Willem Dafoe Biography (1955-)

Original name, William Dafoe, Jr.; born July 22, 1955, in Appleton, WI; son of William Dafoe (a surgeon); mother, a nurse; children: (with Elizabeth LeCompte, a theatre company director) Jack. Addresses: Agent: Michelle Bohan, William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Manager: Artists Independent Network, 270 Lafayette St., Suite 402, New York, NY 10012.; Publicist: I/D Public Relations, 8409 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, voice performer, producer
Birth Details: July 22, 1955; Appleton, Wisconsin, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
(Uncredited) Extra, Heaven's Gate (also known as Johnson CountyWars), United Artists, 1981
Vance, The Loveless (also known as Breakdown), Mainline Releasing, 1982
Second youth in phone booth, The Hunger, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1983
Johnny Harte, Roadhouse 66, Atlantic, 1984
Punk boyfriend, New York Nights, Bedford Entertainment, 1984
Raven Shaddock, Streets of Fire, Universal/RKO Radio Pictures, 1984
Himself, The Communists Are Comfortable (and Three Other Stories),1984
Eric "Rick" Masters, To Live and Die in L.A., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1985
O Panama, 1985
Sergeant Elias Grodin, Platoon, Orion, 1986
Agent Ward, Mississippi Burning, Orion, 1988
Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ), The Last Temptation of Christ, Universal, 1988
Sergeant first class Buck McGriff, Off Limits (also known as Saigon), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1988
Charlie, Born on the Fourth of July, Universal, 1989
Salamo Arouch, Triumph of the Spirit, Triumph, 1989
Bobby Peru, Wild at Heart (also known as David Lynch's Wild atHeart), Samuel Goldwyn, 1990
Hateful guard, Cry-Baby, Universal, 1990
Himself, The Making of "Triumph of the Spirit," 1990
Lieutenant commander Virgil "Tiger" Cole, Flight of the Intruder,Paramount, 1991
Deputy sheriff Ray Dolezal, White Sands, Warner Bros., 1992
John LeTour, Light Sleeper, Fine Line, 1992
Himself, North on Evers, 1992
Emit Flesti, Faraway, So Close! (also known as In weiter Ferne,so nah!), Sony Pictures Classics, 1993
Frank Dulaney, Body of Evidence (also known as Deadly Evidence), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1993
John Clark, Clear and Present Danger, Paramount, 1994
T. S. "Tom" Eliot, Tom & Viv, Miramax, 1994
The writer, The Night and the Moment (also known as La notte eil momento and La nuit et le moment), Miramax, 1994
Axel Heyst, Victory, Miramax, 1995
David Caravaggio, The English Patient, Miramax, 1996
The electrician, Basquiat (also known as Build a Fort and Set It on Fire and Build a Fort, Set It on Fire), Miramax, 1996
John Geiger, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1997
Rolfe Whitehouse, Affliction, Largo Entertainment, 1997
Dr. Van Horn, Lulu on the Bridge, Trimark Pictures, 1998
Narrator, What Is Yoga? (documentary), Mystic Fire Productions, 1998
X, New Rose Hotel, Rose Releasing, 1998
Conundrum, c. 1998
Gas, eXistenZ, Dimension Films, 1999
Donald Kimball, American Psycho, Lions Gate Films, 2000
Father Ramirez, Bullfighter, Phaedra Cinema, 2000
Max Schreck (Count Orlok), Shadow of the Vampire, Lions Gate Films, 2000
Paul Smecker, The Boondock Saints, Indican Pictures, 2000
Father Andre, Pavilion of Women (also known as Ting yuan li denu ren), Universal, 2001
Priest, Edges of the Lord (also known as Boze skrawki), Miramax, 2001
John Carpenter, Auto Focus, Sony Pictures Classics, 2002
Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Spider-Man, Columbia, 2002
Barillo, Once upon a Time in Mexico, Sony Pictures Entertainment,2003
Voice of Camel Cricket, Camel Cricket City (short film), 2003

