Originals for Hulu
Download Search New Upcoming Discover Home
Willem Dafoe
7 FOLLOWERS • 81 CREDITS • JUL 22, 1955 • 69
Follow
Biography
more
William James "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, in addition to receiving nominations for four Academy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a British Academy Film Award. He frequently collaborates with filmmakers Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, and Robert Eggers. Dafoe was an early member of experimental theater company The Wooster Group. He made his film debut in Heaven's Gate (1980), but was fired during production. He had his first leading role in the outlaw biker film The Loveless (1982) and then played the main antagonist in Streets of Fire (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He received his first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actor) for his role as Sergeant Elias Grodin in Oliver Stone's war film Platoon (1986). In 1988, Dafoe played Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and costarred in Mississippi Burning, both of which were controversial. After receiving his second Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actor) for portraying Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Dafoe portrayed the supervillain Norman Osborn / Green Goblin 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) earning him the Guinness World Record for the "longest career as a live-action Marvel character". He also portrayed the villains in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) and XXX: State of the Union (2005), as well as Carson Clay in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007). In 2009, he starred in the experimental film Antichrist, one of his three films with Lars von Trier. Dafoe then appeared in The Fault in Our Stars, John Wick, The Grand Budapest Hotel (all 2014), The Great Wall (2016), Murder on the Orient Express (2017), The Florida Project (2017) (for which he received his third Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category), The Lighthouse (2019), The French Dispatch, and Nightmare Alley (both 2021). He portrayed Nuidis Vulko in the DC Extended Universe films Aquaman (2018), Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2022). Dafoe has portrayed several real-life figures, including T. S. Eliot in Tom & Viv (1994), Pier Paolo Pasolini in Pasolini (2014), Vincent van Gogh in At Eternity's Gate (2018) (for which he received an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination, his first in that category), and Leonhard Seppala in Togo (2019).
Overview
William James "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, in addition to receiving nominations for four Academy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a British Academy Film Award. He frequently collaborates with filmmakers Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, and Robert Eggers. Dafoe was an early member of experimental theater company The Wooster Group. He made his film debut in Heaven's Gate (1980), but was fired during production. He had his first leading role in the outlaw biker film The Loveless (1982) and then played the main antagonist in Streets of Fire (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He received his first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actor) for his role as Sergeant Elias Grodin in Oliver Stone's war film Platoon (1986). In 1988, Dafoe played Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and costarred in Mississippi Burning, both of which were controversial. After receiving his second Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actor) for portraying Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Dafoe portrayed the supervillain Norman Osborn / Green Goblin 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) earning him the Guinness World Record for the "longest career as a live-action Marvel character". He also portrayed the villains in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) and XXX: State of the Union (2005), as well as Carson Clay in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007). In 2009, he starred in the experimental film Antichrist, one of his three films with Lars von Trier. Dafoe then appeared in The Fault in Our Stars, John Wick, The Grand Budapest Hotel (all 2014), The Great Wall (2016), Murder on the Orient Express (2017), The Florida Project (2017) (for which he received his third Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category), The Lighthouse (2019), The French Dispatch, and Nightmare Alley (both 2021). He portrayed Nuidis Vulko in the DC Extended Universe films Aquaman (2018), Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2022). Dafoe has portrayed several real-life figures, including T. S. Eliot in Tom & Viv (1994), Pier Paolo Pasolini in Pasolini (2014), Vincent van Gogh in At Eternity's Gate (2018) (for which he received an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination, his first in that category), and Leonhard Seppala in Togo (2019).
Known For
Saturday Night Live
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Oscars
The Simpsons
The Colbert Report
The Hitchhiker
The Daily Show
The Graham Norton Show
The Wonderful World of Disney
Vox Lux
The French Dispatch
Finding Dory
The Aviator
The Hunger
Cry-Baby
Spider-Man 3
Asteroid City
Tales from Earthsea
Born on the Fourth of July
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Spider-Man 2
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
American Psycho
Zack Snyder's Justice League
On the Set: 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'
John Carter
The Northman
Saturday Night
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
The Fault in Our Stars
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Murder on the Orient Express
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Death Note
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home
Inside Man
Out of the Furnace
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Nymphomaniac: Vol. II
Motherless Brooklyn
Nosferatu
The Last Thing He Wanted
American Dreamz
John Wick
Finding Nemo
Nightmare Alley
What Happened to Monday
Poor Things
Wild at Heart
Speed 2: Cruise Control
The Clearing
The English Patient
The Great Wall
Aquaman
Odd Thomas
xXx: State of the Union
Daybreakers
Kinds of Kindness
The Florida Project
Mr. Bean's Holiday
Mississippi Burning
Auto Focus
Shadow of the Vampire
Dog Eat Dog
To Live and Die in L.A.
Flight of the Intruder
The Lighthouse
Clear and Present Danger
Spider-Man
Tommaso
At Eternity's Gate
Inside
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Boondock Saints
Antichrist
Togo
Production Credits
The House That Jack Built
Originals for Hulu
Stay on top of Hulu Originals with ease using the Unofficial app, where you can track release dates, follow your favorite actors, and get instant updates on new seasons and episodes—all in one place!
Get