Who was Anthony Hopkins’ first wife? Actor reveals reason for divorce with Petronella Barker

Two-time Academy Award-winning Welsh actor Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, commonly known as Anthony Hopkins, revealed his troubled marriage to his first wife, Petronella Barker, in his recently released memoir, We Did Ok, Kid. The Silence of the Lambs star, Hopkins' memoir, which was released on November 4, 2025, sheds light on his successful stage and movie career, his marriages, his tough childhood, and his struggle with alcoholism.

Anthony Hopkins, one of the prolific and extraordinary actors of all time, married Petronella Barker in September 1967. In his memoir, he described the marriage as "what followed were the worst two years of my life." The Hannibal actor stated that it was their "opposing personalities" and his drinking problem that were the primary reasons that ruined their marriage. By the time Hopkins realized that they were not the ideal match for one another, it was too late, as Petronella was already expecting their first child.

Petronella Barker, daughter of actress Pearl Hackney and comedian Eric Barker, is a British actress who starred in movies and TV shows such as Othello, A Flea in Her Ear, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, and Miss Nightingale. She married Anthony Hopkins when she was just 24 years old.

After a disastrous marriage, they split in 1972. The two share a daughter, Abigail, who had a tough childhood and experienced difficulties growing up mainly due to her father, Anthony's, absence, which also pushed her into consuming drugs, as per The Mirror, as cited by Hollywood Life. While Petronella was Anthony Hopkins' first wife, he married Jennifer Lynton in 1973, followed by his third marriage to Stella Arroyave in 2003.

Anthony Hopkins opens up about his marriage to his first wife in his brand-new memoir

According to US Weekly, in his memoir, We Did Ok, Kid, Anthony Hopkins revealed that his marriage to his first wife, Petronella Barker, wasn't great. In the memoir, he noted:

"Petronella and I were very different from each other, but we were in love."

While mentioning being in love, he also revealed that their marriage eventually turned into a nightmare, leading to all kinds of difficulties, including having their first child. Anthony wrote:

"We tried to rally for the sake of the child we were about to have, but it was no use. The marriage was a disaster, full of tensions and jealousies. I began to get more acting work, which caused resentment. And I felt huge pressure to pay out mortgage and provide for the family."

Despite his disastrous marriage to Barker, Anthony spoke about his immense love for his daughter, Abigail. He wrote:

"I marveled that such a lovely creature had come out of such a disastrous union. How powerful, I thought, that even in the midst of the horror that was that marriage and my own failures, there were those tender moments with her. Her nursery was a haven."

While frequent fights between Hopkins and Barker became normal, things reached a tipping point. Anthony wrote:

"I returned from working on location in Scotland. Exhausted after endless days on set and the long trip home, I set down my suitcases in the hall. Before my coat was off, petronella was mocking me."

He added:

"In that moment, I was filled with such revulsion that I became afraid for both myself and her. Without a word, I walked past her into Abigail's room, where she lay sleeping."

As he "whispered goodbye" to Abigail, for one last time, Anthony wrote:

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"I walked back to the hall, picked up my suitcases, and left the house without ever having removed my coat. I'd been with Petronella for two years. I'd almost left many times. But that was the night I knew I had to get out for good. Otherwise, God knows what the consequnces would have been."

After he left and divorced Barker, Anthony's relationship with Abigail was tainted. While he tried to make up for all the past mistakes, things were no longer the same between him, his daughter, and Barker.

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