Top 10 Tuesdays: Hannibal Lecter

Every Tuesday we will feature a top 10 list. These lists may be on a character, individual story, franchise, a well known actor or someone from behind the camera. You'll just have to tune in each week to find out. This week we cover the man we all love to hate, but wouldn't dare invite him round for dinner - Hannibal Lecter...


#1 Who Is Hannibal Lecter?

Hannibal "The Cannibal "Lecter is a fictional serial killer created in 1981 by author Thomas Harris, in his novel Red Dragon. The character himself was a brilliantly intelligent psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. Although a secondary character in the two respected novels and their big screen adaptations, Lecter outshone the main antagonist with his charm, and his venom.
Hannibal Lecter (as portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, pictured left) has even been voted the #1 movie villain of all time by the AFI (American Film Institute).

#2 On The Page...

Hannibal Lecter first appeared in the 1981 novel Red Dragon, written by Thomas Harris.
Harris then went on to write 3 more novels featuring the character - Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising, all of which have been adapted into the major motion pictures of the same name, with the exception of the 1986 movie Manhunter, itself an adaptation of Red Dragon.
Each of the novels have become international bestsellers, such is the attraction of the character of Hannibal Lecter, despite the fact that in the first two novels, which are considered the better of the four by fans and critics, he is nothing more than a secondary character.

#3 First Appearance On the Big Screen.

Hannibal Lecters first appearance on the big screen was in director Michael Mann's 1986 movie Manhunter, portrayed by British actor Brian Cox, starring opposite William Petersen (CSI) as Will Graham and Tom Noonan (RoboCop 2) as Francis Dollarhyde AKA The Tooth Fairy, the stories main antagonist.
Cox based his performance as Lecter (changed to Lektor by the filmmakers because of copyright issues) on that of of Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel.

#4 His Defining Moment!

The next, and arguably the best, time Hannibal Lecter returned to the big screen was in directors Jonathan Demme's 1991 movie Silence of the Lambs, portrayed by British Actor Anthony Hopkins, starring opposite Jodie Foster (Contact) as Clarice Starling and as Ted Levine as Jame Gumb AKA Buffalo Bill, the stories main antagonist.
Hopkins academy award winning performance as the killer is both the fans and the critics favorite portrayal of the character. So popular that Hopkins returned to the role twice more.

#5 Fall From Grace?

Despite having the legendary Ridley Scott (Prometheus) as director, and a stellar cast including Julianne Moore replacing Foster as Clarice Starling, accompanied by the likes of Gary Oldman, Ray Liotta and Giancarlo Giannini, the 2001 sequel Hannibal failed to realize the potential of having Hannibal Lecter free and loose, even more so considering the bulk of the movie is set in Florence, Italy. Despite being commercially successful, fans and critics found Hopkins return as Lecter lacking.
  
#6 Return To Glory, Almost?

Anthony Hopkins last outing as Hannibal Lecter was in 2002's Red Dragon, a remake of the original Manhunter directed by Brett Ratner, and starring Edward Norton as Will Graham and Ralph Fiennes as Francis Dolarhyde, along with the likes of Harvey Keitel and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Red Dragon proved a return to form from Hopkins by fans and critics. Hopkins was so happy with his potrayal that he wrote a never produced sequel to 2001's Hannibal, were Starling catches and kills Lecter.

#7 The Birth Of A Monster?

In 2006 Thomas Harris' novel Hannibal Rising was adapted to the big screen by director Peter Webber starring, for the majority of the movie, Gaspard Ulliel (picture left) as a teenage, Lithuanian Hannibal Lecter.
The movie attempted to give the character a back story that would set him on the path of becoming the monster we know, but both fans and critics felt the movie and its attempt to explain the beast that is Hannibal Lecter was needless and  forced.

#8 A New Animal!

This year has seen the return of Hannibal Lecter, but this time to the small screen  in the NBC series Hannibal. Portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) starring alongside Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford and Hugh Dancy as Will Graham.
The series is set directly before the events in Red Dragon when Graham was tracking was a serial killer with the help of his friend Lecter, before realizing that Lecter was the killer he sought.

#9 Father Of The Monster.

Thomas Harris (April 11th 1940) is an American author, screenwriter and creator of Hannibal Lecter, having written all of the books in which the character features.
Graduating from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Harris first worked as a journalist for the local newspaper - the Waco Tribune-Herald, before moving to New York City in '68 to work for the Associated Press before beginning work on his first novel Black Sunday in 1975.
Harris is a private man, preferring to remain out of the celebrity spotlight. He currently resides in South Florida with his long term partner Pace Barnes, a publishing editor.

#10 The Future Of Cannibalism.
What does the future hold for the character of Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter. In part it depends upon the success of the TV series and whether fans welcome his interpretation of the character, and in part it depends upon whether Thomas Harris will write another novel, possibly one in which the character meets his end.
There is plenty more of the character to explore, in movies, television and novels, just so long as blunders such as hannibal and Hannibal Rising are not repeated.