Silence of the Lambs icon Brooke Smith who played Buffalo Bill's final victim makes rare public outing at 59

A 90s horror icon looked unrecognizable as she was seen on a rare public outing in LA on her 59th birthday this week.

Brooke Smith shot to worldwide fame with her chilling portrayal of Buffalo Bill's final victim in 1991 classic, The Silence of the Lambs, and has forged a stellar career in the 35 years since her debut.

Smith played senator's daughter Catherine Martin, who was abducted by the serial killer Jame Gumb (Ted Levine) when she tried to help him load furniture into his van.

Unbeknownst to Martin, Gumb lures, kidnaps, and skins women for the purpose of making a 'woman suit' and has been nicknamed Buffalo Bill by the FBI as he likes to 'skin his humps.'

For the role, Smith gained 25lbs due to Gumb's preference for larger women to skin.

In a memorable scene, the despondent Catherine is seen at the bottom of a well as Buffalo Bill calls out, 'it puts the lotion on its skin or it gets the hose again.'

Catherine manages to seize his dog, Precious and threatens to harm the dog if Gumb does not let her go.

She is rescued by trainee agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) who has tracked down Gumb's lair after consulting with cannibal Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). 

Diane Baker played Catherine's mother, Senator Ruth Martin who faces off against Lecter in one of the film’s most tense moments, delivering the unforgettable line, ‘Take this thing back to Baltimore.’ 

The Silence of the Lambs was just the third movie in history to win the top five Oscars - Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Actress (Foster), Best Director (Johnathan Demme), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally) and Best Picture. 

Smith cut a casual figure in leisure wear  as she took her dog for a walk on May 22, marking her 59th birthday.

The talented actress wore her hair up and sported shades for the day off from her busy schedule. 

Smith is also known for her roles as Dr. Erica Hahn on the ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy from 2006-2008 and as Sheriff Jane Greene on the A&E horror series Bates Motel's fifth season.

She is married to Steve Lubensky and is mom to two daughters. 

Smith previously opened up about her experience shooting the legendary horror film, revealing in 2021 to DenofGeek that she did not audition. 

She said, 'That would never happen now. They would never just hire an unknown actor for such an important part. He brought me in and explained to me what he had in mind. 

'He didn’t have to convince me much. If anything, I had to convince him that I was going to go all the way. That I was really going to go as far as I could go as Catherine.'  

'It was physically exhausting though because of the weight. And after it was done, it was difficult as an actress struggling with how I was supposed to look and getting the weight off. 

'I ate a lot of ice cream and pizza and milkshakes. Stuff like that. It sounds amazing to most people but it did put me off that kind of food a little bit.'

Smith also revealed the one line that 'scared the hell out of me' before filming, saying, 'When Catherine sees the fingernails on the side of the pit – the fake nails that have come off – in the script it just said "screams and screams and screams." I just thought "oh my God, I don’t think I can do that”.'

This year Levine and producer Edward Saxon expressed 'regret' toward the transgender community over the depiction of Gumb.

Even though the cult classic came out 35 years ago on February 14, 1991 critics have become outraged that it does not live up to modern social standards.

Despite its many accolades and worldwide acclaim, Levine's adaptation of Buffalo Bill has been criticized for perpetuating homophobic and transphobic stereotypes. 

Levine told the Hollywood Reporter there are 'certain aspects' of the film that fail to meet modern standards. 

'There are certain aspects of the movie that don't hold up too well,' he said.

'We all know more, and I'm a lot wiser about transgender issues. There are some lines in that script and movie that are unfortunate.'

During one highly ridiculed line, Hannibal Lecter said Buffalo Bill is 'not really transgender.' 

'Billy hates his own identity,' he said. 'And he thinks that makes him a transsexual, but his pathology is a thousand times more savage and more terrifying.' 

Saxon agreed that Buffalo Bill was not trans or gay, but rather just completely deranged. 

'We were really loyal to the book,' he said. 'As we made the film, there was just no question in our minds that Buffalo Bill was a completely aberrant personality — that he wasn't gay or trans.'

'He was sick,' he added. 'To that extent, we missed it. From my point of view, we weren't sensitive enough to the legacy of a lot of stereotypes and their ability to harm.' 

Saxon said he regrets the way Buffalo Bill's character was portrayed, but it did not come from a place of 'malice.'