Profile of Willem Dafoe on Famous Like Me

Willem Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is a versatile American actor. He is a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group.

Born William Dafoe Jr., in Appleton, Wisconsin, the seventh of eight children, he acquired the nickname "Willem" in childhood. He studied drama at the University of Wisconsin, but left before graduation in order to join the newly formed avant-garde group Theatre X. After touring with Theatre X for four years in the United States and Europe, he moved to New York City and joined the Performance Group, where he met director Elizabeth LeCompte. LeCompte and Dafoe left the Performance Group together and became personal and professional collaborators. Their son, Jack, was born in 1982. Dafoe married Italian actress Giada Golagrande on March 25, 2005.

Willem's film career began in 1981, when he was cast in Heaven's Gate, but his role was removed from the film during editing. A year later he starred as the leader of a motorcycle gang in The Loveless, but his first breakthrough film role was as the compassionate Sergeant Elias in Platoon (1986). He has since become a popular character actor; due to his harsh facial features, he is often typecast as unstable or villainous characters, most recently the Green Goblin in the Spider-Man movies. He also played Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Twice he has played peculiar detectives, once in The Boondock Saints (1999), and again in American Psycho (2000). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1986 for the Platoon and 2000 for the Shadow of the Vampire. After Spider-Man, Willem had a rare opportunity to play a heroic film role when he provided the voice of Gill in the animated movie Finding Nemo.

Willem also worked briefly as a model in a 1990 Prada campaign.

In 2004 Dafoe lent his likeness and voice for the highly successful James Bond video game Everything or Nothing.

Willem is the only listed cast member for the Deus Ex movie, tentatively to be released in 2006.

Filmography

• XXX: State of the Union (2005) .... George Deckert
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) .... Klaus Daimler
• Mr. Ripley's Return (2004) .... Murchison
• The Aviator (2004) .... Tabloid editor
• Spider-Man 2 (2004) .... Norman Osborn
• The Clearing (2004) .... Arnold Mack
• Finding Nemo (2003) .... Gill (voice)
• Auto Focus .... John Carpenter
• Spider-Man (2002) .... Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin
• Bullfighter .... Father Ramirez
• The Reckoning .... Martin
• Edges of the Lord .... Priest
• Pavilion of Women .... Father Andre
• Shadow of the Vampire (2000) .... Max Schreck
• Animal Factory .... Earl Copen
• American Psycho (2000) .... Donald Kimball
• The Boondock Saints (1999) .... FBI Agent Paul Smecker
• eXistenZ (1999) .... Gas
• New Rose Hotel (1998) .... X
• Lulu on the Bridge .... Dr. Van Horn
• Affliction (1997) .... Rolfe Whitehouse
• Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) .... John Geiger
• The English Patient (1996).... Caravaggio
• Basquiat (1996) .... The Electrician
• Victory .... Axel Heyst
• The Night and the Moment (1995) .... The Writer
• Tom & Viv (1994) .... Thomas Stearns Eliot
• Clear and Present Danger (1994) .... John Clark
• In weiter Ferne, so nah! .... Emit Flesti
• Cop & 1/2
• Light Sleeper .... John LeTour
• White Sands (1992) .... Deputy Sheriff Ray Dolezal
• Flight of the Intruder .... Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole
• Wild at Heart (1990) .... Bobby Peru
• Cry Baby (1990) .... Hateful Guard at Maryland Training School for Boys
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989) .... Charlie - Villa Dulce
• Triumph of the Spirit .... Salamo Arouch
• Mississippi Burning (1988) .... Agent Ward
• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) .... Jesus
• Off Limits .... Sfc. Buck McGriff, CID
• Platoon (1986) .... Sgt. Elias Grodin
• To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) .... Eric 'Rick' Masters
• Roadhouse 66 .... Johnny Harte
• Streets of Fire (1984) .... Raven Shaddock, Bombers Leader
• New York Nights .... Boyfriend
• The Hunger (1983) .... 2nd Phone Booth Youth
• The Loveless .... Vance
• Heaven's Gate (1980) .... Extra
• King Rat (1965) .... Bit parts

Trivia

• His birth name is William Dafoe. He changed it to "Willem" so people wouldn't call him "Billy."

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