A Deep Dive Into Anthony Hopkins’ Daughter & Their Estrangement
What To Know
- Anthony Hopkins is estranged from his only daughter, Abigail Hopkins.
- He discusses their relationship in his 2025 memoir.
- The actor also reflects on his past marriages.
Anthony Hopkins has lived decades of his life in the public eye due to his career, and the actor has been candid about his life behind closed doors, too. In his 2025 memoir, We Did OK, Kid, Hopkins describes his estrangement from his daughter, Abigail.
When the book came out, The New York Times asked Hopkins about the possibility of reconciliation, and he replied that he “did what [he] could” in that respect. “My wife, Stella, sent an invitation to come and see us,” the 88-year-old actor said.
“Not a word of response. So I think, OK, fine. I wish her well, but I’m not going to waste blood over that. If you want to waste your life being in resentment, fine, go ahead. It’s not in my ken. I could carry resentment over the past, but that’s death. You’re not living.”
Read on for more details about Abigail, her relationship with her father, and other facts about the Hopkins family.
Who is Abigail Hopkins?
Abigail, 57, is an actress, musician, and documentary filmmaker, per her Instagram. When she briefly reconciled with her dad in the 1990s, she had cameos in his movies Shadowlands and The Remains of the Day. Per The Telegraph, she trained at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. The singer-songwriter released three albums before she began studying for a master’s degree in filmmaking.
During that time, she was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer in December 2020, and she’s currently in remission, per her website. Abigail made a documentary about her experience called Under This Sky, followed by a charity album called Stardust.
Who is Abigail Hopkins’ mother?
Abigail’s mother is 83-year-old British actress Petronella Barker, who has starred in movies like 2013’s Victoria and 1995’s Dangerous Waters. She was married to Hopkins from 1966 to 1972.
Why are Anthony and Abigail Hopkins estranged?
In 2006, Abigail opened up about her relationship with her father in an interview with The Telegraph. “We have never really been close,” she said. “We’ve never discussed big life issues. Because, well, our relationship was always so sporadic. I’ve never felt I could discuss those sort of things with him.”
In his memoir, her dad reflected on walking away from his then-two-year-old daughter and Barker. Hopkins, who has been sober for decades, drank heavily during his first marriage. “Our opposing personalities and my alcoholism doomed the relationship from the start,” he wrote. “By the time we realized how awful a match we were, Barker was pregnant. We tried to rally for the sake of the child we were about to have, but it was no use. The marriage was a disaster.”
The actor recalled their arguments over his drinking, and claimed that his career also played a factor in their inability to get along. He wrote that his first wife called him “Mr. Lord High and Mighty” when he returned from work one night, and something snapped in that moment. That’s when he decided to leave his family behind.
“I had never been physically violent, but in that moment, I was filled with such revulsion that I became afraid for both myself and her,” he said, adding that he went to Abigail’s room before he left. “I looked down at her and whispered goodbye. Then I walked back to the hall, picked up my suitcases, and left the house.”
Hopkins said he sent financial support, but didn’t have contact with his ex and daughter for several years, though they tried to reconnect when Abigail was nine and again during her teens. “It is the saddest fact of my life, and my greatest regret, and yet I feel absolutely sure that it would have been much worse for everyone if I’d stayed,” he wrote.
He continued, “I hope my daughter knows that my door is always open to her. I want her to be well and happy. I will always be sorry for hurting her when I left the family, even as I believe to this day that I had no choice.”
Does Anthony Hopkins have more kids?
Abigail is the actor’s only child, though the Oscar winner did go on to remarry. His second wife was Jennifer Lynton, whom he met in 1969 and stayed with for several decades. They ultimately split due to Hopkins’ infidelity, per his memoir. Hopkins married Stella Arroyave in 2003, and they’ve been together ever since.
