Ted Levine is an American theater, film and television actor. Known for the role of the assassin of Buffalo Bill in the cult psychological thriller directed by Jonathan Demme "The Silence of the Lambs", based on the novel of the same name by T. Harris about Hannibal Lector.
In the creative biography of the actor, there are about a hundred roles in television and film projects. He began his theater career in the 1980s, joining the Chicago Theater troupe. During these years, he was looking for work on television and in films, but received only small roles in television series and popular entertainment shows. Success in cinema came to Levine in the early 1990s after playing a role in the famous thriller The Silence of the Lambs.
Biography facts
The future actor was born in the United States in the spring of 1957. He was 4 of 5 children in the family. His ancestors from his father's side were of Russian origin, from his mother's side - Welsh and Native American. The boy's parents worked as doctors.
Ted grew up a very restless child. His interests were very versatile, but the boy could not choose one thing. During his school years, he was not an assiduous student, his academic performance left much to be desired. The parents really wanted their son to follow in their footsteps and choose a medical specialty, but Ted was not attracted by such a prospect. He liked creativity.
From an early age, he was an excellent storyteller and, inventing stories, assured everyone that they happened in real life. As a teenager, Ted began to take an interest in theater and decided to become an actor. At school, the young man participated in all theatrical performances, and in high school he already made his debut on the professional stage.
Creative way
Educated at Windsor School of Mines, Levine attended Marlboro College in Vermont. But it didn’t come to getting a diploma. He got tired of studying, so he decided to join one of the local theater companies.
In the late 1970s, Levine moved to Ann Arbor. There he organized his own small theater together with fellow actors. After a few years, he decided to go to New York to continue performing on stage and start acting in films. But he didn't get a good job right away. Ted had to earn money in cafes and restaurants in order to provide himself with money. As a result, New York turned out to be too expensive for Ted, he decided to move to Chicago.
There he quickly found a job in advertising. Soon he met an old friend who helped Ted get a job at the Chicago Theater. During the same period, he began to look for an opportunity to act in films.
Film career
Levine made his screen debut in 1983 in the film Naked Eye. Then he appeared in projects: "American Theater", "Fatherland Justice". In 1986, the actor was offered the lead role in the series "Crime Story", where he starred for several years.
Success came to Ted in 1991 after playing the assassin of Bufallo Bill in the thriller The Silence of the Lambs, where Anthony Hopkins played the lead role of Hannibal Lector. The film received many excellent reviews from audiences and film critics and won five Oscars, as well as awards: Golden Globe, Saturn, British Academy and Berlin Film Festival. The success of the film opened up new opportunities for the actor in Hollywood, and his career began to skyrocket.
In the following years, the actor played many roles in famous films and TV series, among which were: "The Last Outcast", "Georgia", "Man from Nowhere", "Fight", "Bullet", "Superman", "Moby Dick", "Fast and the Furious "," Ali "," Memoirs of a Geisha "," Isle of the Damned "," Ray Donovan "," Lethal Weapon "," Jurassic World 2 ".
Personal life
Little is known about Levine's personal and family life. He is married to actress Kim Phillips. The couple are raising two children: Mac and Melissa.
