Clarice Starling Clarice Starling Clarice M. Starling is a fictional character who appears in the novels "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal" by Thomas Harris. In the film adaptation of "The Silence of the Lambs", she was played by Jodie Foster, while in the film adaptation of "Hannibal", she was played by Julianne Moore. Clarice Starling, as portrayed by Foster, was ranked the sixth greatest protagonist in film history on AFI's "100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains", making her the highest-ranking heroine. In 1991, for her portrayal of Starling she also received the Academy Award for Best Actress. In "The Silence of
Clarice Starling the Lambs", Starling is a student at the FBI Academy. Her mentor, Behavioral Sciences Unit chief Jack Crawford, sends her to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. He is housed in a Baltimore mental institution. Upon arriving at the asylum for her first interview with Lecter, the asylum manager Frederick Chilton makes a crude pass at her, which she rebuffs; this helps her bond with Lecter, who despises Chilton. As time passes, Lecter gives Starling information about Buffalo Bill, a currently active serial killer being hunted by the FBI, but only in exchange for personal