ACTOR · BORN 1957
Ted Levine
- Born
- 29 May 1957, Parma, Ohio, USA
- Known for
- Shutter Island (2010), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), The Fast and the Furious (2001)
16 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (16)
- #001
After his unforgettable and chilling portrayal of 'Buffalo Bill' in the 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs", Ted Levine struggled for a long time to break out of sadistic psychopath roles. To overcome this, he deliberately chose more ordinary characters such as everyday family men and distant coworkers. In this way he managed to distance himself from the dark shadow of 'Buffalo Bill' and broaden his acting range.
- #002
The voice of Chris Griffin in the popular animated series "Family Guy" (1999) was inspired by Ted Levine's voice. This detail shows how distinctive and memorable Levine's voice is. The show's creators used Levine's unique tone and manner of speaking as inspiration to bring the young member of the Griffin family to life.
- #003
During the shooting of "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), Ted Levine and Brooke Smith, who played his captive in the film, became very close friends because they shot many scenes together with no other actors on set. This closeness was so noticeable that their co-star Jodie Foster began jokingly calling Smith 'Patricia Hearst'. The nickname was a reference to the famous heiress who was kidnapped by an internal terrorist organization in 1974 and over time sided with her captors.
- #004
Some of Ted Levine's deep-rooted friendships in his acting career date back to his theater work in the late 1970s. The friendships he formed with Sam Shepard and William Petersen, with whom he shared the stage during this period, lasted for years. These early collaborations played an important role in developing Levine's skills as an actor with a theater background and in laying the foundations of his later successful career.
- #005
Ted Levine was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play' for his performance in the play "Buried Child", staged at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 1996. This nomination proves what a respected actor Levine is not only in film and television but also on the theater stage. The Steppenwolf Theatre Company is known as one of the most prestigious ensembles in American theater.
- #006
Ted Levine and his "The Silence of the Lambs" co-star Scott Glenn both had the chance to portray the same historical figure in their careers: Alan Shepard, the first American to go into space. Levine took on the role in the HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon", produced by Tom Hanks, while Glenn brought the same character to life in Philip Kaufman's 1984 film "The Right Stuff". This coincidence shows both actors' interest in the space race era and in this important figure.
- #007
Ted Levine's family has a rich heritage drawn from different cultural origins. His father was of Russian Jewish descent, while his mother's lineage traces back to English ancestors. This multicultural family background may have influenced the shaping of Levine's identity and worldview. The actor's origins may also have contributed to his ability to understand and portray different characters and stories.
- #008
In his private life, Ted Levine is the father of two children. His daughter Melissa, born in 1976, and his son Mac, born in 1988, were born to different mothers. Despite the intense pace of his acting career, Levine maintained his relationship with his children and played a role in raising them. This is one of the few known details about the famous actor's private life.
- #009
After his success in "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), Ted Levine appeared in the 1995 film "Heat". The film was directed by Michael Mann, who had previously directed the 1986 film "Manhunter". Interestingly, "Heat" also featured Tom Noonan, the villain of "Manhunter". This reinforced Levine's connection to Michael Mann's cinematic universe and his experience in the crime drama genre.
- #010
Throughout his career, Ted Levine had the opportunity to work with two different actresses who played FBI agent Clarice Starling opposite Hannibal Lecter. He first appeared alongside Jodie Foster in the 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs". A decade later, in the 2001 film "Evolution", he shared the screen with Julianne Moore, who played Clarice Starling that same year in "Hannibal". This coincidence allowed Levine to connect with both interpretations of this iconic character.
- #011
Ted Levine has also worked with both actors who portrayed FBI agent Jack Crawford in pursuit of Hannibal Lecter. Before appearing alongside Scott Glenn in "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), he was in the television series "Crime Story" (1986), produced by Michael Mann and starring Dennis Farina. Farina had played Jack Crawford in the 1986 film "Manhunter". The series also featured Stephen Lang, who played Freddy Lounds in "Manhunter". These connections reveal Levine's strong ties to crime and thriller productions.
- #012
Ted Levine starred in the 1997 television film "Ellen Foster". He had previously appeared alongside Jodie Foster in "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), and the only scene the two share is the tense sequence in which Buffalo Bill hunts Foster in his dark house with night-vision goggles. This unforgettable scene later cemented its place in popular culture when it was parodied in the 2004 episode "Mr. Monk and the Blackout".
- #013
Throughout his career, Ted Levine had the opportunity to appear alongside four different actors from the popular television series "Prison Break" (2005). These include William Fichtner in the film "Heat" (1995), Dominic Purcell in "Moby Dick" (1998), Wade Williams in "Ali" (2001) and Paul Adelstein in "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005). This coincidence shows Levine's broad acting network and that he is a name who frequently turns up in different productions.
- #014
Ted Levine appeared alongside Will Smith in two different films. They first shared the screen in the 1999 science fiction western "Wild Wild West", and then in the 2001 film "Ali", about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali. Although these two films are quite different in genre, they demonstrate Levine's success in working twice with a major star like Smith.
- #015
In the 1970s, Ted Levine attended Marlboro College in Vermont for a time. This institution is also where actor Chris Noth, later famous for the role of 'Mr. Big' in the series "Sex and the City" (1998), studied. The fact that Levine and Noth attended the same school shows that the two share a common past even though their careers later took different paths.
- #016
Ted Levine shared the lead role with Debra Monk in the 1997 film "Ellen Foster". Following this collaboration, Levine became widely known to a broad audience for portraying Captain Leland Stottlemeyer in the acclaimed television series "Monk", which began in 2002. This series was an important turning point in Levine's career and gave him a long-running television experience.
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