughts in the comments below.\n\nBe the first to comment \n\nEarlier this month, Dolly Parton, 80, [announced that she’s off to Broadway](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/07/entertainment/dolly-parton-makes-surprise-career-announcement-after-delivering-bad-health-update/) for her production, “Dolly: A True Original Musical.”\n\n“This really is a dream come true,” she said in a recent Instagram video. “I can’t wait to share it with all of you.”\n\nIn April, Oscar winner Nicole Kidman, 59, [revealed plans to become a death doula](https://pagesix.com/2026/04/13/celebrity-news/nicole-kidman-is-embarking-on-surprising-new-career-path-after-moms-death/) following the [death of her mother,Janelle Ann Kidman](https://pagesix.com/2024/09/07/entertainment/nicole-kidman-leaves-venice-film-festival-early-after-learning-her-mom-died/), in September 2024.\n\nMeanwhile, after years in hiding, “Sex and the City” alum Jason Lewis, 54, divulged in May that he’d relocated to Costa Rica and [penned a nine-book “epic fantasy” series](https://pagesix.com/2026/05/28/celebrity-news/sex-and-the-city-alum-reveals-surprising-career-move-after-coming-out-of-hiding/) following 20 years as an actor.\n\nFiled under\n\nSPONSORED STORIES\n\nAround The Web \n\n## Conversation\n\nYour voice matters. 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Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!**\n\n## Trending Articles\n\nThe following is a list of the most commented articles in the last 7 days.\n\n#### Popular Shopping\n\n*   [![Image 41: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle’s kids reunite with grandpa King Charles for first time in 4 years](https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/Untitled-2-copy-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=260&h=174&crop=1)](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/royal-family/prince-harry-meghan-markles-kids-reunite-with-grandpa-king-charles-for-first-time-in-4-years/)This story has been shared 69,687 times.69,687   ### [Prince Harry, Meghan Markle’s kids reunite with grandpa King Charles for first time in 4 years](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/royal-family/prince-harry-meghan-markles-kids-reunite-with-grandpa-king-charles-for-first-time-in-4-years/) \n*   [![Image 42: Britney Spears puts on a wild show in LA traffic — months after DUI arrest](https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/newspress-collage-d0vbvneqz-1783710707741.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1783696384&w=260&h=174&crop=1)](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/celebrity-news/britney-spears-puts-on-a-wild-show-in-la-traffic-months-after-dui-arrest/)This story has been shared 17,488 times.17,488   ### [Britney Spears puts on a wild show in LA traffic — months after DUI arrest](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/celebrity-news/britney-spears-puts-on-a-wild-show-in-la-traffic-months-after-dui-arrest/) \n*   [![Image 43: Why Margaret Qualley really initiated Jack Antonoff separation: report](https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/133976285.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=260&h=174&crop=1)](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/celebrity-news/margaret-qualley-reportedly-initiated-jack-antonoff-separation-after-rose-colored-glasses-came-off/)This story has been shared 17,137 times.17,137   ### [Why Margaret Qualley really initiated Jack Antonoff separation: report](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/celebrity-news/margaret-qualley-reportedly-initiated-jack-antonoff-separation-after-rose-colored-glasses-came-off/) \n*   [![Image 44: How Jelly Roll reacted to ex-wife Bunnie Xo making out with much-younger man at his bar](https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/Untitled-2-copy-60.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=260&h=174&crop=1)](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/celebrity-news/how-jelly-roll-reacted-to-ex-wife-bunnie-xo-making-out-with-much-younger-man-at-his-bar/)This story has been shared 10,618 times.10,618   ### [How Jelly Roll reacted to ex-wife Bunnie Xo making out with much-younger man at his bar](https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/celebrity-news/how-jelly-roll-reacted-to-ex-wife-bunnie-xo-making-out-with-much-younger-man-at-his-bar/) \n\n## Now on  Decider\n\n#### Latest: Page Six Style\n\n Anthony Hopkins, seen above in 1992, announced he's making a career shift at age 88. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images\n\n Hopkins' album is entitled \"Life is a Dream\" and drops Aug. 21. He's shown here in 1971. Getty Images\n\n \"Music was my first desire, my first wish,\" the actor, seen here in 1991's \"The Silence of Lambs,\" said in a statement. ©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Co / Everett Collection\n\n The album contains decades-worth of the highly decorated actor's compositions. He's pictured above in 1992. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images\n\n Hopkins, pictured here in 1995's \"Nixon,\" has won two Academy Awards among many other high-profile acting honors. ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection\n\nYou are viewing**1** of **6**images Previous Image Next Image\n\n## More Stories\n\n### Page Six\n\n### Decider\n\n### NYPost","source_name":"New York Post","source_url":"https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/celebrity-news/anthony-hopkins-88-announces-career-change-after-legendary-acting-career/","url":"https://pagesix.com/2026/07/10/celebrity-news/anthony-hopkins-88-announces-career-change-after-legendary-acting-career/","author":"**User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice:**","author_name":"**User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice:**","published_at":"2026-07-10T22:38:54.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-10T22:38:54.000Z","image_url":"https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/Untitled-2-copy-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=87","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":7,"word_count":1356,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot"}}