Francis Dolarhyde is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Thomas Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon, is portrayed by Tom Noonan. None of Dollarhyde's backstory appears in the film, aside from Will Graham's (William Petersen) assessment that Dollarhyde was abused as a child. Neither his Red Dragon personality nor his abusive grandmother are explored (though an earlier draft of the screenplay that more closely follows the book features this connection), although Dollarhyde sports a red dragon tattoo on his chest and his writings mention at one point "the strength of the Red Dragon".
He does not steal and consume the painting, and his killing of the co-worker is portrayed as solely from a surge of jealousy, rather than a cunning escape plan. Rather than faking his death after being tracked down, Dollarhyde attempts to kill Reba McClane (Joan Allen) because he believes she is cheating on him, only to be caught up by Graham, who rescues her. He engages in a standoff with the Missouri police and kills several officers, before being shot and killed by Graham.
Red Dragon (2002)
Francis Dolarhyde is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in the 2002 film adaptation Red Dragon, which follows the novel more closely. In deleted scenes, Dolarhyde's Great Red Dragon personality is voiced by Frank Langella. In this adaptation, Dolarhyde dies when he attempts to kill Will Graham's (Edward Norton) family in Marathon, Florida. He and Graham severely wound each other during a gunfight, but Graham's wife Molly (Mary-Louise Parker) shoots Dolarhyde in the face, killing him.
Television adaptation
Dolarhyde is portrayed by Richard Armitage in season 3 of the television series Hannibal, beginning in episode 8, "The Great Red Dragon". Dolarhyde was referenced in the series premiere as the unseen murderer of the Marlowe family. In this continuity, Dolarhyde and Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) communicate directly by telephone, and Dolarhyde's inner discussions with the Dragon are instead depicted as therapy sessions with Lecter. In the series finale, "The Wrath of the Lamb", Lecter and Graham (Hugh Dancy) kill Dolarhyde together; Graham stabs him, while Lecter bites his throat out.
Inspiration
Harris loosely based Francis Dolarhyde on the then-unidentified serial killer known as "BTK" (Bind, Torture, Kill), who at the time of the book's publication was terrorizing Kansas with a series of murders, beginning with the murder of a family in their home. Like Dolarhyde, BTK engaged in necrophiliac acts with his victims' bodies; he also wrote letters to the police alluding to being under the control of an outside influence, which he referred to as "Factor X".
Harris consulted with FBI Agent John E. Douglas prior to writing the book, and Douglas served as a consultant on the BTK case for Kansas police. Harris was so impressed with Douglas that he borrowed aspects of his life story and personality for the characters of Will Graham and Jack Crawford.