Willem Dafoe

Infobox actor

---

caption = Table of Free Voices, Berlin, September 9, 2006
birthname = William J. Dafoe
birthdate = birth date and age|1955|07|22
birthplace = Appleton, Wisconsin
spouse = Giada Colagrande (2005-present)
awards = Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor (film)
2000 "Shadow of the Vampire"
Fantasporto Award for Best Actor
2000 "Shadow of the Vampire"
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor
2000 "Shadow of the Vampire"
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2000 "Shadow of the Vampire"
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2000 "Shadow of the Vampire"
Satellite Awards for Best Supporting Actor - Musical or Comedy
2000 "Shadow of the Vampire"

William J. "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group. He is best known for his roles in "Wild at Heart", "To Live and Die in L.A.", "Platoon", "Flight of the Intruder", "The Last Temptation of Christ", "Shadow of the Vampire", "Mississippi Burning", "The Boondock Saints", the "Spider-Man" films, Clear and Present Danger, and "Finding Nemo".

Biography

Early life

Dafoe, the seventh of eight children, was born William J. Dafoe in Appleton, Wisconsin, the son of Muriel Isabel (née Sprissler), a nurse and Boston native, and Dr. William Alfred Dafoe, a surgeon. [ [http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/willem_dafoe_biog.html Willem Dafoe Biography ] ] His paternal grandfather was from Belleville, Ontario. [ [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/dafoe.htm 1 ] ] His birth name is William Dafoe; he changed it to "Willem" (Dutch for "William") so people would not call him "Billy". After being expelled from Appleton East High School for making a video that school administrators deemed "pornographic", he finished his studies at nearby Lawrence University. He then studied drama at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but left before graduation in order to join the newly formed avant-garde group Theatre X.

Career

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. Dafoe's film career began in 1981, when he was cast in "Heaven's Gate", but his role was removed from the film during editing. In the mid 80's he was cast by William Friedkin to star in "To Live And Die In LA", in which Dafoe portrays counterfeiter Rick Masters. A year later he starred as the leader of a motorcycle gang in "The Loveless" (and later played a similar role in "Streets of Fire"), but his first breakthrough film role was as the compassionate Sergeant Elias in "Platoon" (1986). In 1988 Dafoe starred in another movie set during the Vietnam War, this time as CID Agent Buck McGriff in "Off Limits". He has since become a popular character actor. He is often cast as unstable or villainous characters, such as the Green Goblin in the "Spider-Man film series" and Barillo in "Once Upon a Time in Mexico". Before that, he was briefly considered for the role of The Joker by Tim Burton and Sam Hamm for 1989's "Batman". Hamm recalls "We thought, 'Well, Willem Dafoe looks just like The Joker.'" The role ended up going to Jack Nicholson. [http://www.batmanmovieonline.com/behindthescenes/articles/samhamm.htm] He also played Jesus in "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988). He once remarked "To this day, I can't believe I was so brazen to think I could pull off the Jesus role", though Dafoe received acclaim despite the controversy surrounding the film.Fact|date=July 2008

He starred in the erotic drama "Body of Evidence" with Madonna. In this film, he appeared nude, as well as giving Madonna cunnilingus in a scene set in a carpark. In 1991, Willem Dafoe portrayed a Manhattan drug dealer in the film "Light Sleeper". This film received very good reviews by both critics and fans.Fact|date=July 2008 Dafoe played an eccentric FBI agent in "The Boondock Saints" (1999) and in "American Psycho" (2000). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1986 for "Platoon" and 2000 for "Shadow of the Vampire". He played a rare heroic film role when he provided the voice of Gill in the animated movie "Finding Nemo".

He worked briefly as a model in a 1990 Prada campaign. In 2004, Dafoe lent his likeness and voice for the James Bond video game "Everything or Nothing" as villain Nikolai Diavolo. In 2006, he played NYPD detective Stan Aubray on the hunt for a serial killer, the lead in New York-set thriller "Anamorph", opposite Scott Speedman and Peter Stormare. In his most recent film he stars alongside Rowan Atkinson in the sequel to 1997's "Bean", "Mr. Bean's Holiday" which was released worldwide March 30, 2007.

Personal life

Dafoe met director Elizabeth LeCompte at the Performance Group. LeCompte and Dafoe were part of the restructuring of The Performance Group and became professional collaborators and founding members of The Wooster Group, and began a relationship. Their son, Jack, was born in 1982. The pair would eventually split in 2004. [http://www.tv-now.com/stars/dafoe.html] Dafoe married Italian director and actress Giada Colagrande on March 25, 2005.

He is part-owner of a restaurant with friend and fellow actor John C. McGinley. [ [http://www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/john_c._mcginley/index.shtml John C. McGinley Biography, Bio, Profile, pictures, photos from Netglimse.com ] ]

Dafoe's brother, Donald, is a transplant surgeon and researcher.

Filmography

Awards & Nominations

Academy Awards
*1987: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" - "Platoon"
*2001: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" - "Shadow of the Vampire"
*2003: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" - "Auto Focus"

Saturn Awards
*2001: Won, "Best Supporting Actor" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
*2005: Nominated, "Best Acting Ensemble" - "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (shared w/co-stars)

Camerimage
*2002: Won, "Special Award:For immense contribution to the art of film."

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
*2001: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" - "Shadow of the Vampire"
*2003: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" - "Auto Focus"

Chlotrudis Awards
*2002: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Fantasporto
*2001: Won, "Best Actor" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
*2000: Won, "Outstanding Creative Performance" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Golden Globe Awards
*2001: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Independent Spirit Awards
*1987: Nominated, "Best Male Lead" - "Platoon"
*1991: Nominated, "Best Supporting Male" - "Wild at Heart"
*2001: Won, "Best Supporting Male" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
*2000: Won, "Best Supporting Actor" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

MTV Movie Awards
*2003: Nominated, "Best Villain" - "Spider-Man"

MTV Movie Awards, Mexico
*2004: Nominated, "Most Divine Miracle in a Movie" - "The Last Temptation of Christ"

Online Film Critics Society Awards
*2001: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
*2001: Won, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Razzie Awards
*1994: Nominated, "Worst Actor" - "Body of Evidence"
*1998: Nominated, "Worst Supporting Actor" - "Speed 2: Cruise Control"

Sant Jordi Awards
*1995: Won, "Best Foreign Actor" - "Light Sleeper"

Satellite Awards
*2001: Won, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Screen Actors Guild Awards
*1997: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast" - The English Patient (shared w/co-stars)
*2001: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
*2000: Won, "Best Actor" - "Shadow of the Vampire"

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0000353|name=Willem Dafoe
*tvtome person|id=3608|name=Willem Dafoe
* [http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hc&id=1800018609&cf=biog&intl=us Willem Dafoe Biography]
* [http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,443784,00.html Interview with Willem Dafoe]
* [http://www.avclub.com/content/interview/willem_dafoe The Onion A.V. Club interview]

Persondata
NAME=Dafoe, Willem
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American actor
DATE OF BIRTH=July 22, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH=Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=