Depending on who you ask, the lambs may have finally stopped screaming, though the fear that they haven’t — and the discussion of the sounds they make in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs — linger on. Particularly in that unforgettable conversation between Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling and Sir Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter, standouts in the all-around incredible The Silence of the Lambs cast.
The Silence of the Lambs is based on the 1988 novel of the same name written by Thomas Harris, the plot following FBI student Clarice Starling, who gets the chance to interview the infamous psychopath and cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The film, both thrilling and terrifying, won five Oscars, including Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director and Best Picture.
If you want to watch The Silence of the Lambs cast in action, the film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
moviestilldb.com/Orion Pictures
Jodie Foster
moviestilldb.com/Orion Pictures; Alberto E. Rodriguez / Stringer/Getty
CHARACTER PLAYED: Clarice Starling
BORN: November 19, 1962 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaBEST KNOWN FOR: Kansas City Bomber (1972), Tom Sawyer (1973), The Addams Family (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), The Brave One (1976), O’Hara’s Wife (1982), The Accused (1988), Anna and the Kind (1999), Hotel Artemis (2018) and Nyad (2024).
PERSONAL: Foster has been married to Alexandra Hedison since 2014. She also has three kids.
THOUGHTS ON THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: “For me, with Clarice, it was also about her voice, mostly because she was somebody that had been scarred by the bleeding of the lambs, the sound and how there was nothing she could do to help them.. My mom said to me, ‘Why do you want to play this character who’s kind of quiet and mousy?’”
FUN FACT: Foster would avoid Hopkins on set, because she was so scared of him.
Sir Anthony Hopkins: The Silence of the Lambs cast
moviestilldb.com/Orion Pictures; Karwai Tang / Contributor/Getty
CHARACTER PLAYED: Dr. Hannibal Lecter
BORN: December 31, 1937, in Margam, Wales.
BEST KNOWN FOR: The Elephant Man (1980), The Bunker (1981), Chaplin (1992), Nixon (1995), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), The World’s Finest Indian (2005), All The King’s Men (2006), Hitchcock (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Rebel Moon – Part One and Two (2023/2024).
PERSONAL: Hopkins was married to Petronella Barker from 1967 t0 1972, and they had one child together. Then he married Jennifer Lynton in 1973 and remained with her until 2002. Then, finally, he married Stella Hopkins in 2003 and has been with her ever since.
THOUGHTS ON THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: In 2021, Hopkins sat down with Variety and revealed that when he was working on a play in London called M. Butterfly when he got the script and recalled thinking it “The best script I’ve ever read.” He shared that he thought the film was going to be a children’s movie based on the name.
FUN FACT: Hopkins and Foster only share four scenes together.
Scott Glenn
moviestilldb.com/Orion Pictures; Michael Kovac / Contributor/Getty
CHARACTER PLAYED: Jack Crawford
BORN: January 26, 1939, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
BEST KNOWN FOR: She Came to the Valley (1979), Silverado (1985), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Slaughter of the Innocents (1993), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), W. (2008), The Bourne Legacy (2012) and The Hill (2023).
PERSONAL: Glenn has been married to Carol Schwartz since 1968. They have two children together.
THOUGHTS ON THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: Glenn worked with former FBI agent John Douglas to help him learn and he shared how much that helped him when it came to filming. “The benefit for me from Silence of the Lambs was that I didn’t have to do research. Because I’d spent so much time with John Douglas and the FBI Behavioral Science people before I did Silence of the Lambs, I knew more than I really wanted to about that world”
FUN FACT: During training, Douglas told the actor to listen to a recording of serial killers Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris torturing, sexually assaulting and ultimately killing two teenage girls. Glenn listened to about one minute of the the tape and said he will never, ever forget what he heard.
Ted Levine: The Silence of the Lambs cast
moviestilldb.com/Orion Pictures; Paul Archuleta / Contributor/Getty
CHARACTER PLAYED: Jame Gumb, AKA “Buffalo Bill”
BORN: May 1957 in Bellaire, Ohio.
BEST KNOWN FOR: Crime Story (1986-1988), Heat (1995), Flubber (1997), Monk (2002-2009), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Shutter Island (2010), The Bridge (2013-2014), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2017), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023).
PERSONAL: Levine is married to Kim Phillips.
THOUGHTS ON THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: The film was directed by Jonathan Demme and Levine remembered working with him, saying “He [Demme] was one of the most intensely sweet men I have known. He was like an 11-year-old kid. He was always really excited about what he was doing.”
