Jack Crawford (character)
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Jack Crawford is a fictional character appearing in the Hannibal Lecter series of books by Thomas Harris, in which he is in charge of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. He is modeled after John E. Douglas, who held the same position.
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[edit] Red Dragon
He first appears in the book Red Dragon, where he calls upon Will Graham, his former protégé, to ask for his assistance in solving the murders being committed by a serial killer dubbed "The Tooth Fairy". As a profiler, Graham has a reputation for being able to think like the criminals he hunts, thus making it possible for the FBI to apprehend them. He had retired after being attacked and nearly killed by Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a Baltimore psychiatrist who had helped the FBI on several occasions, after Graham intuited that he was the serial killer he sought. Crawford convinces Graham to come out of retirement to help solve the "Tooth Fairy" murders, and soon they both realize that they would need Lecter's help again. Crawford helps shelter Graham and his family after Lecter sends the killer, Francis Dolarhyde, his old nemesis' address. They eventually solve the case, but Dolarhyde permanently disfigures Graham before he is finally killed. Crawford is haunted with guilt and resents Lecter for the rest of his life.
[edit] The Silence of the Lambs
Crawford appears again in The Silence of the Lambs, once again investigating a serial killer, this one known as "Buffalo Bill", and once again needing to call upon Lecter. This time, he sends a trainee, Clarice Starling, to interview him. By way of information obtained from Lecter, Crawford and the FBI attempt to track down the killer, Jame Gumb. However, the address they obtain for him is out of date. Gumb had killed the employer of one of his former victims and moved into her house to use its large basement as a torture chamber. Realizing that Buffalo Bill probably knew his first victim, Fredrica Bimmel, Starling sets about interviewing everyone close to her, and ends up stumbling upon Gumb's house. By the time Crawford and his men arrive, Starling has singlehandedly killed Gumb and rescued the victim. His wife, Bella, dies near the end of the novel.
[edit] Hannibal
Crawford appears as a relatively minor character in the book Hannibal, and dies close to the end of a heart attack. Rather than calling the hospital, he moves to his wife's side of the bed to die peacefully. Starling still visits him in her "memory palace", which is modeled after Lecter's.
[edit] Film adaptations
The Crawford character appears in the film adaptations of Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs; he does not appear in the adaptation of Hannibal, although a deleted scene explains that he has died. He has been portrayed by three different actors:
- Dennis Farina in Manhunter, the first film adaptation of Red Dragon
- Harvey Keitel in the 2002 adaptation of Red Dragon, which uses the novel's original title.
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| Novels Red Dragon • The Silence of the Lambs |
Main Characters |
Films Manhunter • The Silence of the Lambs • Hannibal |
| Secondary Characters List of minor characters in the Hannibal series |
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