Ted Levine Movies
Striking terror deep in the hearts and subconsciousness of filmgoers worldwide with his chilling portrayal of aspiring transsexual serial killer James "Buffalo Bill" Gumb in director Jonathan Demme's acclaimed thriller The Silence of the Lambs, Steppenwolf Theater alumnus Ted Levine may not have received the star status some may have expected would follow the role, but he can consistently be counted on to turn in a lively performance, no matter how small his part may be.Born in Cleveland, OH, Levine received his M.F.A. in acting from the University of Chicago before making frequent appearances in such 1980s made-for-television efforts as Michael Mann's Crime Story (1986) and his feature debut in 1987's Ironweed. Taking small roles in such features as Betrayed (1988) and Next of Kin (1989) before his big break in Silence, Levine, curiously, stuck mostly to television following his portrayal of Buffalo Bill, not taking another featured role until his turn as a cop on the trail of a carnivorous industrial speed iron in The Mangler (1995). Appearing in Georgia and Michael Mann's acclaimed Heat the same year, Levine began to gain more prominent roles in the following years before taking to the seas with Patrick Stewart in Moby Dick (1998). Though he received critical acclaim for his role in the controversial television series Wonderland (2000), the show aired a meager two episodes (though four were produced) before being pulled due to outcry over its portrayal of the mental health system and its inhabitants. Bouncing back to the big screen, fans found that Levine could still be counted on to turn in absorbing performances in such features as Evolution and The Fast and the Furious (both 2001). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
TV's favorite obsessive-compulsive, phobia-ridden detective is back for another 16 hour-long episode in the fifth season of Monk. The opener finds former San Francisco homicide detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) bedevilled by an egotistical movie star (Stanley Tucci) who is slated to portray Monk in an upcoming movie. But this irritation is a mere pinprick compared to what is in store for our hero in subsequent episodes. For example, in the episode "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing", the detective faces the possibility of permanent blindess after an "accidental" firehouse explosion. In "Mr. Monk's Class Reunion", Monk must again confront bitter memories of his wife's murder, all the while endeavoring to save a former classmate from a similar demise (by the way, this is the episode in which we discover that Monk attended the University of California at Berkeley--and that his college nickame was "Captain Cool") Equally traumatic is the prospect that Monk's longtime psychiatrist Dr. Kroger (Stanley Kamel) will retire in disgrace after one of his former patients is accused of murder in "Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink". On a lighter note, in "Mr. Monk Makes a Friend" the infamously neurotic detective is inexplicably befriended by a seemingly neurosis-free guy named Hal, played by comedian Andy Richter. And when he goes undercover as the butler to a suspected murderer in "Mr. Monk Is at Your Service", Monk's list of 311 phobias is suddenly increased to 312 when he develops an overwhelming aversion to frogs. Two of the more noteworthy episodes this season are "Mr. Monk, Private Eye" in which Sharon Lawrence is introduced as Linda Fusco, who will become the new love interest for the recently divorced Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine; and the self-explantory Yuletide installment "r. Monk Meets His Dad", with Dan Hedaya in the title role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Season Four of Monk offers 16 new episodes (and a bonus) delineating the adventures of obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). Functioning as Monk's erstwhile caregiver and assistant this season is Traylor Howard as Valerie Teeger, who had taken over from our hero's previous nurse Sharona Fleming in the middle of Season Three, due to the defection of supporting actress Bitty Schram. In the season opener, Monk meets his match--or so it seems--in the form of know-it-all detective Marty Eels (played by ex-Seinfeld costar Jason Alexander). Next up, John Turturo returns as Monk's agoraphobic brother Ambrose in a Halloween story that also involves the siblings' long-lost father. Then, Natalie takes over for a bedridden Monk to tackle the case of a murdered pizza deliveryman. To solve a subsequent homicide, Monk goes undercover at a business office--and finds he enjoys the work so much he almost loses sight of why he's there. Later on, Monk goes off on an unexpected bender in wine country, sobering up long enough to crack the case of a murder with a "nonexistent" victim. A dash of poignancy is added to the mixture when Monk finds out that his late wife Trudy may still be alive--and that she might have committed murder. And the episode "Mr. Monk and the Big Reward" introduces three brand-new, markedly eccentric detective characters, suggesting that the episode may have been intended as the pilot for a spinoff series. Other cases this season include the attempted murder of Monk's police buddy Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) at the wedding of Natalie's brother, and a less-than-sentimental journey to the past when Monk comes to the rescue of his childhood crush. Also: the death of a model whisks Monk off to the world of high-fashion (and bulimia!); an amnesiac