Though he was not available to give a live acceptance speech on April 25 night, 'The Father' star has since expressed his gratitude for the Best Actor honor through a recorded video.

• Apr 27, 2021

AceShowbiz - Anthony Hopkins has broken his silence following his shock Oscar win to heap praise on fellow nominee Chadwick Boseman.

"The Silence of the Lambs" star was asleep in his native Wales when he was named Best Actor for his role in "The Father" in the final category of Sunday, April 25's hybrid prizegiving from Union Station in Los Angeles and was not available to give a live acceptance speech.

His publicist thanked the Academy on his famous client's behalf on Monday, and now Hopkins has responded in a video posted to his Instagram page.

"Here I am in my homeland in Wales," he began. "At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award, I really didn't. I'm very grateful to the Academy. Thank you."

"I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early. Again, thank you all very much. I really did not expect this, I feel very privileged and honored, thank you."

In his Instagram post, he also thanked Sony Pictures Classics, director Florian Zeller, and "my wife and family," among others.

It was Hopkins' second Oscar win - he also won gold for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in 1992's "The Silence of the Lambs".

Upon waking to discover he was a 2021 Oscar winner, Hopkins also called "The Father" director Florian Zeller while he was appearing on BBC Radio 4 to discuss the film's success at the Academy Awards - the filmmaker took home the Best Adapted Screenplay gong for the script he co-wrote with Christopher Hampton.

Meanwhile, his win put Hopkins into the record books by becoming the oldest actor to win the Oscar, passing the late Christopher Plummer, who was 82 when he won gold for "Beginners" in 2011.