Sir Anthony Hopkins is proof that it’s never too late to follow your dreams – with the actor releasing his first record at the age of 88. Hopkins, whose roles include the classical music-loving cannibal Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, made his musical debut on Friday (10 July) with orchestral single “Bracken Road”. He is set to release a 12-track album of classical music next month titled Life is a Dream after signing with Decca Classics. While Hopkins began acting almost 70 years ago and went on to win two Oscars, four BAFTAs and various other awards, he said that music was actually his “first desire”. “I’ve been composing music all my life,” he said in a statement. “Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades and I still find myself returning to them.”Anthony Hopkins' forthcoming album, 'Life is a Dream' (PA)His debut track, composed by Hopkins and performed by Grammy Award-winning conductor Gustavo Dudamel with the Philharmonia Orchestra, was inspired by the actor’s childhood in Wales’ Port Talbot. “It is a nostalgic musical portrait of the streets, meadows, farmland and mountains that surrounded his family home in the 1940s,” Decca said. Hopkins first composed the piece while working as a young actor at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1963, saying: “In the early mornings, whilst the cleaners worked backstage, I’d improvise at the small upright piano in the green room.“The bluesy, languid tune is inspired by the slow ballads of the Harry James Orchestra, and Jackie Gleason.”The full album will feature original recordings of compositions Hopkins wrote over the course of six decades – including “My Fatherland”, a tribute to his “humble beginnings” in Wales.Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon MusicSign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon MusicSign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.“I am the son of my father, the baker,” Hopkins said, adding that signing with Decca has been “the honour of a lifetime”. President of Decca, Laura Monks, said that it has been a privilege to work with Hopkins on the album.“His depth of talent and classical music knowledge, honed over a lifetime, is a joy to celebrate with this new album,” she said. Anthony Hopkins as Dr Hannibal Lecter in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (Orion Pictures)“Hearing his incredible compositions come to life at the recording sessions in London with Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra was a once in a lifetime experience that we are excited to bring to the world.”Hopkins graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1957 before enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He later caught the attention of Laurence Olivier, who invited him to join the Royal National Theatre, becoming the established actor’s understudy. Over the last seven decades, Hopkins has taken on award-winning roles in The Lion in Winter, The Great Inimitable Mr Dickens, War and Peace and The Bunker – a 1981 film in which his portrayal of Adolf Hitler won him an Emmy. He finally won an Academy Award in 1992 for the role of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, returning to the franchise for sequel Hannibal nine years later. After four more Oscar nominations, he won again in 2021 for his portrayal of a man in his Eighties living with dementia in The Father. Hopkins released his first memoir last year, chronicling his Port Talbot beginnings, his struggles with alcoholism and on-set dramas with Paul Sorvino in 1996’s Nixon.