William James "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is an American
actor. He is known for his distinct gravelly voice, and has received
multiple accolades, including nominations for four Academy Awards and
three Golden Globe Awards. He has frequently collaborated with
filmmakers Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian
Schnabel, and Wes Anderson.Dafoe was an early member of experimental
theater company The Wooster Group, where he acted in several
productions. He made his film debut in Heaven's Gate (1980), but was
fired during production. He had his first leading role in the outlaw
biker film The Loveless (1982) and then played the main antagonist in
Streets of Fire (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He received
his first Academy Award nomination for his role as Sergeant Elias
Grodin in Oliver Stone's war film Platoon (1986). In 1988, Dafoe
played Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and
starred in Mississippi Burning, both of which were controversial.
Following small roles in Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Wild at
Heart (1990), he began a six-film collaboration with director Paul
Schrader with the drama Light Sleeper (1992). He starred in the
critically panned erotic thriller Body of Evidence (1993) and then
co-starred in Clear and Present Danger (1994), The English Patient
(1996), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), and The Boondock Saints
(1999).After receiving his second Academy Award nomination for
portraying Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Dafoe played
Norman Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), the villains in
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) and XXX: State of the Union (2005),
and Carson Clay in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007). In 2009, he
starred in the experimental film Antichrist, one of his three films
with Lars von Trier. Dafoe then appeared in The Fault in Our Stars,
John Wick, The Grand Budapest Hotel (all 2014), The Great Wall (2016),
Murder on the Orient Express (2017), The Florida Project (2017), for
which he received his third Academy Award nomination, Aquaman (2018)
and The Lighthouse (2019). He has also had voice-over roles in Finding
Nemo (2003), its sequel Finding Dory (2016), and Fantastic Mr. Fox
(2009), voice and motion capture roles in John Carter (2012) and Death
Note (2017), and vocal contributions to the video games Spider-Man
(2002), Finding Nemo (2003), James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
(2004), and Beyond: Two Souls (2013).
actor. He is known for his distinct gravelly voice, and has received
multiple accolades, including nominations for four Academy Awards and
three Golden Globe Awards. He has frequently collaborated with
filmmakers Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian
Schnabel, and Wes Anderson.Dafoe was an early member of experimental
theater company The Wooster Group, where he acted in several
productions. He made his film debut in Heaven's Gate (1980), but was
fired during production. He had his first leading role in the outlaw
biker film The Loveless (1982) and then played the main antagonist in
Streets of Fire (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He received
his first Academy Award nomination for his role as Sergeant Elias
Grodin in Oliver Stone's war film Platoon (1986). In 1988, Dafoe
played Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and
starred in Mississippi Burning, both of which were controversial.
Following small roles in Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Wild at
Heart (1990), he began a six-film collaboration with director Paul
Schrader with the drama Light Sleeper (1992). He starred in the
critically panned erotic thriller Body of Evidence (1993) and then
co-starred in Clear and Present Danger (1994), The English Patient
(1996), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), and The Boondock Saints
(1999).After receiving his second Academy Award nomination for
portraying Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Dafoe played
Norman Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), the villains in
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) and XXX: State of the Union (2005),
and Carson Clay in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007). In 2009, he
starred in the experimental film Antichrist, one of his three films
with Lars von Trier. Dafoe then appeared in The Fault in Our Stars,
John Wick, The Grand Budapest Hotel (all 2014), The Great Wall (2016),
Murder on the Orient Express (2017), The Florida Project (2017), for
which he received his third Academy Award nomination, Aquaman (2018)
and The Lighthouse (2019). He has also had voice-over roles in Finding
Nemo (2003), its sequel Finding Dory (2016), and Fantastic Mr. Fox
(2009), voice and motion capture roles in John Carter (2012) and Death
Note (2017), and vocal contributions to the video games Spider-Man
(2002), Finding Nemo (2003), James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
(2004), and Beyond: Two Souls (2013).
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.