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).

Photos

Filmography

View The Simpsons
The Simpsons

The Simpsons

1989Series
8.0
View The Daily Show
The Daily Show

The Daily Show

1996Series
6.4
View The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014Series
5.9
View Late Night with Seth Meyers
Late Night with Seth Meyers

Late Night with Seth Meyers

2014Series
5.2
View The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962Series
7.5
View Conan
Conan

Conan

2010Series
7.2
View Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home

2021Film
7.9
View Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live

1975Series
7.0
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The Colbert Report

The Colbert Report

2005Series
6.9
View The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show

The Graham Norton Show

2007Series
7.2
View Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

2014Series
4.5
View Spider-Man
Spider-Man

Spider-Man

2002Film
7.3