Willem Dafoe's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Anatomy of a Scene Willem Dafoe The Directors Willem Dafoe Page to Screen Willem Dafoe

Main Movie Roles 2010 - Miral 2009 - Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009 - Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant 2009 - Daybreakers 2009 - The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day 2009 - Antichrist 2008 - Adam Resurrected 2008 - Fireflies in the Garden 2007 - Spider-Man 3 2007 - Mr. Bean's Holiday 2007 - Chacun son cinema ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumiere s'eteint et que le film commence 2007 - The Walker 2007 - Anamorph 2006 - Inside Man 2006 - American Dreamz 2006 - Paris, je t'aime 2005 - Manderlay 2005 - xXx: State of the Union 2004 - Control 2004 - Spider-Man 2 2004 - The Clearing 2004 - The Aviator 2004 - The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou 2003 - Overnight 2003 - Once Upon a Time in Mexico 2003 - Finding Nemo 2002 - Auto Focus 2002 - Spider-Man 2001 - Edges of the Lord 2000 - Animal Factory 2000 - Shadow of the Vampire 2000 - American Psycho 1999 - The Boondock Saints 1999 - eXistenZ 1998 - New Rose Hotel 1997 - Speed 2: Cruise Control 1997 - Affliction 1996 - The English Patient 1996 - Basquiat 1994 - Clear and Present Danger 1994 - Tom & Viv 1993 - Body of Evidence 1993 - Faraway, So Close! 1992 - Light Sleeper 1992 - White Sands 1991 - Flight of the Intruder 1990 - Cry-Baby 1990 - Wild at Heart 1989 - Born on the Fourth of July 1989 - Mississippi Burning 1988 - The Last Temptation of Christ 1986 - Platoon 1985 - To Live and Die in L.A. 1984 - Streets of Fire 1983 - The Hunger 1980 - Heaven's Gate

BIOGRAPHY:

In 1979, Willem Dafoe was given a small role in Michael Cimino (I)'s Heaven's Gate (1980) from which he was fired. His first feature role came shortly after in Kathryn Bigelow's The Loveless (1982). From there, he went on to perform in over 60 films - in Hollywood (Spider-Man (2002), The English Patient (1996), Finding Nemo (2003), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Clear and Present Danger (1994), White Sands (1992), Mississippi Burning (1988)_ , Streets of Fire (1984) and in independent cinema in the U.S. (The Clearing (2004), Animal Factory (2000), Basquiat (1996), The Boondock Saints (1999), American Psycho (2000)) and abroad (Lars von Trier's Manderlay (2005), Ho Yim's Pavilion of Women (2001), 'Yurek Bogayevicz''s Edges of the Lord (2001), 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 (I) (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)), Martin Scorsese (The Aviator (2004), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)), Paul Schrader (I) (Auto Focus (2002), Affliction (1997), Light Sleeper (1992)), David Cronenberg (eXistenZ (1999)), Abel Ferrara (New Rose Hotel (1998)), David Lynch (I) (Wild at Heart (1990)), William Friedkin (I) (To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)) and Oliver Stone (I) (Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Platoon (1986)).

He was nominated twice for the Academy Award (Platoon (1986) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000)) 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 (2007), Spike Lee's Inside Man (2006), Paul Weitz's American Dreamz (2006) and Giada Colagrande's Before It Had a Name (2005)" (which was co-written by Mr. Dafoe) and the Nobuhiro Suwa segment of Paris, je t'aime (2006).

Other upcoming films include Fireflies in the Garden (2008) starring opposite Julia Roberts (I), Henry Miller (I)'s Anamorph (2007), Paul Schrader (I)'s The Walker (2007) and Adam Resurrected (2008), Abel Ferrara's Go Go Tales (2007) and the Lions Gate release Daybreakers (2009).

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.


TRIVIA:

• While doing a blocking run-through on _Wild at Heart (1990)_ (qv) (for the scene in which Dafoe's character threatens to rape 'Laura Dern' (qv)'s character), Dafoe playfully sang his lines. Director 'David Lynch (I)' (qv) loved this, and wanted Dafoe to actually sing his lines in the scene, when they shot it. The idea did not actually go through, however.
• Visited Sarajevo Film Festival (in post-war Bosnia) together with 'Steve Buscemi' (qv) in year 2000.
• Attended Appleton East High School in Appleton, Wisconsin.
• Often portrays soldiers or eccentric characters.
• Says he feels like he's missed out on more conventional roles because he's perceived as an eccentric actor in dark little films, kind of the boy-next-door type - if you lived next door to a mausoleum.
• 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)_ (qv).
• 'John Malkovich' (qv), 'Nicolas Cage' (qv), and Dafoe were all approached to play the Green Goblin in _Spider-Man (2002)_ (qv). Dafoe and Malkovich starred in _Shadow of the Vampire (2000)_ (qv) together, while Cage produced the film. Dafoe ended up getting the Spider-Man role.
• Built sets and acted with experimental theatre group Theatre X, before moving to New York in 1977, where he worked with the Wooster Group at the Performing Garage.