FUN FACT: Some of the movie’s scenes were filmed in Levine’s hometown.
Anthony Heald
moviestilldb.com/Orion Pictures; Walter McBride / Contributor/Getty
CHARACTER PLAYED: Dr. Frederick Chilton
BORN: August 25, 1944, in New Rochelle, New York.
BEST KNOWN FOR: Deep Rising (1998), 8MM (1999), Red Dragon (2002), Boston Public (2000-2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and A Man in Full (2024).
PERSONAL: Heald has been married to Robin Ray Herskowitz since 1985. They have two children together.
THOUGHTS ON THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: “I was working at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, doing Betrayal, and I got a call from my agent that Jonathan Demme wanted to see me for Silence of the Lambs. The agent said, ‘Read the book.’ So I went to the drugstore and got a paperback of Silence of the Lambs. Read it in one sitting. Sat up all night. Then I drove down to New York the next day, went into Jonathan’s office, and he greeted me like an old friend and he said, ‘You know, I’m a New Yorker and I see theater all the time. I’ve seen everything you’ve done, and I really love your work. I’m very anxious to work with you. I want you to be in this movie.’ You never have an audition like that!”
FUN FACT: Heald was originally cast as Roden, which eventually went to Dan Butler.
Brooke Smith: The Silence of the Lambs cast
moviestilldb.com/Orion Pictures; Albert L. Ortega / Contributor/Getty
CHARACTER PLAYED: Catherine Martin
BORN: May 22, 1967 in New York City.
BEST KNOWN FOR: Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), Bad Company (2002), In Her Shoes (2005), Crossing Jordan (2007), Grey’s Anatomy (2006-2008), Fair Game (2010), Ray Donovan (2013-2015), Labor Day (2013) and Class of ’09 (2023),
PERSONAL: Smith has been married to Steven Lubensky since 1999. They have two children together.
THOUGHTS ON THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: “The whole movie confronted me with the fact that, if you’re in this circumstance, are you gonna fight for your life or are you gonna give up? I’m not gonna lie, I had some issues going on, and I remember thinking that was the difference between Catherine and myself. I didn’t have as much self-worth back then. It wasn’t the most obvious thing for me to do. And that made me sort of examine, ‘Okay, wait a minute, why don’t I wanna live?’ I’m making it sound a little more than it was, but, I just remember going, ‘Oh, okay, so what’s going on here?’ And it led me into years of therapy.”
News
Maggie Smith’s Hilarious Jab At Judi Dench Is Going Viral As Fans Mourn Her Death
Maggie Smith died on Friday at the age of 89. David M. Benett/Dave Benett / Getty Images The famed British actor had a long and storied career. She initially found success as a theater actor before winning two Academy Awards in the…
The Real Story Behind the ‘Lee’ Movie and Lee Miller, the Legendary Surrealist Photographer and World War II Journalist Who Inspired It
In a new biopic starring Kate Winslet, Miller’s many lives—as an artist, model, muse, cook and war correspondent—need little embellishment Kate Winslet as Lee Miller in Lee, a new film directed by Ellen Kuras Courtesy of Roadside Attractions When Antony Penrose was a young…
Justin Bieber Has Been Trying to Tell His Story Even Before the Alleged Diddy Scandal Was Exposed
Justin Bieber has been in the industry ever since he was a kid which means that he grew up witnessing both the good and bad of Hollywood. In his teenage days, he seemed to be on good terms with Sean…
Spot the difference: The times Meghan Markle has echoed Princess Diana in her fashion choices
Meghan Markle often pays tribute to Princess Diana through her fashion choices. She recently wore an entire outfit that seemed to come straight from her late mother-in-law’s wardrobe. Dining at an upscale Italian restaurant in Santa Barbara, Meghan wore a white shirt by…
Prince William Officially Welcomes Prince Harry Back to the UK After “Dream” of Princess Diana: “My Mother Spoke to Me in a Dream…”
In a surprising turn of events, Prince William has officially invited his brother, Prince Harry, to return to the UK, citing an emotional dream about their late mother, Princess Diana. The announcement, which has captured the attention of the media…
Mother Diana “Appears in Dreams” Helping Harry Discover His Biological Son—Prince Archie Is Truly…
In a remarkable and emotional revelation, Prince Harry has shared that he believes his late mother, Princess Diana, has been communicating with him through dreams, guiding him toward a profound discovery about his son, Archie. This revelation comes at a…
End of content
No more pages to load