Ted Levine (born May 29, 1957 in Parma, Ohio) is an American actor best known for playing the serial killer Buffalo Bill in the 1991 blockbuster thriller The Silence of the Lambs.

Early career
In the mid-1970s, Levine attended Marlboro College and the University of Chicago. He became a fixture in the Chicago theatre scene and joined the Remains Theatre which was co-founded by Gary Cole and William L. Petersen. After honing his skills on the stage, Levine began to devote most of his energy during the 1980s toward finding roles in film and television.

Breakout into mainstream roles
After his breakout role in The Silence of the Lambs, there was a period where he was typecast in villainous roles. Levine avoided this by playing more protagonists, such as a member of Al Pacino's police unit in Heat, astronaut Alan Shepard in the HBO mini-series From the Earth to the Moon, and Paul Walker's police superior Sergeant Tanner in The Fast and the Furious.

His resumè also includes an uncredited role as the voice of the sociopathic trucker "Rusty Nail" in 2001's Joy Ride, and his performance as Detective Sam Nico in the 2003 film Wonderland, based on the gruesome murders in Los Angeles Wonderland District. His trademark is his rough and deep unmistakable voice.

Since 2002, he has co-starred in his now famous role as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer on USA Network's popular detective series Monk, starring Tony Shalhoub.

Most recently, Levine appeared as a patriarch whose family takes a turn for the worse in the remake of The Hills Have Eyes (2006). Later this year, he will portray local Sheriff James Timberlake in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2006) & In 2007 will be appearing in Ridley Scott's American Gangster along side Denzel Washington & Russell Crowe.

Trivia
Levine has a distinctive voice which is best described as powerfully deep and uniquely gravelly. In a January 12, 2006 interview on The Late Late Show (CBS), actor Seth Green credited Levine as the inspiration for the voice of his character Chris Griffin on Family Guy.

Selected filmography
Crime Story (1986-1988) ... Frank Holman
Betrayed (1988) ... Wes
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) ... Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb
Death Train aka Detonator (1992)...Alex Tierney
Nowhere to Run (1993) ... Mr. Dunston
The Mangler (1995) ... Officer John Hunton
Heat (1995) ... Bosco
Bullet (1996) ... Louis Stein (Butch's brother)
Switchback (1997) ... Deputy Nate Booker
Flubber (1997) ... Wesson
From the Earth to the Moon (1998) (miniseries) ... Alan Shepard
Wild Wild West (1999) ... General 'Bloodbath' McGrath
Evolution (2001) ... General Russell Woodman
The Fast and the Furious (2001) ... Sgt. Tanner
Joy Ride (2001) (uncredited) ... Rusty Nail
Ali (2001) ... Joe Smiley
The Truth About Charlie (2002) ... Emil Zadapec
Wonderland (2003) ... Sam Nico
The Manchurian Candidate (2004) ... Colonel Howard
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) ... Colonel Derricks
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) ... Big Bob
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2006) ... Sheriff James
American Gangster (2007) ... Toback

In The News:

News of the World Shutter Island (15) News of the World Also "helping" with the search are Dr Naehring (perfectly cast Max von Sydow) and the square-jawed warden (Ted Levine), who delivers one of the most ... and more »   Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:04:41 GMT+00:00 What's On: Ancestry with the Stars Movieline (blog) You may have noticed Ted Levine, the actor responsible for Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb, in Shutter Island, which may have been a serious mindf*ck but nothing ... and more »   Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:50:33 GMT+00:00 Hollywood News Cinema Review: Shutter Island Hollywood News ... Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, and Elias Koteas) and each time a different character appears on screen, ... and more »   Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:50:55 GMT+00:00 'Shutter Island' is a great movie - WATCH VIDEO! Big Island Weekly Jackie Earle Haley, John Carroll Lynch, and Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs' Buffalo Bill) all make creepy and sinister contributions. ... and more »   Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:05:12 GMT+00:00 Film Shorts FWWeekly On the other hand, the plot twists go down smoothly, and the supporting actors (especially Michelle Williams, Ted Levine, Emily Mortimer, and Patricia ...   Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:17:23 GMT+00:00 Big Hollywood (blog) REVIEW: 'Shutter Island' Impresses With Everything But the Story Big Hollywood (blog) ... actors in smaller (sometimes a single scene) but pivotal roles: Elias Koteas, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson, Ted Levine and Emily Mortimer. ... and more »   Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:48:52 GMT+00:00 Shrink wrapped Vancouver Voice ... director (Ben Kingsley) and the warden (Ted Levine), who engages Teddy in a thematically important dialogue on violence and God's attitude toward it. ... and more »   Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:47:49 GMT+00:00 Directed by Martin Scorsese (2010) OhmyNews International People talk in whispers and everyone seems to be keeping a secret and the attitude of Warden (Ted Levine) and Deputy Warden (John Carroll) only adds to the ... and more »   Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:56:09 GMT+00:00 A.V. Club Chicago Lili Taylor A.V. Club Chicago I think Ted Levine was the cook. AVC: It's similar to your credit from She's Having A Baby. LT: Exactly. I've heard that that doesn't even sound like me. ...   Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:04:40 GMT+00:00 Tucson Citizen A story can't seem to fully escape 'Shutter Island' Tucson Citizen Patricia Clarkson, Ted Levine (best known as Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs), John Carroll Lynch, and Jackie Earle Haley (who acted primarily in teen ... and more »   Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:10:58 GMT+00:00 Page:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

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