Actor Anthony Hopkins and olympian Gabby Douglas are celebrating their birthdays today, December 31.
Anthony Hopkins, 77
image courtesy of Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com
Film, stage, and television actor, composer and painter Anthony Hopkins turns 77 today. After graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1957, Hopkins began his career on stage with the Royal National Theatre. In 1968, he made his film debut in The Lion in Winter, playing Richard I.
Hopkins is well known for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He reprised his role for its sequel Hannibal, and the prequel Red Dragon. Other notable films include The Mask of Zorro, The Bounty, Meet Joe Black, The Elephant Man, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Legends of the Fall, Thor, Nixon, Instinct and Fracture.
Hopkins has also won three BAFTA Awards, two Emmys and the Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 1993, Hopkins was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. In 2003, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 2008, he was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Hopkins has a daughter, actress and singer Abigail Hopkins, from his first marriage. He is currently married to actress and producer, Stella Arroyave.
Gabby Douglas, 19
image courtesy of INFphoto.com
Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas turns 19 today. At the age of eight, Douglas won the Level 4 all-around gymnastics title at the 2004 Virginia State Championships. She made her national debut in 2008 at the US Classic in Houston, Texas, where she placed 10th in the all-around rankings.
As a member of the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Douglas won gold medals in both the individual all-around and team competitions. Douglas is the first black woman in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion, and the first American gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics as well as being the only American all-around champion to win multiple gold medals. She was also a member of the gold-winning U.S. team at the 2011 World Championships.
Douglas had a small acting role on the Disney XD series Kickin It in the episode "Gabby's Gold", which aired in August 2013. The Gabby Douglas Story aired on Lifetime in February 2014. The film starred Imani Hakim as Douglas. For the film, Douglas performed all the gymnastic stunts herself.
In June 2013, Douglas received two BET Awards for her accomplishments.