The Silence Of The Lambs Cast: Where The Actors Are Now

The legacy of "The Silence of the Lambs" is thorrny. On the good side — let's call it Clarice Starling, after Jodie Foster's determined FBI trainee — director Jonathan Demme's 1991 adaptation of Thomas Harris's novel was a box office and critical hit. It swept the Oscars in all five major categories (Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay). It's widely considered to be one of the best thrillers of all time, and a benchmark in serial killer cinema; it's also influenced everything from "The X-Files" to "Mindhunter," and its creepiest/craziest moments —  "It puts the lotion in the basket," that horrible sucking noise — are part of the pop culture lexicon.

Its bad side — like Hannibal Lecter, Anthony Hopkins' diabolical doctor — is its perceived misogyny and transphobia, an accusation which Demme grappled with for years, and as the root of the tired "genius serial killer" trope. But it's also hard to deny that "Lambs" is an acting powerhouse: Foster and Hopkins both won Oscars, and the rest of the cast deliver impassioned performances. If you're wondering where the cast of "Silence of the Lambs" is now, look no further.

Jodie Foster was fresh from a career-revitalizing Oscar win for "The Accused" when the producers of "Silence of the Lambs" lobbied for her to play Clarice Starling. However, Jonathan Demme didn't want her — "I wasn't impressed," he said about her "Accused" performance in 2014 — but after being turned down by Michelle Pfeiffer and Meg Ryan, he recanted. "And look what happened," he said. What happened was Foster gaining another Oscar and Golden Globe, a second career as a director, and enduring popularity.

Foster began her career as a child performer in light fare like the original "Freaky Friday" before her turn as an underage sex worker in "Taxi Driver" earned the first of five Academy nods. After a rocky transition from juvenile to adult roles, helped immeasurably by her Oscar wins, she made her directorial debut with "Little Man Tate," which was released the same year as "Lambs." Later directing efforts, like "Home for the Holidays," earned mixed reviews, but she remained a box office draw with films like "Contact" and "Panic Room." She also consistently performed as an award magnet: Foster garnered an Oscar nomination for "Nyad" and an Emmy for Season 4 of "True Detective." She continues to direct ("Black Mirror") and act, most recently in the 2026 French drama "A Private Life."

Unlike Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins was not a movie star prior to "Silence of the Lambs." Though a respected stage actor, Hopkins' greatest screen successes were on television: he won Emmys in 1976 and 1981 respectively for portraying accused child murderer Bruno Hauptmann in "The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case" and Adolf Hitler in "The Bunker." Film work had been steady but unremarkable, save for his debut in 1968's "The Lion in Winter" and for David Lynch's "The Elephant Man" in 1980.

Hopkins had not been the first choice to play Hannibal Lecter; Jonathan Demme and the producers pursued Sean Connery and Robert De Niro, among others prior to his casting. His mix of unblinking stillness, precise manners, and latent savagery ("I thought of him as a combination of Katharine Hepburn, Truman Capote and HAL from '2001,'" he said) earned him an Oscar and launched a remarkable second act, which saw him play Professor Van Helsing ("Bram Stoker's Dracula"), Richard Nixon ("Nixon"), John Quincy Adams ("Amistad"), and Odin ("Thor"). There was also another Oscar for "The Father," an Emmy nod for "Westworld," and a 2025 autobiography, "We Did OK, Kid." 

Scott Glenn was the second of four formidable actors to play Jack Crawford, head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. Dennis Farina preceded him in Michael Mann's "Manhunter," while Harvey Keitel and Laurence Fishburne handled Crawford in "Red Dragon" and the "Hannibal" series, respectively. Glenn's Crawford embodies the character's willingness to push his agents to their limits while seeking justice for victims and his empathy for the dangers of that pursuit.

Glenn rose to fame in the 1980s, playing strong, silent types in "The Right Stuff" and "Silverado"; the success of "Lambs" led to major studio features like "Backdraft" and more independent fare like "The Virgin Suicides." By the 2000s, Glenn had settled into playing Crawford-like advisors or mentors in films like "Training Day," "W." (as Donald Rumsfeld), and "The Bourne Ultimatum." Glenn was also a father figure on the small screen, most notably as Stick in "Marvel's Daredevil," as well as roles in "Bad Monkey" and Season 3 of "The White Lotus."