Monk is led to believe that he is the husband of a small-town woman named Cora (Roseanne's Laurie Metcalf); Monk's police colleague Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) can't keep his mind on his work when he suspects that his "hippie" wife Karen (Glenne Headly) is having an affair; Monk sets out to prove an astronaut committed a murder that took place when the suspect was orbiting the earth; and a visit to the dentist's office leaves Monk at the mercy of a robber-murderer who seems to be a big fan of Marathon Man. In the season finale, Monk is summoned to jury duty for a minor robbery trial--and ends up solving yet another murder, not to mention foiling a scheme to spring a big-time criminal. In addition to the above-mentioned episodes, Season Four of Monk yields a special Christmas edition, "Monk and the Secret Santa", wherein murder rears its ugly head at the height of the SFPD's annual Holiday party--with Captain Stottlemeyer as the apparent target! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, (more)
The first episode of Monk's third season resolves the cliffhanger set up at the end of season two, as obsessive-compulsive consulting detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) trepidly follows a trail of clues from San Francisco to New York in hopes of solving the murder of his beloved wife, Trudy. In a later caper, animal-phobic Monk is forced to babysit a chimpanzee who has been accused of shooting his owner to death! Still later, Monk is fired by the police commissioner for making an embarrassing boo-boo, but wins back his job literally by a hair. Also, our hyper-sensitive hero tries to figure out how a man who was murdered in 1995 could turn up "newly" dead during a citywide blackout; he utilizes his photographic memory to the "max" while trying to trip up the homicidal host of a popular TV game; he is forced to go into protective custody, driving the federal agent (Josh Stamberg) assigned to protect him to the brink of insanity; and he proves that professional jealousy was not the motive in the murder of a "model" employee at his local mega-mart. During the first half of the season, Monk is assisted by his faithful nurse, Sharona Fleming, played by Bitty Schram. When the actress left the show over a salary dispute, Monk was given a new assistant in the form of Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), a former bartender and the single mother of an 11-year-old daughter. The season finale finds the hapless Monk, who lives in mortal terror of dirty diapers and mother's milk, forming a strong bond with a 22-month-old child who may be able to provide a vital clue in a strange murder and stranger kidnapping. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, (more)
- 2003
In the first episode of a two-part story, simian villain Gorilla Grodd hopes to take advantage of dissension and disagreement within the ranks of the Justice League. Grodd organizes his own team of villains, including such nasties as Giganta, Sinestro, and Killer Frost. Inasmuch as Grodd's team gets along with one another a lot better than the members of the Justice Leage, it looks as though villainy will triumph over virtue this time around! ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Powers Boothe, Stephen McHattie, (more)
- 2003
In the conclusion of a two-part story, simian villain Gorilla Grodd has organized the Secret Society, a tightly-knit team of fellow baddies. With the members of the Justice League falling prey to petty squabbles and ego tripping, it looks as if the Secret Sociey will be able to take over the world with the greatest of ease. It is up to The Green Lantern to set things aright -- but without the cooperation of his fellow Leaguers, he may well fail in his mission. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Powers Boothe, Stephen McHattie, (more)
America's favorite super-phobic, obsessive-compulsive detective is back on the job as Monk launches its second season. Still freelancing as a consultant for the SFPD, and ever hoping that he will one day be reinstated on the force as a full detective, the hilariously hypersensitive Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) gingerly picks through clues and braves such "horrors" as dirty sewer water, large crowds, and darkened rooms, aided and abetted by his nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). This season's case load begins as Monk visits the school where his late wife, Trudy, was once employed, whereupon he probes into the highly suspect "suicide" of an English teacher. Subsequent episodes find Monk nervously traveling to Mexico to determine how a man could possibly drown in mid-air; developing a symbiotic relationship with a baseball player suspected of killing his wife; doing his best to avoid investigating a murder in which a key piece of evidence is a nude picture of Sharona; calling a truce in his ongoing feud with his brother Ambrose (John Turtorro) to deal with a "life or death" situation involving, of all things, a cherry pie; piecing together enough evidence to trap the host of a popular "true crime" TV series who has committed murder over residuals; offering to locate a kidnapped grandmother, whose abductors have demand a ransom consisting of hot turkey dinners; and coming to the rescue of Sharona's actress sister (Amy Sedaris), accused of killing a fellow actor during a performance. New to the series this season is Glenne Headley in the recurring role of Karen Stottlemeyer, wife of Monk's long-suffering boss Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), who insists upon invading her husband's office to film her air-headed documentaries. The season ends on a cliffhanger, as Monk goes to prison to flush out a nest of neo-Nazis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, (more)
