The Hannibal cast is led by Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Julianne Moore as Clarice M. Starling, with Gary Oldman as Mason Verger, Ray Liotta as Paul Krendler and Giancarlo Giannini as Insp. Renaldo Pazzi. Hannibal (2001), directed by Ridley Scott, reached US theaters on February 9, 2001, and TMDB lists 39 cast credits for the film. If you think of the franchise as a long running restaurant, this is the night the head chef stays and nearly everyone else in the kitchen is new. Hopkins returns from The Silence of the Lambs (1991), as does Frankie Faison, who plays Barney Matthews. Moore takes over Starling from Jodie Foster, who is billed first in the 1991 film, and Liotta becomes the second actor to play Krendler on film after Ron Vawter. Giannini and Francesca Neri, who plays Allegra Pazzi, carry the Florence half of the story.
| # | Actor | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Hopkins | Dr. Hannibal Lecter |
| 2 | Julianne Moore | Clarice M. Starling |
| 3 | Gary Oldman | Mason Verger |
| 4 | Ray Liotta | Paul Krendler |
| 5 | Giancarlo Giannini | Insp. Renaldo Pazzi |
| 6 | Željko Ivanek | Dr. Cordell Doemling |
| 7 | Frankie Faison | Barney Matthews |
| 8 | Francesca Neri | Allegra Pazzi |
| 9 | Hazelle Goodman | Evelda Drumgo |
| 10 | David Andrews | FBI Agent Pearsall |
| 11 | Francis Guinan | FBI Asst. Director Noonan |
| 12 | James Opher | DEA Agent John Eldridge |
| 13 | Enrico Lo Verso | Gnocco |
| 14 | Ivano Marescotti | Carlo |
| 15 | Fabrizio Gifuni | Matteo |
| 16 | Alex Corrado | Piero |
| 17 | Marco Greco | Tommaso |
| 18 | Robert Rietti | Sogliato |
| 19 | Terry Serpico | Officer Bolton |
| 20 | Boyd Kestner | Special Agent Burke |
| 21 | Peter Shaw | Special Agent John Brigham |
| 22 | Kent Linville | Geoffrey, FBI Mail Boy |
| 23 | Don McManus | Asst. Mayor Benny Holcombe |
| 24 | Harold Ginn | Larkin Wayne, I.A.B. |
Billing order from the film's credits (TMDB). Actors with a Cinvibe page and characters with a character page are linked.
Also in the cast: Ted Koch (BATF Agent Bob Sneed), William Powell-Blair (FBI Agent), Aaron Craig ('Il Mostro' Detective), Andrea Piedimonte Bodini (Agent Franco Benetti), Ennio Coltorti (Ricci), Mark Margolis (Perfume Expert), Ajay Naidu (Perfume Expert), Kelly Piper (Perfume Expert), Judie Aronson (News Reporter), Derrick Simmons (Evelda Drumgo's Bodyguard), Chuck Jeffreys (Evelda Drumgo's Bodyguard), Gano Grills (Evelda Drumgo's Bodyguard), Giannina Facio (Verger's Fingerprint Technician), Renne Gjoni (FBI Agent Michaels), Roberta Armani (Theatergoer).
Anthony Hopkins plays Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who has been living quietly in Florence under a false name and working as an art scholar. TMDB credits him in the same role in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and again in Red Dragon (2002), which makes Hannibal the middle of his three appearances as Lecter on film.
Julianne Moore plays Clarice M. Starling, the FBI agent whose career stalls after a drug raid goes badly wrong. The role is a recast, since TMDB bills Jodie Foster first as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), so Hannibal passes the part to a new lead, billed second behind Anthony Hopkins.
Gary Oldman plays Mason Verger, a rich and badly disfigured survivor of a Lecter attack who offers money to anyone who can find him. TMDB bills Oldman third, behind Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore, and neither he nor Mason Verger is listed in the TMDB credits of Red Dragon (2002).
Ray Liotta plays Paul Krendler, billed fourth behind Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman. The role is a recast, since TMDB credits Ron Vawter as Paul Krendler in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which makes Liotta the second actor to play the character on film.
Giancarlo Giannini plays Insp. Renaldo Pazzi, the Italian police inspector who begins to suspect that an art scholar in Florence is really Lecter. TMDB bills him fifth, and Francesca Neri is credited as Allegra Pazzi, who shares his character's surname. Giannini is new to the series, with no listing in the TMDB credits of Manhunter, The Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon.
Željko Ivanek plays Dr. Cordell Doemling and is billed sixth in the TMDB credits, directly behind Giancarlo Giannini. Doemling is new to the series on film, because neither Ivanek nor the character appears in the TMDB credits of The Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon.
Frankie Faison plays Barney Matthews, the character credited simply as Barney in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). TMDB also lists him as Lt. Fisk in Manhunter (1986) and as Barney in Red Dragon (2002), so he is the only one of the top billed actors here who appears in all four of those films.
Francesca Neri plays Allegra Pazzi, billed eighth and sharing a surname with Insp. Renaldo Pazzi, the inspector played by Giancarlo Giannini. Both roles belong to the Italian chapter of the story, set in Florence, and TMDB lists neither Neri nor Allegra Pazzi in the credits of The Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon, so the character joins the series with this film.
