Willem Dafoe

Biography

William James "Willem" Dafoe (/dəˈfoʊ/ də-FOH; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades, including a Volpi Cup Award for Best Actor, with nominations for four Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards. He received an Honorary Golden Bear in 2018.

Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Dafoe made his film debut with an uncredited role in Heaven's Gate (1980). He is known for collaborating with both mainstream and auteur filmmakers, including Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Sam Raimi, Yorgos Lanthimos, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Andrew Stanton, Wes Anderson, and Robert Eggers. He received Academy Award nominations for playing a compassionate army sergeant in the war drama Platoon (1986), Max Schreck in the mystery film Shadow of the Vampire (2000), a kindly motel manager in the coming-of-age film The Florida Project (2017), and Vincent van Gogh in the biopic At Eternity's Gate (2018).

His other films credits include To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Wild at Heart (1990), The English Patient (1996), American Psycho (2000), Animal Factory (2000), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Antichrist (2009), The Hunter (2011), John Carter (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), John Wick (2014), The Lighthouse (2019), Togo (2019), Poor Things (2023), and Nosferatu (2024).

Dafoe was a founding member of experimental theatre company The Wooster Group. He portrayed Norman Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy (2002–2007) and reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). He has also voiced roles in the animated films Finding Nemo (2003), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), and The Boy and the Heron (2023).

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Selected Filmography

• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson(1962)TV Series · 1 epas Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon(2014)TV Series · 2 epsas Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert(2015)TV Series · 1 epas Self - Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers(2014)TV Series · 2 epsas Self - Guest
• The Simpsons(1989)TV Series · 1 epas Commandant (voice)
• The Daily Show(1996)TV Series · 3 epsas Self - Guest
• Conan(2010)TV Series · 1 epas Self - Guest
• Saturday Night Live(1975)TV Series · 1 epas Self - Cameo (uncredited)
• The Colbert Report(2005)TV Series · 1 ep
• The Graham Norton Show(2007)TV Series · 1 epas Self
• Hot Ones(2015)TV Series · 1 epas Self
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors(2014)TV Series · 1 epas Self
• Finding Nemo(2003)as Gill (voice)
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter(2015)TV Series · 1 epas Self
• Off Camera with Sam Jones(2014)TV Series · 1 epas Self
• The Hitchhiker(1983)TV Series · 1 epas Jeffrey Hunt
• Poor Things(2023)as Godwin Baxter
• The Oscars(1953)TV Series · 1 epas Self - Presenter
• The Wonderful World of Disney(1997)TV Series · 1 ep
• Kulturplatz(2004)TV Series · 1 epas Self