Having been put on administrative leave following his nervous breakdown after the unsolved murder of his wife, Trudy, brilliant homicide detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) returns to work as Monk begins its first season. Unfortunately, during his three years away from the San Francisco Police Department, Monk has morphed into the "obsessive-compulsive" to end all obsessive-compulsives, with a mortal fear of everything from cow's milk to unshined shoes. However, Monk's affliction has sharpened his photographic memory and attention to the most infinitesimal of details, thus his many eccentricities are tolerated by his old friend SFPD captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and his deputy Lt. Randall Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford). Still, the department balks at fully reinstating Monk until he is "cured" (as if!), so our hyper-phobic hero works in a freelance capacity. Acting as Monk's assistant is his loyal nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). Monk's first case has him diligently determining a link between two apparently unconnected crimes, the murder of a young woman and the attempted assassination of a mayoral candidate. In subsequent episodes, Monk pulls the rug out from under a phony psychic detective; attempts to ascertain if an 800-pound man was capable of committing a murder that would have required a very slim assailant; tries to figure out how a man could be stabbed atop a ferris wheel without any witnesses; looks into the mystery of the "billionaire mugger"; struggles to clear a murder suspect who bears a startling resemblance to his late wife; hunts for clues at "the cleanest crime scene in crime history"; agonizingly endures a cross-country flight to solve a killing and unmask an impostor; and, during a brief rest stop at a mental institution, follows a trail of murder patients to the likely perpetrator -- and this while spending most of his time in a straitjacket! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, (more)
The true story of one of the most contentious labor disputes of the 1970s is the basis for this made-for-cable drama. In 1973, many of the men of Harlan County, Kentucky, were employed by Brookside Mining, who operated a number of coal mines. Brookside paid its employees meager wages for dangerous, backbreaking work, and also controlled housing and retail sales in the area, boarding its workers in shacks without central heating or indoor plumbing, and selling them food and clothing at inflated prices. Warren Jakopovich (Stellan Skarsgard), an organizer for the United Mine Workers Association, encouraged Brookside's workers to join the union and go on strike for fair wages and better working conditions. Many of the miners simply couldn't afford the loss of income that a strike would mean, but when two workers died as a result of Brookside's willful ignorance of safety standards, most of Harlan County's mine workers finally went on strike. A judge formerly employed by Brookside handed down an order forbidding the workers to picket the mine sites, but Ruby Kincaid (Holly Hunter), whose husband Silas (Ted Levine) was fired for protesting dangerous conditions and whose father was attacked by scab laborers, organized the wives of striking miners to picket in their place. The Harlan County War was based on the same strike portrayed in the Academy Award-winning documentary Harlan County, USA. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Holly Hunter, Stellan Skarsgård, (more)
- 2000
This series is a gritty hard-driving look at an insane asylum. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Burke, Joelle Carter, (more)
- 1998
President John F. Kennedy issued the challenge to America in a speech to Congress in 1961: Land a man on the moon within the decade. This HBO mini-series, produced by Tom Hanks, chronicles the story of NASA's efforts to carry out the vision. Episode one of the 12-part series looks at the early response to President Kennedy's request, just after the U.S.S.R. put the first astronaut into orbit. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Director Franc Roddam and co-scripter Anton Diether adapted Herman Melville's 1851 classic for this four-hour TV miniseries sea adventure. Ishmael (Henry Thomas) ignores the warnings of dockside prophet Elijah (Bruce Spence) and joins the crew of the whaling ship Pequod. Ismael befriends Polynesian harpooner Queequeg (Maori actor Piripi Waretini), hears a sermon by Father Mapple (Gregory Peck, star of the 1956 Moby Dick), and meets the obsessed Captain Ahab (Patrick Stewart), who lost his leg to the great white whale Moby Dick and now seeks vengeance on the looming leviathan. For effects, Roddam used a three-sectioned Moby Dick, added computer graphics, and shot Pequod footage in a tank at an Australian military base. TV Guide described Stewart's performance as "mesmerizing and passionate." The $20 million production aired March 15-16, 1998 on the USA Network. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Stewart, Henry Thomas, (more)
- 1998
