Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter is a fictional cannibal and serial killer and the central antagonist from the "Lecter" film series, which is based on a series of novels by author Thomas Harris. The character was first brought to cinematic life by actor Brian Cox in the 1986 film Manhunter, which was an adaptation of the Harris novel Red Dragon. The most famous iteration of Lecter however was portrayed by actor Anthony Hopkins, who first tucked in his proverbial dinner napkin in Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. Hopkins reprised the role of Doctor Lecter in the film's 2001 sequel, Hannibal, and also played him in the prequel film to the series, Red Dragon in 2002, which could be construed as a remake of Manhunter, even though it was taking its cues from the original novel, and not the movie. Another prequel film, which chronicled the life of a much younger Hannibal Lecter, was called Hannibal Rising and was directed by Peter Webber and released in 2007. In this film, Hannibal Lecter was played by actors Gaspard Ulliel and Aaran Thomas, who played 8-year-old Lecter.