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Brad DourifAdd to My CelebsAge 62 Birthday Mar. 18th, 1950 Born in Huntington, West Virginia, USA Height 5' 9" |
Brad Dourif's Main TV Roles
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Main Movie Roles2011 - Priest2010 - Death and Cremation 2010 - Chain Letter 2009 - Halloween II 2008 - Humboldt County 2007 - Halloween 2007 - The Wizard of Gore 2005 - The Wild Blue Yonder 2005 - Drop Dead Sexy 2004 - Seed of Chucky 2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2002 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 1998 - Senseless 1998 - Bride of Chucky 1998 - Urban Legend 1997 - Nightwatch 1997 - Best Men 1997 - Alien: Resurrection 1995 - Murder in the First 1994 - Color of Night 1993 - Amos & Andrew 1991 - Body Parts 1991 - Jungle Fever 1991 - Child's Play 3 1990 - Spontaneous Combustion 1990 - The Exorcist III 1990 - Hidden Agenda 1990 - Graveyard Shift 1990 - Child's Play 2 1989 - Mississippi Burning 1987 - Fatal Beauty 1986 - Blue Velvet 1984 - Dune 1981 - Ragtime 1980 - Heaven's Gate 1979 - Wise Blood 1978 - Eyes of Laura Mars 1975 - W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings 1975 - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest |
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB
The character actor Brad Dourif was born in 1950 in Huntington, West Virginia, where his father owned and operated a dye factory. His father died when Dourif was 3 years old, after which his mother married Bill Campbell, a champion golfer, who helped raise Brad, his brother, and his four sisters. From 1963 to 1965, Dourif attended Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, SC, where he pursued his interests in art and acting. Although he briefly considered becoming a professional artist, he finally settled on acting as a profession, inspired by his mother's participation as an actress in community theater.
Starting in school productions, he progressed to community theater, joining up with the Huntington Community Players, while attending Marshall University of Huntington. At age 19, he quit his hometown college and headed to New York City, where he worked with the Circle Repertory Company. During the early 1970s, Dourif appeared in a number of plays, off-Broadway and at Woodstock, New York, including Milos Forman who cast him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Although this film is frequently cited as his film debut, in fact, Dourif made his first big-screen appearance with a bit part in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975). Nevertheless, his portrayal of the vulnerable Billy Bibbit in Forman's film was undoubtedly his big break, earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Acting Debut, a British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Skeptical of his instant stardom, Dourif returned to New York, where he continued in theater and taught acting and directing classes at Columbia University until 1988 when he moved to Hollywood. Despite his attempts to avoid typecasting, his intensity destined him to play demented, deranged, or disturbed characters, starting in Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), John Huston (I)'s Wise Blood (1979) (arguably his best performance to date), and Milos Forman's Ragtime (1981). Dourif then teamed up with director David Lynch (I) for Dune (1984) and Blue Velvet (1986). His high-strung style also served him well in a number of horror films, notably as the voice of the evil doll Chucky in Child's Play (1988) and its sequels.
Dourif broke from the horror genre with roles in Fatal Beauty (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), Hidden Agenda (1990), and London Kills Me (1991). Recent film work includes the role of Grima Wormtongue in Peter Jackson (I)'s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since his television debut in the PBS film The Mound Builders (1976) (TV), Dourif has made sporadic appearances in a number of television series, such as "The X Files" (1993), "Babylon 5" (1994), "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995) and "Ponderosa" (2001) (in the recurring role of Frenchy).
TRIVIA:
- Was considered for the role of Max Cady in _Cape Fear (1991)_ (qv),.
- Made five trips to New Zealand while the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was being filmed. He had to shave his eyebrows off each time.
- Was considered for the role of the Riddler in _Batman Forever (1995)_ (qv).
- He headed to New York City at 19 and worked with the Circle Repertory Company, appearing in many off-Broadway and Woodstock, NY productions.
- Taught acting and directing classes at Columbia University.
- His father, who owned and operated a dye factory, died when Brad was 3.
- Grandchild: Caden Kalani Kahalewai Dourif-Tanoue (born 2001).
- Many of his co-stars in "The Lord of the Rings" film series were under the impression that he was actually English because of the British accent he used as Wormtongue throughout filming. They were shocked to hear him speak in an American accent after filming was complete.
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