By Lauren Del Fabbro

Anthony Hopkins is urging fans to “choose life” as he celebrates 50 years of sobriety.

The Welsh actor, 87, is widely considered to be one of the world’s greatest living actors and known for portraying psychotic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 horror film The Silence of the Lambs.

In a video message shared on Monday on Instagram, Hopkins recalled the time he nearly died after driving in a “drunken blackout” and his decision to get help.

“Congratulations on reaching another year to all of you,” he said.

“My only problem was I had too good a time because 50 years ago today I was nearly killed. I drove my car in a drunken blackout.

“I realised at that point that I was having too much fun. It was called alcoholism.

“So anyone out there who’s got a little problem with having too much, check it out, because life is much better.

“I got help and 50 years ago today was the end.

“Without being a killjoy, I just wish you all choose life instead of the opposite.

“I’m also going to be 88 in two days’ time, so maybe I did something right.

“Anyway Happy New Year and a happy, happy life.”

Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lecter won him the leading actor gong at the 1992 Academy Awards.

He went on to star in The Silence of the Lambs sequel Hannibal (2001) and its prequel Red Dragon (2002).

The actor won a second Oscar in 2020 for his role in Florian Zeller’s The Father, which also starred Olivia Coleman.

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In Australia, alcohol consumption remains widespread – about 77 per cent of people aged 14 and over drank alcohol in the past year, and around 31 per cent (about 6.6 million people) consumed it at levels that put their health at risk, a figure that has been broadly stable since 2019 rather than rising sharply, while alcohol-induced deaths have increased in recent years, reaching approximately 1,742 in 2022 – the highest in over a decade.