Playing a villain — especially one as frightening as Jame Gumb, aka Buffalo Bill — can often typecast an actor. However, Ted Levine, who played Bill in "Silence of The Lambs," has enjoyed a long and varied career after his breakout performance. Levine worked with Martin Scorsese ("Shutter Island"), Ridley Scott ("American Gangster"), and Michael Mann ("Heat," "Ali"), reunited with Jonathan Demme for "The Trouble With Charlie" and "The Manchurian Candidate." He's also appeared in blockbusters like "The Fast and the Furious" and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom."

Levine has also been a regular presence on TV, most notably as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer on "Monk." He was also a cast member on David E. Kelley's  "Big Sky" and "The Bridge," and recurred on "The Alienist" and "Mayfair Witches." Levine was also tapped to appear in the "Cape Fear" miniseries, produced by Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Anthony Heald's turn as the unctuous Dr. Frederick Chilton is arguably his best-known screen credit, though the actor has appeared in numerous features and television series. Heald, who reprised Chilton in "Red Dragon," often played what he called "a sleazebag in a suit" in films like "The Pelican Brief," "The Client," and "X-Men: The Last Stand." Television afforded him more likable roles: He was an uptight vice principal on "Boston Public," and he also recurred as a trial judge on "Boston Legal" and "The Practice," all for David E. Kelley.

Heald worked extensively on Broadway, earning Tony nominations for a 1988 revival of "Anything Goes" and "Love! Valor! Compassion!" in 1999, and appeared opposite Bradley Cooper in a 2015 revival of "The Elephant Man" in London's West End. After a lengthy absence from the screen, he appeared as yet another trial judge on Kelley's 2024 Netflix drama series, "A Man in Full."

Brooke Smith made a memorable entrance in "Lambs" as Catherine Martin, singing along to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "American Girl," unaware that she would become Buffalo Bill's sixth victim. Once captured, Smith goes for broke, alternately terrified and determined to free herself by any means necessary. That grit and resolve has been a hallmark of Smith's performances after "Lambs."

Smith's best-known role was on four seasons of "Grey's Anatomy" as the hard-working Dr. Erica Hahn, who graduated to series regular and a romantic relationship with Sarah Ramirez's Callie Torres before being written out of the show. She also recurred as law enforcement figures on "Bosch" and "Bates Motel," and reteamed with "Lambs" co-star Ted Levine on David E. Kelley's "Big Sky." On the feature film front, Smith earned critical praise in Louis Malle's "Vanya on 42nd Street" and embodied character roles in Robert Altman's "Kansas City," Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar," and Jay Roach's "Bombshell."

Diane Baker's turn as U.S. Senator Ruth Martin, whose daughter Catherine is kidnapped by Buffalo Bill, encompasses two scenes: First, a televised plea to her daughter's abductor, and later, an encounter with Hannibal Lecter to gain (what proves to be false) information about Buffalo Bill. As Martin, Baker is both stately  (even Lecter can't help but compliment her outfit) and moving; when Lecter makes a hideous joke about Catherine, the anguish in her line — "Take this ... thing back to Baltimore" — is palpable.

Baker made an impressive Hollywood debut as Margo Frank in 1959's "The Diary of Anne Frank" and worked throughout the 1960s in films like Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie." She segued to television in the late '60s and '70s, including the final episode of "The Fugitive," which was the most-watched episode of a television series up to that time. Baker focused on producing for television throughout the '80s, then returned to features after the success of "Lambs." Roles in "The Net" and "A Mighty Wind" soon followed, as did appearances on "House" and "ER." Baker's final screen role to date was the 2013 TV-movie "The Surrogate."

