Will Graham (character)

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Will Graham
Hannibal Lecter character
Hugh Dancy as Will Graham in the TV series Hannibal
Portrayed by	William Petersen (Manhunter) Edward Norton (Red Dragon) Hugh Dancy (Hannibal)
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	FBI profiler
Significant other	Molly Foster Graham Hannibal Lecter (TV series)
Nationality	American

Will Graham is a fictional character and protagonist of Thomas Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon. Graham is also the protagonist of two film adaptations of the novel, Manhunter (1986) and Red Dragon (2002), and the television series Hannibal (2013–2015), which adapted various parts of the Hannibal Lecter franchise.^[1]

In Red Dragon, Graham is introduced as an intellectually gifted and highly esteemed former FBI profiler who has the ability to empathize with psychopaths, to the detriment of his own psyche.

Graham is responsible for the capture of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a forensic psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer who nearly kills Graham during their first encounter. The incident severely traumatizes Graham, who then retires from the FBI. During the events of Red Dragon, Graham reluctantly comes out of retirement to find and apprehend a serial killer known as "The Tooth Fairy," requiring him to confront and seek assistance from the incarcerated Lecter.

Other than passing mentions in Harris' sequel The Silence of the Lambs, Graham does not appear in any other book of the Lecter series. In the films Manhunter and Red Dragon, he is portrayed by William Petersen and Edward Norton, respectively. In the television series Hannibal, he is portrayed by Hugh Dancy.