“Music was my first passion, my first dream,” says the award-winning actor

Anthony Hopkins, star of *The Silence of the Lambs*, has made a lifelong dream come true by signing a recording contract as a composer.

A first single is being released

The 88-year-old Hollywood star’s debut album, titled “Life Is a Dream,” is set for release on August 21 via Decca Classics.

It is a collection of orchestral compositions that he has created over the course of six decades.

Anthony Hopkins: He’s Been Writing Music Since His Childhood

“Music was my first passion, my first dream. I’ve been writing music my whole life. Some of these works have been with me for decades, and I keep coming back to them. My whole life is a dream. Signing with Decca is the greatest honor of my life,” said the two-time Oscar-winning actor.

His first composition, unveiled today, is titled “Bracken Road” and is inspired by his childhood memories in Margam, South Wales, as well as by the landscapes, meadows, and mountains that surrounded his family home in the 1940s.

The work was originally written in 1963, when Hopkins was still a young actor at the Liverpool Playhouse.

According to The Guardian, the album’s original music is performed by the renowned London-based Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Grammy-winning conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

The acclaimed actor, who was born in Port Talbot, has been writing music since childhood, having started playing the piano at the age of four.

Anthony Hopkins has signed a record deal with the classical music label Decca Classics and will release a collection of recordings through the label next month.

The project is titled *Life Is A Dream* and will feature compositions written by Hopkins and performed by Gustavo…

Advertisement

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) July 10, 2026

A dream comes true

He added: “It was a true privilege to collaborate with the great Philharmonia Orchestra and the outstanding soloists, cellist Gregorio Nieto and pianist Sergio Tiempo.

My deepest gratitude and respect go to Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, whose artistic contribution is an integral part of this musical journey.

With the graceful precision of his baton, he transformed every note, imbuing it with a profound and indelible meaning, creating a vivid landscape that invites the listener to feel and imagine something uniquely personal.”

At the same time, Hopkins pays tribute to his homeland with “My Fatherland,” a composition that, as he explained, he wrote to honor his humble beginnings,” adding: “I am the son of my father, the baker.”

Featured photo: Anthony Hopkins on stage at the 2022 Oscars. (REUTERS / Brian Snyder)

Source: in.gr