Actor Anthony Hopkins, famed for award-winning movie portrayals that included a cannibalistic psychopath and repressed English butler, turned 88 on Wednesday (December 31), and celebrated 50 years of sobriety via a social media message.

"50 years ago today, I was nearly killed by driving my car in a drunken blackout. That's the way I was. But I realized at that point that I was having too much fun. It was called alcoholism. So anyone out there has got a little problem with having too much, you know, check it out. Because life is much better. So I stopped without bragging. I got help. And 50 years ago, today was the end," said the Oscar-winning actor in an Instagram post, released Tuesday.

"Without being a kill joy, I just wish you well. Choose life instead of the opposite. Life, life, life and more life. I'm also going to be 88 in two days time. So maybe I did something right, I don't know. Anyway, Happy New Year. And happy, happy life."

Born the son of a baker in 1937 in southern Wales, Hopkins has enjoyed a long and illustrious career on the silver screen.

Hopkins' golden era was the 1990s, when he received Academy Award nominations for four films - 1992's "The Silence of the Lambs,", 1994's "The Remains of the Day," 1996's "Nixon," and 1998's "Amistad".

He won the best actor Oscar as the brilliant but twisted murderer and cannibal Doctor Hannibal Lecter in the thriller "The Silence of the Lambs." Playing the role with seductive charm opposite Jodie Foster as F.B.I. Agent Clarice Starling, Hopkins launched a thousand memes with his lip-smacking delivery of the line: "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

Nearly ten years later, he would appear again as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in 2001 sequel "Hannibal", where Lecter lives in exile but reconnects with now disgraced Agent Starling, played by Julianne Moore.

In "The Remains of the Day," based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro, Hopkins played a butler beginning to question his loyalty to his master.

Then in 2021, Hopkins became the oldest actor ever to receive an Oscar, when he was awarded the statuette at the age of 83 for his portrayal of a man suffering from dementia in "The Father." Not expecting to win, Hopkins was at home in his bed in Wales when the announcement was read out in Los Angeles.

Other lauded later life roles included Benedict in "The Two Popes," for which he received an Academy Award best actor nomination in 2020, and Dr. Ford, the flawed genius and designer of futuristic worlds in HBO's 2016 drama series "Westworld."

As well as playing two American presidents, Hopkins has also portrayed legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock in "Hitchcock" in 2012, opposite Helen Mirren.

In 1990, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, becoming Sir Anthony Hopkins. He spent many of his later years near Los Angeles, taking U.S. citizenship in 2000, but was allowed to retain his title.

In 2003, he married Colombian actress Stella Arroyave, his third wife. He has a daughter, Abigail, from his first marriage to the actress Petronella Barker.

Throughout his life, Hopkins has had sideline careers in both painting and music, with his work exhibited and performed all over the world.

He has long described himself as restless and not very social, and later in life was diagnosed with what he called "high end" Asperger's Syndrome.

"I've got enough going on in my life without hanging out with actors all the time or hanging out with anyone very much," he told the Daily Beast in 2016.

"I love working and I'm not lonely, I'm not a recluse, but I am very much my own person ... I don't need people much."

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - MARCH 27, 2022) (REUTERS - Access all)

2. VARIOUS OF 2021 BEST ACTOR WINNER AND ACTOR, ANTHONY HOPKINS ARRIVING AND POSING FOR PHOTOS AT THE VANITY FAIR PARTY

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - MARCH 27, 2022) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. ANTHONY HOPKINS ARRIVING AT OSCARS AND SPEAKING TO REPORTER

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - MAY 2, 2011) (REUTERS - Access all)

4. DIRECTOR, KENNETH BRANAGH SPEAKING TO REPORTER TO HOPKINS SPEAKING AT “THOR” PREMIERE

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - NOVEMBER 4, 2013) (REUTERS - Access all)

5. HOPKINS WALKING ON “THOR: THE DARK WORLD” CARPET

LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - DECEMBER 9, 2012) (REUTERS - Access all)

6. HOPKINS AND CO-STAR, ACTOR HELEN MIRREN ON RED CARPET SPEAKING TO FANS AT “HITCHCOCK” PREMIERE

7. POSTER FOR “HITCHCOCK”

8. HOPKINS WALKING RED CARPET

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, ANTHONY HOPKINS, ON PLAYING ALFRED HITCHCOCK, SAYING:

"Well I was always a little nervous playing him because I didn't want to hear my voice back or see any of it. On the set they have these monitors and I didn't want to see any playback because I didn't want to shock myself."

