Jodie Foster production, and he later credited her for helping him define the character. Released in February 1991, "The Silence of the Lambs" became one of the biggest hits of the year, grossing close to $273 million, with a positive critical reception. Foster received largely positive reviews and won Academy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards for her portrayal of Starling; "Silence" won five Academy Awards overall, becoming one of the few films to win in all main categories. In contrast, some reviewers criticized the film as misogynist for its focus on brutal murders of women, and homophobic due to its portrayal of
Clarice Starling information, which Crawford has specifically warned her to keep secret from Lecter. She tells Lecter that she was raised in a small town in West Virginia with her father, a town marshal. When she was 10 years old, her father was shot when responding to a robbery; he died a month after the incident. Her mother subsequently worked as a hotel chambermaid, but was unable to support her entire family without a life insurance settlement from her husband's death. Starling was sent to live with her uncle on a Montana sheep and horse farm, from which she ran away in