# Petronella Barker (actress, born 1942)
**Petronella Barker** (born 1942 in [Sittingbourne](https://www.edgepedia.org/sittingbourne), Kent, England) is an English actress whose screen credits include the film *Othello* (1965), the television movie *A Flea in Her Ear* (1967), and the series *The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes* (1971)[1](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/). She is also known as the first wife of the actor [Anthony Hopkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-hopkins), to whom she was married in the 1960s and divorced in 1972[3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666). She should not be confused with the Norwegian actress of the same name, born in 1965, who is a member of the National Theatre in Oslo[4](https://sceneweb.no/en/artist/5733/Petronella_Barker).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942, Sittingbourne, Kent, England[1](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069) |
| Parents | Eric Leslie Barker and Pearl Hackney[3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666) |
| Training | The Central School of Speech and Drama, 1960 to 1963[1](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069) |
| Early honor | The Carlton Hobbs Bursary Award, 1963, carrying a six-month contract with the BBC Radio Drama Company[1](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069) |
| Marriage | To Philip Anthony Hopkins; sources give the wedding date as September 2, 1966[3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666) or September 2, 1967[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/bio/); divorced 1972 |
| Child | Daughter Abigail Rhianedd Hopkins[3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666) |
| Screen credits | *Othello* (1965), *A Flea in Her Ear* (1967), *The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes* (1971)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/) |
## Early life and training
Barker was born in 1942 in Sittingbourne, Kent, to Eric Leslie Barker and Pearl Hackney[3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666). Her birth year is not settled across reference sources: the biographical encyclopedia Prabook and the family-history site AncientFaces both give 1942, while IMDb gives 1945[1](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069) • [3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/bio/).
She trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London from 1960 to 1963[1](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069). In 1963 she won the Carlton Hobbs Bursary Award, which carried a six-month contract with the British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Drama Company[1](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069).
## Stage career
In 1964 Barker joined The English Stage Company at the [Royal Court Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-court-theatre), Sloane Square, for three plays: *Inadmissible Evidence*, in which she was an understudy; *Julius Caesar*, in which she appeared in the crowd and understudied; and *Cuckoo in the Nest*, in which she played Rawlins. Peter Wood directed the productions[1](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069).
She also acted in [William Congreve](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-congreve)'s play *Love for Love* in a National Theatre production at the Old Vic Theatre in London, in a cast that included [Derek Jacobi](https://www.edgepedia.org/derek-jacobi), Geraldine McEwan, and Joyce Redman, again directed by Peter Wood[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/bio/).
## Screen work
Barker's film and television credits center on the 1960s and 1970s. She appeared in the film *Othello* (1965), in the television movie *A Flea in Her Ear* (1967) as Eugénie, and in two 1971 episodes of *The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes* as Miss Parrot[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/). Later single-episode television appearances include *Armchair Cinema* (1974), *Within These Walls* (1975), and *The District Nurse* (1975)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/).
## Marriage to Anthony Hopkins
Barker married the actor Philip Anthony Hopkins on September 2, 1966, at St. Mary's Church in Stalisfield, Kent, according to the AncientFaces record; IMDb dates the marriage September 2, 1967[3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/bio/). Both sources agree that the marriage ended in divorce in 1972; the AncientFaces record places the divorce at the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand in [Greater London](https://www.edgepedia.org/greater-london)[3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/bio/).
The couple had one child, a daughter, Abigail Rhianedd Hopkins[3](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666). IMDb's trivia entry identifies Barker as the mother of Abigail Hopkins[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/bio/).
## The namesake in Norway
A second actress named Petronella Barker, born 1965, works in Norway. Born in England and raised in [Fredrikstad](https://www.edgepedia.org/fredrikstad), she trained at the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre, debuted at Teatret Vårt in Molde in 1988, and joined the National Theatre in Oslo in 1996; her film roles include *Sweetwater* (1988), *Thrane's Methode* (1998), and *Hawaii, Oslo* (2004)[4](https://sceneweb.no/en/artist/5733/Petronella_Barker). She was nominated for the Hedda Award in 2009 for playing Rebecca West in *Rosmersholm* and for the Amanda Prize in 2006 for *The Bothersome Man*[4](https://sceneweb.no/en/artist/5733/Petronella_Barker) • [6](https://snl.no/Petronella_Barker). Because the two women share a name and both have English connections, popular searches often mix their biographies; the Norwegian actress's public records contain no documented connection to Anthony Hopkins[6](https://snl.no/Petronella_Barker).
## References
1. [Petronella Barker, Prabook World Biographical Encyclopedia](https://prabook.com/web/petronella.barker/1955069)
2. [Petronella Barker (II), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/)
3. [Petronella Barker's History: 1942, AncientFaces](https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/petronella-barker-birth-1942/192966666)
4. [Petronella Barker, Sceneweb](https://sceneweb.no/en/artist/5733/Petronella_Barker)
5. [Petronella Barker Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827166/bio/)
6. [Petronella Barker, Store norske leksikon](https://snl.no/Petronella_Barker)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames A to B*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license