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - DECEMBER 1995) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - Access all)

10. VARIOUS ON SET OF "NIXON" WITH HOPKINS AS FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON WORKING WITH DIRECTOR, OLIVER STONE

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES (FILE - FEBRUARY 18, 2012) (REUTERS - Access all)

11. HOPKINS GREETING GUESTS AT MUHAMMAD ALI’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - NOVEMBER 12, 2011) (REUTERS - Access all)

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, ANTHONY HOPKINS, SAYING:

"Muppets! Long live the Muppets! Long live Kermit! Kermit, is the best! I'm his alter ego!"

13. VARIOUS OF THE MUPPETS, INCLUDING KERMIT THE FROG AND MISS PIGGY ON RED CARPET AT “THE MUPPETS” PREMIERE

14. HOPKINS POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH GUESTS

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**WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY**

15. VARIOUS OF HOPKINS WITH SPENCER TRACY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JUNE 12, 1998) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - Access all)

16. VARIOUS OF HOPKINS SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT "THE MASK OF ZORRO" PREMIERE

17. HOPKINS WITH ACTOR, ANTONIO BANDERAS WITH PARTNER, ACTOR MELANIE GRIFFITHS OUTSIDE THEATRE

FLORENCE, ITALY (FILE - MAY 4, 2000) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - Access all)

18. HOPKINS ARRIVING AT "HANNIBAL" PRESS CONFERENCE INSIDE PALAZZO VECCHIO IN PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA

20. DIRECTOR, RIDLEY SCOTT ARRIVING

21. HOPKINS SEATED

22. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, ANTHONY HOPKINS, WHO PLAYS DOCTOR HANNIBAL LECTER, SAYING:

"I see Lecter very clearly because that's the way I'm built I suppose, that's the way I perceive things, the dark side of life. It's not just the dark side of our lives,we all have, it's the most creative side of our lives, so in this case, Hannibal Lecter is a very creative genius."

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - FEBRUARY 5, 2001) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - Access all)

23. VARIOUS OF HOPKINS AND "HANNIBAL" CO-STAR, ACTOR JULIANNE MOORE SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE FILM'S PREMIERE

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JANUARY 11, 2001) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - Access all)

24. HOPKINS ARRIVING AND POSING FOR PHOTOS AT HIS HAND AND FOOTPRINT CEREMONY AT MANN'S CHINESE THEATER

25. PHOTOGRAPHERS

26. HOPKINS LEAVING HANDPRINTS IN CEMENT AND POSING FOR PRESS

27. HOPKINS HANDPRINTS AND SIGNATURE OUTSIDE AT MANN'S CHINESE THEATER

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - NOVEMBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

28. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF "THE TWO POPES" CAST MEMBERS, JONATHAN PRYCE (L) AND ANTHONY HOPKINS (R) POSING FOR PHOTOS AT PREMIERE

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - FEBRUARY 22, 2009) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

29. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF ANTHONY HOPKINS AND WIFE STELLA ARRIVING AT THE 81ST ACADEMY AWARDS

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - OCTOBER 9, 1999) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

30. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF ANTHONY HOPKINS WITH "SILENCE OF THE LAMBS" CO-STAR, ACTOR JODIE FOSTER AT THE AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE MOVING PICTURE BALL

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (FILE - JANUARY 18, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

31. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF HOPKINS ARRIVING AT THE JOY AWARDS IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - MAY 2, 2011) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

32. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF ANTHONY HOPKINS ARRIVING AT PREMIERE OF "THOR"