Hannibal Lecter

Also known as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal Lecktor, Lloyd Wyman

fictional character created by Thomas Harris

Key facts

First appearance: Red Dragon (1981)
Created by: Thomas Harris
Portrayed by: Brian Cox ( Manhunter ) Anthony Hopkins ( The Silence of the Lambs , Hannibal , Red Dragon ) Gaspard Ulliel ( Hannibal Rising ) Aaran Thomas (young; Hannibal Rising ) Mads Mikkelsen ( Hannibal )
Alias: Lloyd Wyman Dr. Fell Mr. Closter
Nickname: Hannibal the Cannibal The Chesapeake Ripper
Gender: Male
Titles: Dr. Hannibal Lecter Count Hannibal Lecter VIII
Occupation: Psychiatrist Surgeon (former)
Family: Count Lecter (father) Simonetta Lecter ( née Sforza ) (mother) Mischa Lecter (younger sister)
Significant others: Lady Murasaki Rachel DuBerry Clarice Starling (novels) Alana Bloom (TV series) Will Graham (TV series) Bedelia Du Maurier (TV series)
Relatives

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Article

Hannibal Lecter is a character created by American novelist Thomas Harris. Lecter is a cannibalistic serial killer and former forensic psychiatrist; after his incarceration, he is consulted by FBI agents Will Graham and Clarice Starling to help them find other serial killers.

Lecter first appeared in a small role as a villain in Harris' 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon, which was adapted into the film Manhunter (1986), with Brian Cox as Lecter (spelled "Lecktor"). Lecter had a larger role in The Silence of the Lambs (1988); the 1991 film adaptation starred Anthony Hopkins as Lecter, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Hopkins reprised the role for the 2001 adaptation of the 1999 novel Hannibal, which sees Lecter evading recapture, and for a second adaptation of Red Dragon in 2002.