Willem Dafoe

Height:	5' 9 1/2"
Birth Notes:	Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
Birth Name:	Dafoe, William J.
Birth Date:	22 July 1955

Willem Dafoe Trivia

The only actor to ever be nominated for an Oscar for playing a vampire, for his role as Max Schrek in Shadow of the Vampire (2000).
He was delirious for 24 hours after coming down with yellow fever on the set of Platoon (1986).
Brother, Donald Dafoe, is an accomplished transplant surgeon.
Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2006 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Supporting Actor category for his performance in the film xXx: State of the Union (2005) However, he failed to receive a nomination. (Had he gotten the nomination, it would have been his third overall. He was previously nominated for Worst Supporting Actor at the 1998 Razzie Awards for his role in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), and for Worst Actor at the 1994 Razzie Awards for his performance in Body of Evidence (1993).)
Was involved for decades (from 1977) with theater director and actress 'Elizabeth LeCompte', who was also a member and director of the Wooster Group. He later married an Italian writer/director in 2005.

Willem Dafoe Mini Biography

In 1979, Willem Dafoe was given a small role in Michael Cimino's "Heaven's Gate" from which he was fired. His first feature role came shortly after in Kathryn Bigelow's "The Loveless." From there, he went on to perform in over 60 films - in Hollywood ("Spider-Man," "The English Patient", "Finding Nemo," "Once Upon A Time In Mexico," "Clear And Present Danger," "White Sands," "Mississippi Burning," "Street Of Fire) and in independent cinema in the U.S. ("The Clearing," "Animal Factory," "Basquiat," "The Boondock Saints," "American Psycho") and abroad (Lars von Trier's "Manderlay," Yim Ho's "Pavilion Of Women," Yurek Bogayevicz's "Edges Of The Lord," Wenders' "Far Away So Close," and Brian Gilbert's "Tom & Viv"). He has chosen projects for diversity of roles and opportunities to work with strong directors. He has worked in the films of Wes Anderson ("The Life Aquatic"), Martin Scorsese ("The Aviator," "The Last Temptation Of Christ"), Paul Schrader ("Auto Focus," "Affliction," "Light Sleeper"), David Cronenberg ("Existenz"), Abel Ferrara ("New Rose Hotel"), David Lynch ("Wild At Heart"), William Friedkin ("To Live And Die In LA"), and Oliver Stone ("Born On The Fourth Of July," "Platoon"). He was nominated twice for the Academy Award ("Platoon" and "Shadow Of The Vampire") and once for the Golden Globe. Among other nominations and awards, he received an LA Film Critics Award and an Independent Spirit Award. Recent projects include "Mr. Bean's Holiday," Spike Lee's "Inside Man," Paul Weitz's "American Dreamz" and Giada Colagrande's "Before It Had A Name" (which was co written by Mr. Dafoe) and the Nobuhiro Suwa segment of "Paris je t'aime." Other upcoming films include "Fireflies In The Garden" starring opposite Julia Roberts, Henry Miller's "Anamorph," Paul Schrader's "The Walker" and "Adam Resurrected," Abel Ferrara's "Go Go Tales" and the Lions Gate release "Daybreakers." Dafoe is one of the founding members of The Wooster Group, the New York based experimental theatre collective. He has created and performed in the group's work since 1977, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Willem Dafoe Quotes

...it's very clear that a lot of people that have really strong instincts as actors are very often inarticulate...Sometimes, you know, classically, if someone's very intellectual, they aren't as connected to the doing of things. And the doing is really the key to finding the emotionality and the spirit of things.
[on whether good actors help other actors]: "You're always looking for good people to work with, because you feed each other. That's all."
Sometimes I have a desire to control what I do a little bit, especially when I do a smaller movie. But basically, my impulses are the impulses of a child. I like being the thing itself. I don't like thinking about it. And that doesn't mean I'm not analytical or that I'm anti-intellectual. I'm not trying to say I'm a totally intuitive kind of guy. It's just that my real pleasure, where I feel vital and everything drops away, is when I'm in the middle of doing it, and I look for that opportunity untainted by other responsibilities. But I'm getting too serious. When I try to explain what I do, I get a little bit disgusted with myself because I come off too earnest. In the simplest terms, it's a pleasure to borrow someone else's body and someone else's life. That's the craft, and it's a bit like voodoo, because you don't know exactly how you do it. - On his acting style.
Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.
I never act. I simply bring out the real animal that's in me.

Willem Dafoe Movies

I skoni tou hronou (2008) as A
Cartaz Cultural (2003) as Himself
Light Sleeper (1992) as John LeTour
Manderlay (2005) as Grace's Father
The Films of Martin Scorsese (2000) as Himself
Clear and Present Danger: Behind the Danger (2002) as Himself, John Clark
(2005-09-23) (2005) as Himself
Cannes, 60 ans d'histoires (2007) as Himself
Flight of the Intruder (1991) as Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole
Camel Cricket City (2003) as Camel Cricket
San Sebastián 2005: Crónica de Carlos Boyero (2005) as Himself
The Secret War of Lisa Simpson (1997) as The Commandant
The 59th Annual Academy Awards (1987) as Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Spider-Man 2 (2004) as Green Goblin, Norman Osborn
The Misbehavers (2004) as Himself
Roadhouse 66 (1984) as Johnny Harte
This Is an Adventure (2005) as Himself
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) as Eric 'Rick' Masters
Streets of Fire (1984) as Raven Shaddock
Cirque du Freak (2010) as Gavner Purl