President John F. Kennedy issued the challenge to America in a speech to Congress in 1961: Land a man on the moon within the decade. This HBO mini-series, produced by Tom Hanks, chronicles the story of NASA's efforts to carry out the vision. Episode nine focuses on astronaut Alan Shephard. After becoming the first American in space, Shephard suffered some debilitating disorder that had to be overcome before he could fly again. This is his success story. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
Shimon Dotan directed this Canadian comedy-drama from Oren Safdie's screenplay based on Safdie's play, Hyper-Allergenic, set in a hospital room where a dysfunctional family awaits the results of surgery. Shirley Cooperberg (Ellen Burstyn) heads a Montreal Jewish family, and during her husband's operation, her brood arrives at the hospital -- failed writer Eli (Ted Levine), neurotic Susan (Amanda Plummer), and successful theatrical producer Edward (Mark Blum). Edward's wife Linda (Macha Grenon) is also present, as is Eli's ex, Diane (Mary McDonnell). An onslaught of one-liners find targets amid sibling rivalries and angst-ridden animosities. Shown at the 1998 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Burstyn, Amanda Plummer, (more)
- 1997
Filmed in Vancouver, this Hallmark Hall of Fame takes place during the '70s in the U.S. After the death of her mother, Charlotte (Glynis O'Connor), 10-year-old Ellen Foster (Jena Malone, who narrates) suffers abuse from her alcoholic father (Ted Levine) and is ill-treated by her maternal aunts Nadine (Debra Monk) and Betsy (Barbara Garrick) and also by Nadine's mean daughter Dora (Kimberly Brown). Ellen is sent to live with her grief-stricken grandmother Leonora (Julie Harris), but her problems continue since the mean-spirited Leonora blames Ellen for Charlotte's death. Harry Nilsson's song, "Remember Christmas," is featured. This TV movie premiered December 14, 1997 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Harris, Jena Malone, (more)
A hellish piece of professional laundry equipment wreaks havoc in a tiny New England town in this horror film. It all begins in The Blue Ribbon Laundry, a place run by the ruthless, crippled old Bill Gartley. With no feelings at all for his employees, he demands absolute obedience and unrelenting hard work. One day an old speed iron goes crazy, sucks in and permanently presses a hapless worker. The rest of the crew is frightened and in shock, but this does not stop old Gartley from cruelly ordering them back to work. A police officer investigates the case and begins suspecting that the sinister owner is concealing something. When a boy suffocates in an abandoned refrigerator that had somehow come in contact with the speed iron, the cop calls in his friend the theoretical parapsychologist who deduces that there is a "transference of evil" going on. Meanwhile, Gartley is putting the moves on comely Lin Sue; he also is interested in messing with his own niece. Both girls have been harmed by the evil iron and have contributed some of their precious blood to it. It is the cop who discovers that in order for Gartley to remain successful, he must see that the demonic machine periodically receives such sacrificial donations. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
"They're the toughest anti-terrorist strike force in the world. But they've never faced an enemy like this." The "they" mentioned in the ad copy for Death Train are headed by Pierce Brosnan. The enemy is rogue Russian general Christopher Lee, who has stolen two nuclear bombs, intending to hold the world for ransom. The bombs are placed on two trains, which are then engaged in a breakneck race by the general via remote control. Things really get dangerous when one of the trains is hijacked! Alexandra Paul and Patrick Stewart also star in this middling actioner, which manages to stir up suspense only during the climactic detonation sequence. Originally titled Alastair MacLean's Death Train when it premiered over the USA Cable Network on April 14, 1993, the film was retitled Detonator for its theatrical release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Desperate and unable to bear a child of their own, a young couple tries to adopt the child of impoverished parents. But when those parents resist, a huge custody battle ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Ladd, Polly Draper, (more)
The fact-based TV movie Dead and Alive bears a remarkable resemblance to the plot and structure of the 1931 Fritz Lang classic M. A cocaine-addicted cop killer (Tony Danza) is on the loose, managing to elude the authorities at every juncture. The killer has known mob connections, so the police put the pressure on the city's head criminals. Buckling under, the Mob puts out a contract on Danza--while the head investigator trails the hit men in order to bring the killer in alive. Ironically, the main good guy in Dead and Alive is played by Ted Levine, previously cast as the serial killer in Silence of the Lambs (1991). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this crime drama, G-men team up with syndicate hit-men to capture the drug dealer who killed one of the best agents in the Drug Enforcement Agency. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Danza, Dan Lauria, (more)
- 1991