Ardelia Mapp, Clarice Starling's fellow FBI trainee and roommate at Quantico, offered not only emotional support but also a crucial assist in unraveling one of Dr. Lecter's clues. As the pair review a map of sites where Bill's victims have been found, they consider his advice to focus on what the killer wants. The answer is that he covets what he sees — meaning that he knew his first victim, Fredrica Bimmel.

Kasi Lemmons, who played Ardelia Mapp in "Lambs," began appearing in films and on television in the mid-1980s, including Spike Lee's "School Daze" before being cast in Jonathan Demme's film. She continued to act throughout the 1990s ("Candyman") before making her directorial debut with 1997's "Eve's Bayou." 

An Independent Spirit Award and National Board of Review winner, the film was followed in 2001 by "The Caveman's Valentine" with Samuel L. Jackson and "Talk to Me" with Don Cheadle in 2007. Lemmons wrote and directed an adaptation of Langston Hughes' play "Black Nativity" in 2019, and later directed Cynthia Erivo in 2019's "Harriet," a biography of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. In 2022, she directed and produced "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody," with Naomi Ackie in the title role.

After providing false information to Senator Martin about Buffalo Bill, Dr. Lecter is held in a Memphis courthouse, where he's guarded by two cops, Lt. Boyle and Sgt. Pembry. Unbeknownst to them, Lecter has swallowed part of a pen stolen from Dr. Chilton and uses it to unlock his cuffs; he dispatches Pembry with pepper spray and a vicious bite and then beats Boyle to death with his own nightstick. When police break into the holding area, Boyle is found hanging from the cell in a macabre pose that evokes both a crucifixion and, more tellingly, a moth.

Boyle was played by actor Charles Napier, who worked with Jonathan Demme on nearly all of his films. Though Napier often played tough guys, including the villain in "Rambo: First Blood Part II," Demme gave him more nuanced roles, including the judge in "Philadelphia," a hairdresser in "Married to the Mob," and a philandering trucker in "Citizens Band." Napier began his career in Russ Meyer's exploitation films before graduating to studio titles like "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" and "The Grifters." His gravely voice was also heard in numerous animated projects, including "The Simpsons" and "The Critic," and he even provided growls for the Hulk in the '70s live-action series. Napier died at the age of 75 on October 5, 2011.

Lamar is the slight, bespectacled man who works at the funeral home where the body of Fredrica Bimmel, Buffalo Bill's first victim, is housed. There, Lamar serves as both organist at the service and assists Clarice Starling, Jack Crawford, and Agent Terry (Chuck Aber) while examining Bimmel's body. He also correctly identifies the object lodged in her throat — a "bug cocoon" — which contains a larval Death's-head hawkmoth, favored by Bill and a key to his identity.

Tracey Walter's turn as Lamar marked his third of six collaborations with Jonathan Demme; his appearances in "Something Wild," "Married to the Mob," "Philadelphia," "Beloved," and "The Manchurian Candidate" are all small but notable, like much of his four-decade screen career. With his sleepy voice and  countenance, Walter proved adept at both comedy — he was the cosmically-minded janitor in "Repo Man" — and menace, most notably as the Joker's henchman Bob the Goon in Tim Burton's "Batman." He could also handle dramatic fare, as his turn as the mournful whistleblower in "Erin Brockovich" illustrated. Walter worked for filmmakers as varied as Danny DeVito and Rob Zombie until his last appearance to date in 2016's "Wakefield."

Frankie Faison played the sympathetic sanitarium orderly Barney in all three films with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter ("Silence of the Lambs," "Hannibal," and "Red Dragon") and even appeared in "Manhunter," Michael Mann's adaptation of "Red Dragon," albeit in a different role. His on-screen appearances are brief (though in deleted scenes from "Lambs," Barney is seen delivering Lecter's drawings to Clarice), but notable due to Barney's palpable warmth towards both Clarice and Lecter.

Faison began working in features and television in the late 1970s. Minor roles in films like Paul Schrader's "Cat People" led to character turns in the '80s, including Coconut Sid, one of the Greek chorus of older men in "Do the Right Thing," and Prince Akeem's landlord in "Coming to America." In the '90s and 2000s, he was a staple of prestige TV series like "The Wire," which cast him as bureaucratic Baltimore police commissioner Ervin Burrell; Faison — who is not related to "Scrubs" star Donald Faison — remains active on series like "Banshee," "Luke Cage," and more recently, the Netflix series "Ripple."

