Brian Cox Says He Drew Inspiration from Ted Bundy to Portray Dr. Hannibal Lecter in" Manhunter" Tereza ShkurtajSat, March 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC 0 Brian Cox in 'Manhunter' (left); Ted Bundy (right).Credit: De Laurentiis Group/Everett Collection; Getty Brian Cox portrayed Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter, years before Anthony Hopkins' iconic performance in The Silence of the Lambs Cox drew inspiration from reallife figures like serial murderer Ted Bundy and Scottish killer Peter Manhill to shape his portrayal, he told Woman's World The actor emphasized Lecter's intellect and lack of empathy, c...
Brian Cox Says He Drew Inspiration from Ted Bundy to Portray Dr. Hannibal Lecter in" Manhunter"
Tereza ShkurtajSat, March 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
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Brian Cox in 'Manhunter' (left); Ted Bundy (right).Credit: De Laurentiis Group/Everett Collection; Getty -
Brian Cox portrayed Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter, years before Anthony Hopkins' iconic performance in The Silence of the Lambs
Cox drew inspiration from real-life figures like serial murderer Ted Bundy and Scottish killer Peter Manhill to shape his portrayal, he told Woman's World
The actor emphasized Lecter's intellect and lack of empathy, creating a restrained yet deeply unsettling interpretation of the character
Long before Anthony Hopkins defined Dr. Hannibal Lecter for mainstream audiences, Brian Cox brought the character to life in Manhunter.
The film marked the first time Lecter appeared on screen, adapted from Thomas Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon. Years later, Hopkins would turn the role into a cultural touchstone in The Silence of the Lambs.
Looking back during a recent interview with Woman's World, Cox reflected on the real-life influences that shaped his approach to the character. "I saw a lot of those [Ted] Bundy trials," the 79-year-old told the outlet. "I tried to tap into Bundy's kind of almost acceptability."
Serial killer Ted Bundy.Credit: Getty
In Manhunter, William Petersen plays FBI profiler Will Graham, who is drawn out of retirement to track a brutal killer known as the Tooth Fairy. To help make sense of the crimes, he seeks insight from the imprisoned Lecter.
Although the Michael Mann film didn't find much success when it first hit theaters, Cox's restrained and quietly unsettling performance has earned a stronger appreciation over time.
Instead of portraying Lecter as outwardly monstrous, he leaned into the character's composure and ability to appear completely ordinary. To Cox, that sense of normalcy made the character all the more disturbing, suggesting that danger doesn't always announce itself.
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To create this character, Cox also drew on unsettling figures from his own past.
"When I was a kid in Scotland, there had been a couple of killers of some repute. There was a guy called Peter Manhill, and he killed a whole slew of people," he explained. "This was before the notion of serial killers ever came around. Serial killer was sort of an '80s invention, really. But this guy was fascinating because he also conducted his own defense, like Bundy did."
Bundy raped and murdered young women and girls across the country from 1974 to 1978. He claimed to have murdered at least 30 women and girls, but investigators believe it was over double that. The killer, who represented himself during parts of his murder trials, was ultimately convicted of his crimes and sentenced to death. He died by electric chair on Jan. 24, 1989.
Brian Cox in 'Manhunter.'Credit: De Laurentiis Group/Kobal/Shutterstock
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In contrast to Hopkins' later, more theatrical and "gothic" portrayal, Cox aimed for psychological realism by emphasizing ego over spectacle.
"The other thing was something that came out of the Nuremberg Trials," the Succession actor told Woman's World. "They said that the whole definition of evil was an almost chronic lack of empathy. I think that is, ultimately, what Hannibal Lecter has."
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Source: Entertainment
Published: March 21, 2026 at 03:09PM on Source: RON MAG
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