In The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which actor played Hannibal Lecter?

In The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal Lecter.

Hopkins portrays Dr. Hannibal Lecter, an imprisoned and highly intelligent serial killer who assists FBI trainee Clarice Starling, played by Jodie Foster. Their unsettling interviews form the film’s psychological core as Starling seeks information about another murderer.

Hopkins’s performance received the Academy Award for Best Actor, even though he appears on screen for a comparatively short part of the film. Jodie Foster won Best Actress, making the movie one of the rare films to win both leading acting awards.

Directed by Jonathan Demme, the film was adapted from Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel. It became the third film to win all five major Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Adapted Screenplay.