
Willem Dafoe
Known for department: Acting
Birthday: 1955-07-22
Place of birth: Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
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).
Known for

Finding Nemo
2003Gill (voice)
Inside Man
2006John Darius
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2004Klaus Daimler
The English Patient
1996David Caravaggio
Wild at Heart
1990Bobby Peru
Basquiat
1996The Electrician
Spider-Man 3
2007Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Spider-Man 2
2004Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Spider-Man
2002Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Mr. Bean's Holiday
2007Carson Clay
American Psycho
2000Donald Kimball
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
2003Armando BarilloSPYMASTER: John le Carré in Hamburg
2014(archive footage)
Body of Evidence
1993Frank Dulaney
Mississippi Burning
1988Agent Alan Ward
Speed 2: Cruise Control
1997Geiger
Pet Shop Days
2025Francis
Paris Je T'aime
2006Le cow-boy (Place des Victoires)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009Rat (voice)