Willem Dafoe | WatchedThis

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe

Acting

Biography

William James "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, four Golden Globe Awards, four Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has frequently collaborated with filmmakers Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, and Robert Eggers. Dafoe was a founding member of experimental theatre company The Wooster Group. He made his film debut with an uncredited role in Heaven's Gate (1980). Dafoe's early career includes credits for The Loveless (1982), Streets of Fire (1984), and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He earned his first Academy Award nomination for the war drama Platoon (1986), followed by nominations for his roles in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), The Florida Project (2017), and the Vincent van Gogh biopic At Eternity's Gate (2018). He also gained acclaim and wide recognition for his roles as Jesus Christ in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and as the supervillain Norman Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), a role he reprised in its sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). His other film appearance include roles in Mississippi Burning (1988), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Wild at Heart (1990), Light Sleeper (1992), Body of Evidence (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The English Patient (1996), Affliction (1997), New Rose Hotel(1998), Existenz (1999), The Boondock Saints (1999), American Psycho (2000), Auto Focus (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Inside Man (2006), Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), Antichrist (2009), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Nymphomaniac (2013), The Fault in Our Stars (2014), John Wick (2014), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Aquaman (2018), The Lighthouse (2019), Nightmare Alley (2021), Poor Things (2023), and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

Filmography Movies

Acting

Poster for Finding Nemo
MOVIE

Finding Nemo

7.8(20.5K)
Finding Nemo
Gill (voice)
Poster for Inside Man
MOVIE

Inside Man

7.4(6.3K)
Inside Man
John Darius
Poster for The English Patient
MOVIE

The English Patient

7.1(2.4K)
The English Patient
David Caravaggio
Poster for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
MOVIE

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

7.1(3.2K)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Klaus Daimler
Poster for Wild at Heart
MOVIE

Wild at Heart

7.0(1.9K)
Wild at Heart
Bobby Peru
Poster for Basquiat
MOVIE

Basquiat

6.6(0.3K)
Basquiat
The Electrician
Poster for Spider-Man
MOVIE

Spider-Man

7.3(20.6K)
Spider-Man
Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Poster for Spider-Man 2
MOVIE

Spider-Man 2

7.3(16.3K)
Spider-Man 2
Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Poster for Spider-Man 3
MOVIE

Spider-Man 3

6.5(15.2K)
Spider-Man 3
Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Poster for Mr. Bean's Holiday
MOVIE

Mr. Bean's Holiday

6.4(3.1K)
Mr. Bean's Holiday
Carson Clay

Production

Poster for Before It Had a Name
MOVIE

Before It Had a Name

3.6(0.0K)
Before It Had a Name
Screenplay
TropicoMOVIE
MOVIE

Tropico

Tropico
Producer
Poster for New Rose Hotel
MOVIE

New Rose Hotel

5.2(0.1K)
New Rose Hotel
Co-Producer
Poster for Babenco: Tell Me When I Die
MOVIE

Babenco: Tell Me When I Die

7.2(0.0K)
Babenco: Tell Me When I Die
Associate Producer
Poster for The House That Jack Built
MOVIE

The House That Jack Built

7.1(3.0K)
The House That Jack Built
Thanks
Poster for The Man in My Basement
MOVIE

The Man in My Basement

5.5(0.1K)
The Man in My Basement
Executive Producer

Gallery

Willem Dafoe portrait
Willem Dafoe portrait
Willem Dafoe portrait
Willem Dafoe portrait
Willem Dafoe portrait
Willem Dafoe portrait
Willem Dafoe portrait
Willem Dafoe portrait
Willem Dafoe portrait