Anthony Hopkins: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. President Richard M. Nixon - Nixon (1995)

A potent reminder that Hopkins can do mimicry well after his questionable turn in Hitchcock, Oliver Stone's fiery biopic Nixon has the actor taking on the role of one of America's most unpopular and controversial Presidents, and completely knocking it out of the park, earning an Academy Award nomination for his work.

Reportedly studio executives were not keen on casting the Welsh actor in the role of such a high-profile American figure, but Stone, ever the provocateur, stuck to his guns, and the result was a minor slice of movie magic. An unexpectedly sympathetic portrait of the man given Stone's left-leaning track record, the film gets into the down and dirty of Nixon's personal and political life, giving Hopkins several scenes of quiet reflection, making for some of the most poignant and sad moments he's ever acted in his entire career.

Though I'll be the first to concede that I could still hear that unmistakable Hopkins voice creep in from time to time (as was one of my key complaints with Hitchcock), there's no mistaking that he completely envelops the man's mannerisms and demeanour perfectly.