Willem Dafoe Biography
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Willem Dafoe
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| Willem Dafoe | |
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 Table of Free Voices, Berlin, September 9, 2006 |
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| Born | William J. Dafoe July 22, 1955 Appleton, Wisconsin |
| Spouse(s) | Giada Colagrande (2005-present) |
William J. "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is a two-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 and Finding Nemo.
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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.[1] His paternal grandfather was from Belleville, Ontario.[2] 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; due to his harsh facial features and crooked smile, 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.[3] 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.citation needed
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.citation needed 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.
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. [4]
Dafoe's brother, Donald, is a transplant surgeon and researcher.
Filmography
Awards & Nominations
- 1987: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" - Platoon
- 2001: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" - Shadow of the Vampire
- 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)
- 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
- 2002: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" - Shadow of the Vampire
- 2001: Won, "Best Actor" - Shadow of the Vampire
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
- 2000: Won, "Outstanding Creative Performance" - Shadow of the Vampire
- 2001: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" - Shadow of the Vampire
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 2001: Won, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical" - Shadow of the Vampire
- 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
- Willem Dafoe at the Internet Movie Database
- Willem Dafoe at TV.com
- Willem Dafoe Biography
- Interview with Willem Dafoe
- The Onion A.V. Club interview
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| 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 | |