Hazelle Goodman plays Evelda Drumgo, billed ninth in the TMDB credits. Three actors are credited as Evelda Drumgo's Bodyguard, and nearby credits include DEA and BATF agents, which ties the role to the drug raid that stalls Starling's career in the film's setup. Drumgo does not appear in the TMDB credits of The Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon.
David Andrews plays FBI Agent Pearsall, billed tenth and one of several bureau roles in the credits, which also list special agents, an assistant director and an FBI mail boy. Pearsall is a new character for the films, absent from the TMDB credits of The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon.
Francis Guinan plays FBI Asst. Director Noonan, billed eleventh and holding the most senior bureau title in the credits. TMDB lists neither Guinan nor the character in The Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon, so Noonan joins the series with this film, as do most of the officials around Starling.
James Opher plays DEA Agent John Eldridge, billed twelfth. His agency title, along with Ted Koch's BATF Agent Bob Sneed, points to the joint operation behind the drug raid in the film's setup. Eldridge is new to the series, with no listing for the character in the TMDB credits of The Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon.
The Hannibal cast came together around one fixed point, Anthony Hopkins, who returns as Dr. Hannibal Lecter and is billed first among the 39 cast credits TMDB lists for the film. Ridley Scott directed from a screenplay by David Mamet and Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Thomas Harris, and the credits show how much of the ensemble around Hopkins was assembled fresh.
The biggest change sits in second position. Julianne Moore plays Clarice M. Starling, the part Jodie Foster holds in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), where TMDB bills Foster first. Gary Oldman follows in third as Mason Verger, and Ray Liotta is fourth as Paul Krendler, a role TMDB credits to Ron Vawter in the 1991 film, which makes Krendler the second part to change hands.
So, where does the rest of the list go? Much of it splits between two worlds. Giancarlo Giannini as Insp. Renaldo Pazzi and Francesca Neri as Allegra Pazzi lead the Italian chapter, set in Florence, while David Andrews, Francis Guinan and James Opher fill out the agencies around Starling (the credits run from an assistant director to an FBI mail boy). For the plot, release details and crew, see our hannibal 2001 film page.
Two actors return from The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and the rest of the principal cast is new. Anthony Hopkins plays Dr. Hannibal Lecter again, and Frankie Faison comes back as Barney, now credited as Barney Matthews. Faison has the longest run of anyone in this cast, because TMDB also credits him as Lt. Fisk in Manhunter (1986) and as Barney in Red Dragon (2002), where Hopkins plays Lecter once more.
Two roles changed hands. Julianne Moore takes Starling from Jodie Foster, and Ray Liotta takes Paul Krendler from Ron Vawter, who played him in the 1991 film. Everyone else in the top twelve, from Gary Oldman and Giancarlo Giannini to Željko Ivanek and Hazelle Goodman, joins the series with this film. For how this entry fits with the rest of the series, our guide to the hannibal movies covers every film.
| Director | Ridley Scott |
|---|---|
| Writers | David Mamet, Steven Zaillian |
| Producers | Martha De Laurentiis, Ridley Scott, Dino De Laurentiis |
| Music | Hans Zimmer |
| Cinematography | John Mathieson |
Julianne Moore played Clarice M. Starling in Hannibal (2001). She took over the role from Jodie Foster, who played Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), where TMDB bills Foster first. Moore is billed second in Hannibal, behind Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
No, Jodie Foster does not appear in Hannibal (2001). Julianne Moore plays Clarice M. Starling in the film, billed second behind Anthony Hopkins, and Foster is not among the 39 cast credits TMDB lists. Foster plays Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), where TMDB credits her first.
Gary Oldman played Mason Verger in Hannibal (2001). The character is a rich and badly disfigured man who survived an attack by Lecter and offers money to anyone who can find him. TMDB lists Oldman third in the billing, behind Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore.
Mason Verger, played by Gary Oldman, is the man hunting Lecter in Hannibal (2001). He is rich, badly disfigured after surviving an attack by Lecter, and offers money to anyone who can find him. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, remains the title character and is billed first in the TMDB credits.
No, only Anthony Hopkins and Frankie Faison return from The Silence of the Lambs (1991) among the top billed actors in Hannibal (2001). Julianne Moore plays Starling in place of Jodie Foster, and Ray Liotta takes over Paul Krendler from Ron Vawter. Most of the cast, including Gary Oldman and Giancarlo Giannini, joins the series with this film.
Ray Liotta played Paul Krendler in Hannibal (2001), billed fourth behind Hopkins, Moore and Oldman. The character first appeared in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), where TMDB credits Ron Vawter in the role, so Liotta is the second actor to play Krendler in the films.
Frankie Faison played Barney Matthews in Hannibal (2001), returning from The Silence of the Lambs (1991). TMDB credits show Faison in four of the films, first as Lt. Fisk in Manhunter (1986), then as Barney in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon (2002).
Hannibal TV show season 4 has no confirmed renewal or release date as of November 11, 2026.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris is the 1981 crime novel that introduced Hannibal Lecter.
Buffalo Bill's dog in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), directed by Jonathan Demme, is Precious, played by a Bichon Frise named Darla.