Frederick Chilton

Lore & Background

In the TV series Hannibal, Chilton first appears in the episode 'Entrée', in which his patient Dr. Abel Gideon kills a nurse after Chilton unwittingly influences him into believing that he is the serial killer known as the Chesapeake Ripper. Gideon eventually learns the truth and suffers an identity crisis, and he escapes to seek revenge against all of his previous psychiatrists, including Chilton. Gideon kidnaps and tortures Chilton, intending to leave his organs as a 'gift basket' for the real Ripper. Gideon is forced to flee from the police after having removed some of Chilton's less vital organs, leaving him alive but in critical condition. Chilton reappears in the second season, minus one kidney, walking with a cane, and now unable to consume protein-rich food. In the season 3 episode 'Aperitivo', Chilton survived a gunshot wound to the face but was disfigured, losing an eye and his upper teeth on the left side of his face. He wears makeup and prosthetics to conceal his injuries. Later, Francis Dolarhyde retaliates against Chilton by kidnapping him, biting his lips off, and setting him on fire: Chilton survives, but is horribly burned and barely able to speak. He is last seen recuperating in an oxygen tank, accusing Graham of deliberately setting him up to be maimed.

In Their Own Story

In season 1, Chilton's patient Dr. Abel Gideon kills a nurse after Chilton unwittingly influences him into believing that he is the Chesapeake Ripper. Gideon eventually learns the truth and escapes to seek revenge, kidnapping and torturing Chilton. Gideon removes some of Chilton's less vital organs, leaving him alive but in critical condition. In season 2, Chilton reappears minus one kidney, walking with a cane, and unable to consume protein-rich food. Will Graham, falsely accused of the Ripper murders, becomes a patient under Chilton's custody. Graham appeals to Chilton's vanity and convinces him to help expose Hannibal Lecter as the real killer. Through Chilton's resources, Graham discovers that Lecter was inducing the blackouts and seizures he was suffering prior to his arrest. Chilton confronts Lecter with this, but claims he will keep his secret, as he is also guilty of 'making a patient kill'. Lecter frames Chilton for the Ripper murders, kills two FBI agents in Chilton's home, and leaves a dying, dismembered Gideon in his basement. During Chilton's interrogation, a surviving Ripper victim, Miriam Lass, experiences a false memory implanted by Lecter of Chilton tormenting her. In a moment of blind rage, Lass draws Crawford's gun and shoots Chilton in the face through the mirror. In season 3, Chilton survived the gunshot wound but was disfigured, losing an eye and his upper teeth on the left side of his face. He writes a best-selling true crime volume about Lecter that is filled with distortions and inaccuracies. He plans to write another one about 'The Tooth Fairy', a serial killer who murders entire families. Graham convinces him to give an interview in which they say that 'The Tooth Fairy' is ugly, impotent, homosexual, and the product of incest. The killer, Francis Dolarhyde, retaliates by kidnapping Chilton and forcing him to recant his statements. He then bites Chilton's lips off and sets him on fire: Chilton survives, but is horribly burned and barely able to speak. He is last seen recuperating in an oxygen tank, accusing Graham of deliberately setting him up to be maimed.

Reader's Guide

In the TV series Hannibal, Chilton was originally a 'dangerously incompetent' surgeon who switched his specialty to psychiatry after accidentally killing a patient. In each season, as a running gag, he suffers and improbably survives gruesome and near-fatal injuries, leaving him increasingly debilitated. In season 1, he first appears in the episode 'Entrée'. In season 2, he reappears minus one kidney, walking with a cane, and unable to consume protein-rich food. In season 3, he survives a gunshot wound to the face, losing an eye and his upper teeth on the left side of his face. Later, he survives having his lips bitten off and being set on fire by Francis Dolarhyde. He is last seen recuperating in an oxygen tank.

Did You Know?

• In the TV series Hannibal, Chilton was originally a 'dangerously incompetent' surgeon who switched to psychiatry after accidentally killing a patient.
• In season 2, Chilton reappears minus one kidney, walking with a cane, and unable to consume protein-rich food after being tortured by Abel Gideon.
• In season 3, Chilton survives a gunshot wound to the face that costs him an eye and his upper teeth on the left side.
• Francis Dolarhyde bites Chilton's lips off and sets him on fire; Chilton survives and is last seen recuperating in an oxygen tank.
• Chilton writes a best-selling true crime volume about Lecter that is filled with distortions and inaccuracies.