Paul Krendler (Ron Vawter) is a deputy assistant attorney general with the Department of Justice who attempts to take over the investigation of Buffalo Bill. He turns up in two scenes in "Lambs": Krendler is on the phone when FBI Director Hayden Burke (Roger Corman) grills Jack Crawford about Clarice offering Lecter a deal, and later, is with Senator Martin at the Memphis airport when Lecter provides (false) information about Buffalo Bill. Krendler was played by Ray Liotta in "Hannibal," while Michael Cudlitz was a more sympathetic version on "Clarice."

Vawter appeared in Jonathan Demme's "Philadelphia" and Steven Soderbergh's "Sex, Lies and Videotape," but was better known for his work in experimental theater. He performed with the groundbreaking Wooster Group in the 1980s, and received widespread acclaim for his one-man show "Roy Cohn/Jack Smith," in which he played the feared attorney and the underground filmmaker, both of whom died of AIDS. Vawter himself was HIV-positive and died of a heart attack aboard a flight on April 16, 1994 at the age of 45.

Producer/director Roger Corman gave many filmmakers their first opportunities as directors, including Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, and Jonathan Demme, who paid homage by casting him as FBI Director Hayden Burke in "Lambs." In the theatrical releases, Burke is only seen grilling Jack Crawford about using Clarice to interview Dr. Lecter. But he was also in a deleted scene where Burke suspends Clarice from the FBI Academy for communicating with Lecter prior to his escape in Memphis.

Corman directed a string of low-budget but popular genre titles, including the original "Little Shop of Horrors" in the 1950s; he drew critical praise in the '60s for his Edgar Allan Poe adaptations starring Vincent Price, including "The Masque of the Red Death." Corman, who was also a producer (he oversaw the 1955 version of "The Fast and the Furious"), launched New World Pictures in the 1970s, which produced the original "Death Race 2000" among other titles, while also distributing films by Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman. Active into his 90s, Corman died on May 24, 2024.

Dr. Pilcher is one of two Smithsonian Institution entomologists that Clarice Starling consults to identify the insect pupa found in the throats of Buffalo Bill's victims. Pilcher and his colleague, Roden (Dan Butler), reveal that the pupa contains the Death's-head hawkmoth, so named for the skull-shaped pattern on their bodies. Pilcher also attempts to ask out Starling, which she politely rebuffs, though Pilcher and Roden are both seen at her academy graduation (the novel concludes with Starling and Pilcher in a relationship).

Pilcher was played by Paul Lazar, who appeared in six of Jonathan Demme's films, including "Married to the Mob" and "Philadelphia."  He also teamed with director Bong Joon-ho, playing an American doctor in "The Host," and Paul, who creates the gruesome protein bars (a role written for him) in "Snowpiercer." Though Lazar has numerous films and TV credits, including "Lisey's Story," he is best known for his work in the theater, most notably as co-founder of the acclaimed Big Dance Theater, and as an educator at Harvard University, among other institutions.

When Dr. Lecter escapes from the Memphis courthouse, it's Sgt. Tate, with his cowboy mustache and hickory-tinged drawl, who takes charge of the situation, leading his fellow officers to the holding cell. There, they find the mutilated Lt. Boyle and what appears to be Sgt. Pembry on the verge of death. Tate overcomes his own horror to command an officer to comfort Pembry (actually a disguised Lecter) — a potent delivery that lends vivid detail to a minor character.

Danny Darst was so authentic as Sgt. Tate that it's surprising to learn that he was a singer-songwriter who penned hits for country musicians like John Anderson. He made his screen debut in "Rattlesnake in a Cooler," a one-act play filmed by Robert Altman, and contributed to many of his projects, including "Short Cuts." Darst also teamed with Jonathan Demme on "Swing Shift" and "The Manchurian Candidate," and was the subject of a 2012 documentary, "American Songwriter."