Ted Levine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ted Levine | |
 Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill. |
|
| Birth name | Frank Theodore Levine |
| Born | May 29, 1957 (age 49) Parma, Ohio, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Kim Phillips |
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.
Contents |
[edit] 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 such as a minor part in Charlie's Angels.
[edit] 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 resumé 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.
Levine also provided the voice of the supervillain Sinestro in Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited.
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) and in 2007 will be appearing in Ridley Scott's American Gangster alongside Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.
[edit] Selected filmography
- Crime Story (1986-1988) ... Frank Holman
- Betrayed (1988) ... Wes
- Next of Kin (1989) ... Willy Simpson
- 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 (2007) ... Sheriff James
- American Gangster (2007) ... Toback
[edit] 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.
- Levine is best known for playing the serial killer Buffalo Bill. It is ironic that many of his roles afterwards have been men of the law. He has portrayed two Generals, two Colonels and three police officers.
[edit] External links
- Ted Levine at the Internet Movie Database
- Ted Levine at TV.com
