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:

'Luck' recap: Not Finished By a Long Shot Entertainment Weekly After meeting with his probation officer, Ace takes a meeting with DeRossi and a reputable businessman (Ted Levine) who might be interested in helping Ace get his plans for Santa Anita off the ground. "The Ace is back in place," grins DeRossi, ... and more »   Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:26:07 GMT Luck Review: How To Make It In America TV Fanatic In a contentious meeting with an old business associate, Nick DiRossi (Ted Levine), Ace lays out his plan for the racetrack, and it's anything but legal. Smuggling slots and table games into the racetrack to increase the track's profitability seems ... and more »   Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:05:23 GMT HitFix (blog) 'Luck' - 'Episode 2': Claim costs HitFix (blog) Still, the Mann repertory players continue to outnumber the Milch ones, with the addition of a bearded Ted Levine (who's been in several Mann films and did a stint on "Crime Story") as Isadore Cohen and Barry Shabaka Henley (several movies, ... and more »   Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:02:21 GMT 'Luck,' Season 1, Episode 2: TV Recap Wall Street Journal (blog) Ace pitches his big idea at a lunch meeting with former associate DiRossi (Alan Rosenberg) and a potential investor named Cohen (Ted Levine). Ace's vision: to buy the race track and then use some influence to lobby for casino gaming to be allowed there ... and more »   Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:01:34 GMT We Love Soaps PREVIEW: HBO Sunday Night Soap LUCK We Love Soaps ... conditions but eager to move forward in the racetrack deal, Ace (Dustin Hoffman) shows off his famous temper during a contentious meeting with one-time colleague Nick DiRossi (Alan Rosenberg) and a possible investor, Isadore Cohen (Ted Levine). and more »   Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:39:29 GMT TV Equals HBO's Luck - If You're A Horse Racing Fan, You'll Love This One [Advance Review] TV Equals I should also mention that Luck has some impressive guest stars including Patrick J. Adams (Suits), Joan Allen, W. Earl Brown, Bruce Davison, Spencer Garrett, Barry Shabaka Henley, Ted Levine, Jurgen Prochnow, Alan Rosenberg, Mercedes Ruehl, ... and more »   Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:10:20 GMT TV Review: Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte Star in HBO's Riveting 'Luck' HollywoodChicago.com Future episodes include guest appearances (some small, some multi-episode arcs) by Joan Allen, W. Earl Brown, Bruce Davison, Ted Levine, Jurgen Prochnow, Mercedes Ruehl, and Sir Michael Gambon. Star power of the kind that only HBO could attract. and more »   Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:33:55 GMT Plain Dealer (blog) HBO racetrack drama 'Luck' stars Nick Nolte, Dustin Hoffman Plain Dealer (blog) Among the continuing guest stars are Mercedes Ruehl, Michael Gambon, Joan Allen and Ted Levine. Talk about your quality bloodlines. But you move oh-so ponderously and awkwardly from scene to scene in this hard "Luck" drama, particularly during the ... and more »   Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:08:58 GMT Flickering Myth (blog) Films To Watch Before You Die #51 - The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Flickering Myth (blog) Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glen and Ted Levine. The Silence of the Lambs is the chilling cinematic story based on Thomas Harris' novel of the same name. The film follows Clarice Starling (Foster), a young FBI agent who has to ...   Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:27:50 GMT HBO 'Luck' promo: Let's go to the horse races RedEye Chicago (blog) ... fronting as the owner of the $2 million Irish horse Ace buys. Recurring guest stars include Patrick J. Adams, Joan Allen, W. Earl Brown, Bruce Davison, Spencer Garrett, Barry Shabaka Henley, Ted Levine, Jurgen Prochnow and Alan Rosenberg. and more »   Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:00:33 GMT Page:  1  2

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