Editing Anthony Hopkins (section)

=== 1980–1989: National Theatre and acclaim ===
[[File:Sir Frederick Treves, Bt by Sir (Samuel) Luke Fildes.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Hopkins portrayed [[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Sir Frederick Treves]] in ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]'' (1980).]]
In 1980, he starred in [[David Lynch]]'s ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]'' as the English doctor [[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Sir Frederick Treves]], who attends to [[Joseph Merrick]] (portrayed by [[John Hurt]]), a severely deformed man in 19th century London. The film received critical praise and attention from critics and received eight [[Academy Award]] nominations including for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]. That year he also starred opposite [[Shirley MacLaine]] in ''[[A Change of Seasons (film)|A Change of Seasons]]''. They famously did not get along; Hopkins later called her "the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with".<ref name="Films and filming">{{cite book |title=Films and filming |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0kEbAQAAIAAJ |year=1989 |publisher=Hansom Books}}</ref> The film was a box office and critical failure. In 1981, he starred in the [[CBS]] television film ''[[The Bunker (1981 film)|The Bunker]]'' portraying [[Adolf Hitler]] during the final weeks of his life in and around his underground bunker in Berlin. John O'Connor praised Hopkins in his ''[[New York Times]]'' review: "The portrait becomes all the more riveting through an extraordinarily powerful performance from Anthony Hopkins. His Hitler is mad, often contemptible, but always understandable. Part of the problem, perhaps, is that the monster becomes a little too understandable. He is not made sympathetic, exactly, but he is given decidedly pathetic dimensions, making him just that much more ''acceptable'' as a dramatic and historical character."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/27/arts/tv-bunker-on-hitler-s-last-days.html |title=TV: 'BUNKER,' ON HITLER'S LAST DAYS |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=27 January 1981 |accessdate=16 June 2021 |last1=O'Connor |first1=John J.}}</ref> For his performance, he received a [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie]]. That same year he starred as [[Paul the Apostle]] opposite [[Robert Foxworth]] as [[Saint Peter]] in the biblical drama and miniseries ''[[Peter and Paul (film)|Peter and Paul]]'' (1981).

In 1983, Hopkins also became a company member of [[The Mirror Theater Ltd]]'s Repertory Company. In 1984, he portrayed Deeley in [[Harold Pinter]]'s play ''[[Old Times]]'' at the [[Roundabout Theatre]] in New York.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/09/theater/the-clockwork-of-old-times.html | title=The Clockwork of 'Old Times' | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=9 February 1984 | last1=Bennetts | first1=Leslie }}</ref> In 1984, he starred opposite [[Mel Gibson]] in ''[[The Bounty (1984 film)|The Bounty]]'' as [[William Bligh]], captain of the Royal Navy ship {{HMS|Bounty}}, in a more accurate retelling of the [[Mutiny on the Bounty|mutiny on the ''Bounty'']].<ref>{{cite news |title=Buoyed by Fresh Insight, "The Bounty" Sails Again |author=Stephen Farber |work=The New York Times |date=29 April 1984}}</ref> The following year, he starred as [[Quasimodo]] in the CBS television film ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' (1982). The film also starred [[Derek Jacobi]], [[David Suchet]], [[Tim Pigott-Smith]], [[Nigel Hawthorne]], and [[John Gielgud]]. He also starred in ''[[Strangers and Brothers (TV series)|Strangers and Brothers]]'' (1984), ''[[Arch of Triumph (1984 film)|Arch of Triumph]]'' (1984), ''[[Guilty Conscience (film)|Guilty Conscience]]'' (1985), ''[[Mussolini and I]]'' (1985), and ''[[The Tenth Man (novel)|The Tenth Man]]'' (1988). In 1985, Hopkins starred opposite [[Colin Firth]] in the [[Arthur Schnitzler]] play ''The Lonely Road'' at [[The Old Vic]] in London. That same year, he featured as Lambert Le Roux in the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] production of ''[[Pravda (play)|Pravda]]'' in Sir [[David Hare (playwright)|David Hare]] and [[Howard Brenton]]'s satirical play on the British newspaper industry in the [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]] era.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pravda's prescience |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/pravda-s-prescience-7388642.html |access-date=23 June 2023 |work=Evening Standard}}</ref><ref>Gussow, Mel. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/11/arts/theater-mirror-rep-in-a-revival-of-rain.html "THEATER: MIRROR REP, IN A REVIVAL OF 'RAIN']." ''[[The New York Times]]'', 10 March 1984. Web. 10 January 2017.</ref> Receiving acclaim for his performance, Hopkins won the [[1985 Laurence Olivier Awards|Laurence Olivier Award]] for Outstanding Achievement.<ref>{{cite web |title=Olivier Winners 1985 |website=officiallondontheatre.com |publisher=[[Society of London Theatre]] |url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1985/ |access-date=23 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119125731/https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1985/ |archive-date=19 November 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Frank Rich]] in his ''New York Times'' review wrote, "Mr. Hopkins creates a memorable image of a perversely brilliant modern-day barbarian."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/20/theater/stage-2-london-plays-touch-on-stalinization.html |title=STAGE: 2 LONDON PLAYS TOUCH ON STALINIZATION |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 June 1985 |accessdate=16 June 2021 |last1=Rich |first1=Frank}}</ref>

In 1986, he starred in David Hare's production of ''[[King Lear]]'', Hopkins's favourite [[Shakespeare play]], at the National Theatre.<ref name="RadioTimes 2018"/> The next year, he starred as [[Mark Antony]] in the National Theatre production of ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'' opposite [[Judi Dench]], and in 1989, Hopkins made his last appearance on stage in a [[West End theatre|West End]] production of ''[[M. Butterfly]]''. "It was a torment", he claimed in a later interview. Of a matinee where nobody laughed, there was, he said "not a titter". When the lights came up, the cast realised the entire audience was Japanese. "Oh God", he recalled, "You'd go to your dressing room and someone would pop their head round the door and say, 'Coffee? Tea?' And I'd think, 'An open razor, please.'"<ref name="Guardian 2018"/> In 1989, he starred as [[Abel Magwitch]] in the miniseries ''[[Great Expectations (1989 TV series)|Great Expectations]]'' which was broadcast on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in the UK and [[The Disney Channel]] in the US. The adaptation of the [[Great Expectations|Dickens' novel]] also starred [[Jean Simmons]] and [[John Rhys-Davies]]. He received his fourth [[Primetime Emmy Award]] nomination, this time for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie|Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie]].