The Silence of the Lambs

Jodie Foster (Actor) .. Clarice Starling

Born: November 19, 1962 in Los Angeles

Best Known For: Winning Oscars for The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs.

Early-life: Born Alicia Christian Foster in Los Angeles on November 19, 1962, but nicknamed Jodie by her three older siblings. Her father was a US Air Force officer-turned-real estate agent who left his wife, Brandy, before Jodie was born. She made her professional debut aged three in an advert; her first film, Disney movie Napoleon and Samantha, came seven years later. After her appearance in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Martin Scorcese cast her as teen prostitute Iris in Taxi Driver, for which she received her first Oscar nomination in 1977. Other early roles came in Bugsy Malone and Freaky Friday. She briefly turned her back on Hollywood to study literature and film at Yale University.

Career: Foster resumed her career after graduating, but failed to match her success as a child star until she won an Oscar in 1989 for her portrayal of a rape victim in The Accused. She won a second Oscar for her performance in the 1991 blockbuster The Silence of the Lambs. In the same year she made her directorial debut with Little Man Tate, the story of a child prodigy. She received another Academy Award nomination for Nell and has subsequently appeared in Contact, Anna and the King, Panic Room, Flightplan, Elysium and Carnage. She's also acted in an executive capacity in a handful of projects, such as 2007's The Brave One (in which she also starred) and 2002's The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys.

Quote: 'I've been in the public eye pretty much since I was conscious, and I'm sure that makes me completely neurotic.'

Trivia: In 1981, John Hinckley Jr claimed he tried to assassinate then-US President Ronald Reagan in an attempt to impress Foster.

Anthony Hopkins (Actor) .. Dr Hannibal Lecter

Born: December 31, 1937 in Margam, near Port Talbot

Best Known For: The Silence of the Lambs

Early-life: Born Philip Anthony Hopkins on December 31, 1937, in Margam, near Port Talbot, South Wales, the only child of a baker. He claims he was an introverted child who did poorly at school, finding solace in playing the piano; he is now considered a virtuoso. He was inspired to become an actor after meeting local boy Richard Burton. After national service, Hopkins studied at the Cardiff College of Music and Art before enrolling at Rada.

Career: Hopkins's first professional work was on stage. He later joined Laurence Olivier's National Theatre, but left to make acclaimed movie The Lion in Winter. A steady stream of TV and film work followed (as well as some theatre appearances), including War and Peace, The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, The Bunker, A Bridge Too Far, The Elephant Man, and Across the Lake. But Hopkins didn't become a major Hollywood star until after giving up alcohol. He won an Oscar for 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, and since then has starred in such hits as The Remains of the Day, Howards End, Hannibal, Shadowlands, Thor and Hitchcock.

Quote: 'The Welsh people have a talent for acting that one does not find in the English. The English lack heart.'

Trivia: Hopkins was knighted in 1993 and away from movies, he loves to paint and take road trips across the US.

Scott Glenn (Actor) .. Jack Crawford

Ted Levine (Actor) .. Jame Gumb

Brooke Smith (Actor) .. Catherine Martin

Anthony Heald (Actor) .. Dr Frederick Chilton

Kasi Lemmons (Actor) .. Ardelia Mapp

Frankie Faison (Actor) .. Barney Matthews

Chris Isaak (Actor) .. Swat commander

Roger Corman (Actor) .. FBI Director Hayden Burke

Diane Baker (Actor) .. Ruth Martin

Jonathan Demme (Director)

11:15 pm - 01:10 am, Thursday, May 7 on BBC Four (9)

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