Voice of Gill, Finding Nemo (animated), Buena Vista, 2003
Himself, Overnight (documentary), ThinkFilm, 2003
Arnold "Arn" Mack, The Clearing, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2004
Klaus Daimler, The Life Aquatic, Buena Vista, 2004
Martin, The Reckoning (also known as Morality Play), Paramount, 2004
Michael Copeland, Control, Lions Gate Films, 2004
Murchison, Mr. Ripley's Return (also known as White on White), Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2004
Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Spider-Man 2, Columbia, 2004
Tabloid editor, The Aviator, Miramax/Warner Bros., 2004
Himself, Rockets Redglare! (documentary), Small Planet Pictures, 2004
George Deckert, XXX: State of the Union, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2005
Grace's father, Manderlay, Trust Film Sales, 2005
Film Work
Coproducer, New Rose Hotel, Rose Releasing, 1998
Television Appearances
Movies
Earl Copen, Animal Factory, Cinemax, 2000
Specials
(In archive footage) Raven Shaddock, Music Videos and Inside "Streetsof Fire," 1984
Narrator, Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (also known as Dear America), HBO, 1987
Himself, The Making of "Speed 2: Cruise Control," 1997
The Inside Reel: Digital Filmmaking, PBS, 2001
Himself, Behind the Scenes: Spider-Man the Movie (also known as Behind the Ultimate Spin), 2002
Himself, Spider-Mania, 2002
Himself, Hollywood High, American Movie Classics, 2003
Guest, Introducing Graham Norton, Comedy Central, 2004
Narrator, Final Cut: The Making of Heaven's Gate and the Unmaking of aStudio (also known as Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of "Heaven'sGate"), Trio, 2004
Awards Presentations
The 61st Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1989
Presenter, GQ Men of the Year Awards, VH1, 1998
Presenter, The Seventh Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, TNT, 2001
Himself, The 2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, IndependentFilm Channel, 2001
Presenter, The 45th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 2003
Episodic
Jeffrey, "Ghostwriter," The Hitchhiker, USA Network, 1985
Himself, Fishing with John, Independent Film Channel, 1991
Guest, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1992
Voice of the commandant, "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson," The Simpsons (animated), Fox, 1997
Guest, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1997
Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo, c. 1997
Himself, The Directors: Martin Scorsese, Starz!, 2000
Guest, "The English Patient," Page to Screen, 2002
Guest, Festival Pass with Chris Gore, Starz!, 2002
Guest, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2002
Guest, NY Graham Norton, 2004
Stage Appearances
Lieutenant Buchevski and first customer, Cop, Performance Group, Envelope Theatre, New York City, 1978
Arthur, The Balcony, Performing Garage, New York City, 1979
Colonel Lloyd Lud, North Atlantic, Wooster Group, John F. KennedyCenter for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 1985
Miss Universal Happiness, Wooster Group, Performing Garage, 1985
Yank, The Hairy Ape, Wooster Group, Performing Garage, 1996, thenSelwyn Theatre, New York City, 1997
Captain Chizzum, North Atlantic, Wooster Group, Performance Garage, 1999
Theseus, To You, the Birdie!, Wooster Group, St. Ann's Warehouse Theatre, New York City, 2002
With Wooster Group, appeared in Brace Up!, Emperor Jones, Hula, LSD ... Just the High Points, Nayatt School, Point Judith, and The Road to Immortality.
Major Tours
Yank, The Hairy Ape, Wooster Group, 1996
With Theatre X, toured in Offending the Audience, Phaedre,and Razor Blades, U.S. and European cities.
RECORDINGS
Videos
Himself, Location Production Footage: The Last Temptation of Christ, Universal, 1988
The Making of "American Psycho," Lions Gate Films, 2000
Himself and Sergeant Elias Grodin in archive footage, A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting "Platoon," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 2001
Himself, Counterfeit World: Making "To Live and Die in L.A.," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment, 2003
(In archive footage) El Mariachi: 10 Years Later, Blue Sands Entertainment, 2003
Himself, The Anti-Hero's Journey (documentary), Columbia/TriStar Home Entertainment, 2004
Video Games
Voice of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Spider-Man: The Movie Game (also known as Spiderman), 2002
Voice of Fill, Finding Nemo, THQ Inc., 2003
Voice of Nikolai Diavolo, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (also known as Everything or Nothing), Electronic Arts, 2004
Audiobooks
Reader, One Past Midnight: The Langoliers, by Stephen King, Penguin-Highbridge, 1991
Albums
Contributor of dramatic reading, The Raven, by Lou Reed, 2003

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, 4th edition, St. James Press, 2000

Periodicals

Advocate, August 13, 1992, p. 66
American Film, October, 1988, p. 50
Biography, July, 2002
Calgary Sun, May 1, 2002
Empire, Issue 59, 1994, p. 7; October, 1997, p. 118
Esquire, January, 1989, p. 78
Glamour, February, 1990, p. 122
Interview, June, 1988, p. 38; May, 1990, p. 98; January, 1993, p.82; February, 1995, January/April, 2001, p. 89
Mademoiselle, January, 1989, p. 42
Newsday, August 9, 1994
New York, August 27, 1990, p. 46
Premiere, June, 2004, p. 126
Times (London), March 6, 2003
Utne Reader, September/October, 1996, pp. 94-95

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