Thomas Harris

Thomas Harris

Thomas Harris (William Thomas Harris) was born on September 22nd, 1940 and is currently 86 years old. Thomas Harris was born in Jackson, Tennessee, USA. Harris attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he received a Degree in English.

Thomas Harris is known for writing in the Horror and Thriller genres.

Thomas Harris is the author of the Hannibal Lecter series which currently consists of 4 novels. The Hannibal Lecter series started in 1981 with the novel Red Dragon. The most recently released novel in the Hannibal Lecter series was Hannibal Rising which was released in 2006. There are no upcoming novels for the Hannibal Lecter series.

Thomas Harris: Awards & Accolades

Thomas Harris won the Bram Stoker Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2006.

Harris' books have also won multiple awards, The Silence of the Lambs won the Bram Stoker Awards, Superior Achievement in a Novel, in 1988 as well as the Anthony Award - Best Mystery Novel in 1989. Books to Die For won the Agatha Award, Best Non-fiction, in 2012 as well as the Anthony Award - Best Non-Fiction Book in 2013, Macavity Award - Best Mystery Critical/Biographical in 2013.

Thomas Harris books have also been nominated for multiple awards, The Silence of the Lambs was nominated for the World Fantasy Award, Novel, in 1989. Hannibal was nominated for the Bram Stoker Awards, Superior Achievement in a Novel, in 1999 as well as the Audie Award - Best Narration by the Author in 2000. Books to Die For was nominated for the Edgar Award, Best Critical/Biographical Work, in 2013 as well as the Edgar Award - Best Critical/Biographical Work in 2013 and the CrimeFest - H.R.F. Keating Award in 2013.

Thomas Harris: Lists & Other Mentions

• Red Dragon:
  1. Telerama: The 100 Best Thrillers Selection in 2024.
  2. The Telegraph: The Perfect Library Selection in 2008.
  3. NPR: Top 100 Killer Thrillers Selection in 2010.
  4. Mystery Writers of America: Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time Selection in 1995.
• The Silence of the Lambs:
  1. Dead Good Books: 100 Best Crime Books Of All Time Selection in 2020.
  2. People Magazine: Best Books From the 1980s Selection in 2024.
  3. The Sunday Times: The 100 Best Crime Novels and Thrillers since 1945 Selection in 2019.
  4. Time Magazine: The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time Selection in 2023.
  5. Paste Magazine: The 50 Best Horror Novels of All Time Selection in 2018.
  6. NPR: Top 100 Killer Thrillers Selection in 2010.
  7. Mystery Writers of America: Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time Selection in 1995.
• Hannibal:
  1. New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 1999.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 1999.
• Hannibal Rising:
  1. Barnes & Noble: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2006.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2006.
• Cari Mora: Barnes & Noble: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2019.

Thomas Harris: TV/Movies Based on Books

The TV series Hannibal, was based on all of the books in the series, except Hannibal Rising. It starred Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter and aired on NBC. It aired for three seasons before being canceled. During its run, it won Best Network TV series at the Saturn Awards, where Dancy and Mikkelson also won the Best Actor award.

There was also a TV series titled Clarice based on events that would taken place between the films The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. The series premiered on February 11, 2021 on CBS in the United States and stars Rebecca Breeds as Clarice Starling.

All four of the novels in the Hannibal Lecter series have been adapted to the big screen.

The first, and most famous, was The Silence of the Lambs. This was made into a movie in 1991 and starred Jodie Foster playing the role of Clarice Starling, and Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. This movie won numerous awards, including Best Actor, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Picture, and Director at the Academy Awards.

In 2001, the sequel to the book, Hannibal, was released as a movie. The majority of the cast from the original movie decided not to partake in this adaptation due to changes made to the character of Starling. Anthony Hopkins did return as Hannibal in this one, and Julianne Moore played the role of Clarice Starling.

In 2002, the book that takes place prior to The Silence of the Lambs, which is Red Dragon, was released. This one also starred Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, and Edward Norton was the other star of the movie.

This wasn't the first time Red Dragon was adapted. In 1986, the movie Man Hunter which starred William Petersen as Will Graham, and Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor, was released.

In 2007, the fourth and final novel of the series, Hannibal, was adapted to theatres. This is actually the prequel to the entire series, and is the story of Hannibal and how he came to be the serial killer that we know and love. Gaspard Ulliel played the role of Hannibal in this one.

As a side note, the 1999 Indian film Sangharsh had its lead writer Mahesh Bhatt state that they movie was based on the book The Silence of the Lambs, however later they stated that was not the case at all.

Related Authors

Fans of Thomas Harris also enjoy these authors:

1. Alex North, author of: The Whisper Man.
2. Richard T. Chizmar, author of The Button Box Series.
3. J.D. Barker, author of the 4MK Series.
4. Sarah Pinborough, author of: Behind Her Eyes.
5. Willow Rose, author of the Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Series.
6. David Morrell, author of the Mortalis Series.
7. Ira Levin, author of the Rosemary Series.
8. Ramona Emerson, author of the Rita Todacheene Series.
9. Jeffery Deaver, author of the Lincoln Rhyme Series.
10. Jonathan Kellerman, author of the Alex Delaware Series.

Thomas Harris: F.A.Q