10 Movie Villains That Upstaged Other Villains
1. Hannibal Lecter - The Silence Of The Lambs
When looking back at some of the most iconic villains in the history of cinema, Hannibal Lecter is undoubtedly near the top of the list. Sir Anthony Hopkins' chilling performance as the cannibalistic doctor in The Silence of the Lambs earned him the title of Best Actor at the 64th Academy Awards, and with good cause.
In just 16 minutes of screen time, Lecter became an unforgettable aspect of the film. Cruel, calculating, incredibly intelligent, and even more so dangerous, the character is still regarded as one of the best ever to be put on the screen, even over three decades later.
It's easy to forget that Hannibal wasn't actually the main antagonist of The Silence of the Lambs. That honour goes to Ted Levine's Buffalo Bill, the serial killer FBI Agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) spoke to Lecter about. Bill, real name Jame Gumb, was a former patient of Lecter's and so Hannibal was used primarily as an insight into Gumb's mind before engineering a harrowing escape.
However, it was Sir Anthony Hopkins who won the Academy Award, it was Hannibal Lecter who became the iconic villain, and even though Buffalo Bill was a strong antagonist in his own right, it is Hannibal Lecter that anyone ever thinks of when The Silence of the Lambs comes to mind.