In a surprise win, Anthony Hopkins took home the best actor statue at the Oscars on Sunday for his work in The Father. Going into the ceremony, the late Chadwick Boseman was the heavy favorite to win for his final film role as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Oscar producers even seemed to be preparing for a Boseman win by changing the order of the awards show to end with the best actor award, rather than best picture, which usually closes out the show. But presenter Joaquin Phoenix opened the envelope and announced Hopkins had won. Hopkins, who at 83 becomes the oldest best actor winner, was not at the ceremony so the show ended in a rather anticlimactic manner with no speech.
The Father, from director Florian Zeller, sees Hopkins play an aging patriarch struggling with dementia. It is based on Zeller’s play of the same name.
This is Hopkins’ second Oscar, following a 1992 best actor win for his iconic work in Silence of the Lambs. He has been nominated for a total of six times.
The 93rd Oscars were held at the Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and televised live on ABC. There was no host. The event was produced by Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher.