Murder in High Places is a made-for-TV whodunit set at a Colorado ski resort ("High Places." Get It?). Adam Baldwin, an ex-football pro turned cop, is the investigating officer in a homicide case. He is aided and abetted by Ted Levine, an alcoholic ex-newsman (what price Hunter Thompson?) who is the new mayor of the Colorado resort town where the murder occurred. The preponderance of colorful supporting characters is a sure tip-off that Murder in High Places was meant to the pilot for a series. Whether or not the series could have afforded Adam Baldwin is a moot point, since no one, least of all the audience, was interested in the project. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Based on a novel by LaVyrle Spenser, this made-for-TV drama was originally titled The Fulfillment of Mary Gray. Cheryl Ladd stars as Mary, a farm woman living in 1910 Minnesota. Mary's husband (Ted Levine) is not only neglectful, but impotent. Anxious to have an heir, he suggests that she allow his brother (Lewis Smith) to impregnate her! Needless to say, love blossoms between Mary and her fertile brother-in-law. Filmed in Texas (which looks like Minnesota if you squint a lot), The Fulfillment of Mary Gray was first telecast February 19, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Set in Iowa, Betrayed stars Debra Winger as an FBI agent who infiltrates a Klanlike white supremacist organization. Allegedly a woman of intelligence and perception, Winger throws caution and logic to the winds when she falls in love with local farmer Tom Berenger. Much to her surprise Berenger turns out to be the most rabid racist of all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Winger, Tom Berenger, (more)
- 1987
When people begin to be murdered around them, two disparate voyeurs in apartment high-rises begin to suspect they are the objects of interest for yet another peeping tom. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Crime Story was a valiant attempt by Miami Vice producer Michael Mann to present a compelling police drama series in a serialized fashion. Introduced as a two-hour TV movie on September 18, 1986, the weekly, hour-long series was initially set in Chicago in 1963. Dennis Farina, a former cop in real life, starred as Lt. Mike Torello, head of the windy city's Major Crime Unit (MCU), who carried on a blood feud with young, ambitious gangster Ray Luca (Anthony John Denison). Assisting Torello in his efforts was prosecuting attorney David Abrams (Stephen Lang), a mobster's son who had "seen the light" and switched sides. Others on Torello's team included Sgt. Danny Krychek (Bill Smitrovich), and detectives Nate Grossman (Steve Ryan), Joey Indelli (Bill Campbell), and Walter Clemmons (Paul Butler), while Luca was backed up by his faithful but dangerously stupid henchman Paulie Taglia (played by John Santucci, who, in a perverse spin of the Dennis Farina situation, had been a genuine criminal before turning to acting).
Halfway through season one, Luca and Paulie moved to Las Vegas, only to be closely followed by Torello and his men, who had become federal agents. The season ended with literal bang, as Luca and Paulie took refuge in a small house in the Nevada desert that turned out to be smack-dab in the middle of a nuclear testing site. Miraculously, the two gangsters managed to survive an atomic explosion with nary a scratch, and spent the series' second and final season playing a game of hide and seek with the Torello forces. Ultimately, the "good guys" bearded their prey in Mexico. In the course of events, Torello's marriage to his wife, Julie (Darlanne Fluegel, broke up, whereupon he entered into a relationship with Inga Thorson (Patricia Charbonneau). Also, both the cops and the robbers had brief encounters with the mob's "big boys," portrayed by such diverse actors as Joseph Wiseman and Andrew Dice Clay. Although the ratings for Crime Story were mediocre, NBC had faith in the series and kept it alive for two years. Like many other Michael Mann productions, the series was rich with authentic period detail, and came equipped with wall-to-wall vintage music, including the theme tune "Runaway", re-recorded (and recreated) by its original artist, Del Shannon. But for all of NBC's promotional skills and Michael Mann's production expertise, the series never caught on (more's the pity), and last aired on May 10, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Halfway through season one, Luca and Paulie moved to Las Vegas, only to be closely followed by Torello and his men, who had become federal agents. The season ended with literal bang, as Luca and Paulie took refuge in a small house in the Nevada desert that turned out to be smack-dab in the middle of a nuclear testing site. Miraculously, the two gangsters managed to survive an atomic explosion with nary a scratch, and spent the series' second and final season playing a game of hide and seek with the Torello forces. Ultimately, the "good guys" bearded their prey in Mexico. In the course of events, Torello's marriage to his wife, Julie (Darlanne Fluegel, broke up, whereupon he entered into a relationship with Inga Thorson (Patricia Charbonneau). Also, both the cops and the robbers had brief encounters with the mob's "big boys," portrayed by such diverse actors as Joseph Wiseman and Andrew Dice Clay. Although the ratings for Crime Story were mediocre, NBC had faith in the series and kept it alive for two years. Like many other Michael Mann productions, the series was rich with authentic period detail, and came equipped with wall-to-wall vintage music, including the theme tune "Runaway", re-recorded (and recreated) by its original artist, Del Shannon. But for all of NBC's promotional skills and Michael Mann's production expertise, the series never caught on (more's the pity), and last aired on May 10, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Farina, Anthony John Denison, (more)
- 1985
After their children have been murdered, two men intend to find the responsible parties in this made-for-TV movie. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
