Anthony Hopkins has won the Best Actor award at the Oscars 2021 for his performance in The Father. He beat Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), Gary Oldman (Mank), and Steven Yeun (Minari).
Hopkins – who was not able to attend the ceremony – plays Anthony in The Father, a man suffering from dementia and losing his hold on reality as his memory deteriorates. Olivia Colman portrays his daughter Anne, and the film includes supporting roles for Mark Gatiss and Rufus Sewell.
The Father was nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Colman – she took home the gold for Best Actress in 2019 for The Favourite. The film won Best Adapted Screenplay earlier in the evening.
Hopkins' victory was a surprise to many, with Boseman being the frontrunner beforehand. His performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was widely praised and won multiple awards, though the Oscar did not prove to be one of them. Viola Davis was also nominated for the same movie, though failed to win the Best Actress category, with Frances McDormand winning for her role in Nomadland.
Meanwhile, Nomadland went on to win Best Picture, and director Chloé Zhao won Best Director. To some surprise, Best Actor was the final award of the evening – an honor usually given to Best Picture.
For more from the Oscars, check out the Oscar 2021 winners list in full.
