Willem Dafoe

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Male

birthday

July 22, 1955 (70 yrs)

place of birth

Appleton, Wisconsin, USA

also known as

William Dafoe, Jr. · William J. Dafoe · William James Dafoe

total credits

50 movies

Biography

William James "Willem" Dafoe (/dəˈfoʊ/ də-FOH; 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 a Volpi Cup Award for Best Actor, with nominations for four Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards. He received an Honorary Golden Bear in 2018.

Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Dafoe made his film debut with an uncredited role in Heaven's Gate (1980). He is known for collaborating with both mainstream and auteur filmmakers, including Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Sam Raimi, Yorgos Lanthimos, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Andrew Stanton, Wes Anderson, and Robert Eggers. He received Academy Award nominations for playing a compassionate army sergeant in the war drama Platoon (1986), Max Schreck in the mystery film Shadow of the Vampire (2000), a kindly motel manager in the coming-of-age film The Florida Project (2017), and Vincent van Gogh in the biopic At Eternity's Gate (2018).

His other films credits include To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Wild at Heart (1990), The English Patient (1996), American Psycho (2000), Animal Factory (2000), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Antichrist (2009), The Hunter (2011), John Carter (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), John Wick (2014), The Lighthouse (2019), Togo (2019), Poor Things (2023), and Nosferatu (2024).

Dafoe was a founding member of experimental theatre company The Wooster Group. He portrayed Norman Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy (2002–2007) and reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). He has also voiced roles in the animated films Finding Nemo (2003), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), and The Boy and the Heron (2023).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Willem Dafoe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Known For

Filmography

50 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

Spider-Man: No Way Home
7.9

Spider-Man: No Way Home

2021as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin
Nymphomaniac: Vol. II
6.7

Nymphomaniac: Vol. II

2013as L
Spider-Man
7.3

Spider-Man

2002as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Spider-Man 3
6.5

Spider-Man 3

2007as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Finding Nemo
7.8

Finding Nemo

2003as Gill (voice)
Aquaman
6.9

Aquaman

2018as Nuidis Vulko
Zack Snyder's Justice League
8.1

Zack Snyder's Justice League

2021as Vulko
American Psycho
7.4

American Psycho

2000as Donald Kimball
John Wick
7.5

John Wick

2014as Marcus
Nosferatu
6.7

Nosferatu

2024as Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz
The Grand Budapest Hotel
8.0

The Grand Budapest Hotel

2014as Jopling
Poor Things
7.6

Poor Things

2023as Godwin Baxter
John Carter
6.4

John Carter

2012as Tars Tarkas
Spider-Man 2
7.3

Spider-Man 2

2004as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Finding Dory
7.0

Finding Dory

2016as Gill (voice)
The Northman
7.0

The Northman

2022as Heimir the Fool
Inside Man
7.4

Inside Man

2006as John Darius
The Great Wall
6.0

The Great Wall

2016as Ballard
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
6.9

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

2024as Jackson
Platoon
7.8

Platoon

1986as Sergeant Elias Grodin
Fantastic Mr. Fox
7.8

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009as Rat (voice)
Murder on the Orient Express
6.7

Murder on the Orient Express

2017as Gerhard Hardman
The Phoenician Scheme
6.5

The Phoenician Scheme

2025as Knave
The Aviator
7.2

The Aviator

2004as Roland Sweet
The Lighthouse
7.5

The Lighthouse

2019as Thomas Wake
xXx: State of the Union
5.1

xXx: State of the Union

2005as Gen. George Octavius Deckert
The Fault in Our Stars
7.6

The Fault in Our Stars

2014as Peter van Houten
Asteroid City
6.4

Asteroid City

2023as Saltzburg Keitel
Togo
8.1

Togo

2019as Leonhard Seppala
Antichrist
6.6

Antichrist

2009as He
Mr. Bean's Holiday
6.4

Mr. Bean's Holiday

2007as Carson Clay
Werwulf

Werwulf

2026
Wild at Heart
7.0

Wild at Heart

1990as Bobby Peru
What Happened to Monday
7.1

What Happened to Monday

2017as Terrence Settman
Kinds of Kindness
6.5

Kinds of Kindness

2024as Raymond / George / Omi
Nightmare Alley
7.0

Nightmare Alley

2021as Clem Hoatley
The Legend of Ochi
6.2

The Legend of Ochi

2025as Maxim
Mississippi Burning
7.7

Mississippi Burning

1988as Agent Alan Ward
Death Note
4.3

Death Note

2017as Ryuk (voice)
The English Patient
7.1

The English Patient

1996as David Caravaggio
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
7.0

The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun

2021as Albert 'the Abacus'
Clear and Present Danger
6.6

Clear and Present Danger

1994as John Clark
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
6.3

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

2003as Armando Barillo
The Hunger
6.6

The Hunger

1983as 2nd Phone Booth Youth
The Florida Project
7.4

The Florida Project

2017as Bobby
Odd Thomas
6.9

Odd Thomas

2013as Wyatt Porter
The Boondock Saints
7.2

The Boondock Saints

1999as Paul Smecker
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
7.1

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

2004as Klaus Daimler
Daybreakers
6.3

Daybreakers

2010as Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac
Speed 2: Cruise Control
4.6

Speed 2: Cruise Control

1997as Geiger