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Ted Levine | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Levine in 2008 | |
| Born | Frank Theodore Levine (1957-05-29)May 29, 1957 (age 68) |
| Education | Marlboro College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Partner | Kim Phillips (former) |
| Children | 2 |
Frank Theodore Levine (born May 29, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles asJame Gumb (Buffalo Bill) in the filmThe Silence of the Lambs (1991) andLeland Stottlemeyer in the television seriesMonk (2002–2009).
Levine's other notable roles are in the filmsNowhere to Run (1993),Heat (1995),Bullet (1996),The Fast and the Furious (2001),The Manchurian Candidate (2004),Memoirs of a Geisha (2005),American Gangster (2007),Shutter Island (2010),Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), andThe Report (2019).
Levine was born inBellaire, Ohio, the son of Charlotte Virginia (Clark) and Milton Dmitri Levine,[1] who were both doctors and members ofPhysicians for Social Responsibility. Levine's father was ofRussian-Jewish descent and his mother hadWelsh andNative American ancestry. He describes himself as a "hillbilly Jew".[1] He grew up inOak Park, Illinois. In 1975, he enrolled atMarlboro College.
He became a fixture in theChicago theatre scene and joined the Remains Theatre which was co-founded byGary Cole andWilliam Petersen. After his stage experience, Levine began to devote most of his energy during the 1980s toward finding roles in film and television. One of his most prominent roles in the 1980s was that of mob enforcer Frank Holman in theNBC dramaCrime Story (1986–88).
After his breakout role inThe Silence of the Lambs as primary antagonistJame Gumb, there was a period where he was typecast in villainous roles. He was gradually able to branch out into other types of roles, such as a member ofAl Pacino's police unit inHeat, and astronautAlan Shepard in theHBO mini-seriesFrom the Earth to the Moon. In the dramaGeorgia, he playedMare Winningham's husband, one of his most sympathetic roles.
In 2001, Levine performed asPaul Walker's police superior Sergeant Tanner inThe Fast and the Furious. He also had an uncredited role as the voice of sociopathic trucker "Rusty Nail" inJoy Ride, also starring Walker.
He played Detective Sam Nico in the 2003 filmWonderland, based on thegruesome murders in the Hollywood Hills. He also appeared as a psychiatrist at a mental institution inWonderland, an unrelated 2000 TV series of the same name that aired briefly on ABC.
From 2002 to 2009, he co-starred as CaptainLeland Stottlemeyer onUSA Network's detective seriesMonk, starringTony Shalhoub.
Levine provided the voice of the supervillainSinestro inSuperman: The Animated Series,Static Shock,Justice League, andJustice League Unlimited, all part of theDC Animated Universe.
Levine also appeared as a patriarch whose family takes a turn for the worse in the remake ofThe Hills Have Eyes (2006).
In 2007, he portrayed SheriffJames Timberlake inThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and appeared inRidley Scott'sAmerican Gangster, alongsideDenzel Washington andRussell Crowe.
In 2010, he appeared as the warden of the island prison inShutter Island, starringLeonardo DiCaprio.
In 2012, he appeared as Sheriff Bloom Towne inDeep Dark Canyon, alongsideSpencer Treat Clark andNick Eversman, who portrayed Sheriff Towne's sons, Nate and Skylar, respectively.
In 2013, he had a major supporting role in theFX murder mystery seriesThe Bridge as Lieutenant Hank Wade, commander of a police homicide unit in a Texas border city.[2]
In 2014, he portrayed General Underwood in the British-Finnish action filmBig Game.[3]
In 2018, Levine co-starred in the sequelJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, as hunter Ken Wheatley.[4]
From 2018 to 2020, he playedThomas F. Byrnes on theTNT seriesThe Alienist.
In 2021, he joined the cast of theABC dramaBig Sky, playing the role of Horst Kleinsasser.[5]
Levine has two children: a son with girlfriend Kim Phillips, and a daughter.[1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Through Naked Eyes | Patrolman | Television film |
| 1984 | The Killing Floor | Commander | American Playhouse television film |
| 1985 | Two Fathers' Justice | Bennett | Television film |
| 1986–1988 | Crime Story | Frank Holman | Recurring role |
| 1989 | The Fulfillment of Mary Gray | Jonathan | Television film |
| 1990 | Midnight Caller | Frank Brewer | Episode: "With Malice Towards One" |
| 1991 | Murder in High Places | Carson Russell | Television film |
| Dead and Alive: The Race for Gus Farace | Charles Rose | Television film | |
| 1993 | Death Train | Alex Tierney | Television film |
| The Last Outlaw | Potts | Television film | |
| Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back | Gary Ward | Television film | |
| 1995 | Nowhere Man | Dave 'Eddie' Powers | Episode: "Absolute Zero" |
| 1996 | Wiseguy | Paul Callendar | Television film |
| 1997, 1999 | Superman: The Animated Series | Karkull,Sinestro | Voice, 2 episodes[7] |
| 1997 | Ellen Foster | Bill Hammond | Television film |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | Alan Shepard | 2 episodes;miniseries |
| Moby Dick | Starbuck | Main cast; miniseries | |
| 2000 | Harlan County War | Silas Kincaid | Television film |
| Wonderland | Dr. Robert Banger | Main cast | |
| 2002 | Third Watch | Brian O’Malley | Episode: "Falling" |
| 2002–2003 | Justice League | Bulldozer, Sinestro | Voice, 4 episodes[7] |
| 2002–2009 | Monk | Captain Leland Stottlemeyer | Main cast |
| 2004 | Static Shock | Sinestro | Voice, episode: "Fallen Hero"[7] |
| 2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Sinestro | Voice, episode: "The Great Brain Robbery"[7] |
| 2011 | Hell on Wheels | Captain Daniel Johnson | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2012 | Luck | Isadore Cohen | Recurring role |
| 2013–2014 | The Bridge | Lt. Hank Wade | Main cast |
| 2014 | Child of Grace | Chief Edwards | Television film |
| 2015 | The Spoils Before Dying | Gerhart Moll | Episode: "The Trip Trap"; miniseries |
| 2016 | Dr. Del | Tanner | Television film |
| Mad Dogs | Conrad Tull | 2 episodes | |
| Ray Donovan | Bill Primm | 4 episodes | |
| Lethal Weapon | Ned Brower | Episode: "Best Buds" | |
| 2018–2020 | The Alienist | Thomas F. Byrnes | Recurring role |
| 2018 | Here and Now | Ike Bayer | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Obie Garbeau II | Main cast |
| 2020 | Peacock Presents: The At-Home Variety Show Featuring Seth MacFarlane | Captain Leland Stottlemeyer | Episode: "Monk In Quarantine" |
| 2021 | Big Sky | Horst Kleinsasser | Main cast (season 1) |
| 2023 | Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie | Captain Leland Stottlemeyer | TV movie |
| 2025 | Mayfair Witches | Julien Mayfair | Recurring guest star (season 2); 4 episodes |
| TBA | Cape Fear | Upcoming miniseries |
| Year | Award/Event | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | The Silence of the Lambs | Nominated | [8] |
| 2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | American Gangster | Nominated | [9] |
| 2012 | 20/20 Awards | Best Supporting Actor | The Silence of the Lambs | Nominated | [10] |
| 2015 | Beaufort International Film Festival | Best Actor | Dig Two Graves | Won | [11] |
