Willem Dafoe

Born: 1955-07-22 in Appleton, Wisconsin, USA

Known For: Acting

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.

Filmography

2026

Werwulf
Tenzing as Colonel John Hunt
The Birthday Party as Marcos Timoleon
Late Fame as Ed Saxberger
The Souffleur as Lucius
The Resurrection of Christ

2025

The Legend of Ochi as Maxim
The Phoenician Scheme as Knave
The Man in My Basement as Anniston Bennett
Pet Shop Days as Francis
Zero as (voice)
Grande Envie as Count
Avrio Vrady as Dancing man

2024

Nosferatu as Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as Jackson
Kinds of Kindness as Raymond / George / Omi
Saturday Night as David Tebet
Can Creativity Save the World? as Self
Finally Dawn as Rufo Priori
Nosferatu: An Inside Look as Self
Jesus Goes to Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
run 002

2023

Poor Things as Godwin Baxter
Asteroid City as Saltzburg Keitel
Inside as Nemo
Gonzo Girl as Walker Reade
Willem Dafoe
The Wild One as Narrator (voice)
Interior (The Spectator) as Narrator

2019

The Lighthouse as Thomas Wake
Motherless Brooklyn as Paul Randolph
Togo as Leonhard Seppala
Manou the Swift as Manou's Father (voice)
Love, Antosha as Self
Vincent van Gogh Superstar as Vincent van Gogh (archive footage)

2018

Aquaman as Nuidis Vulko
The House That Jack Built ... (Thanks)
At Eternity's Gate as Vincent van Gogh
Vox Lux as Narrator (voice)
Friedkin Uncut as Self
Brothers in Arms as Self
Under the Rainbow: Making The Florida Project as Self
Theatron. Romeo Castellucci
Opus Zero as Paul

2017

Murder on the Orient Express as Gerhard Hardman
The Florida Project as Bobby
What Happened to Monday as Terrence Settman
Death Note as Ryuk (voice)
NHK WORLD PRIME as Self - Narrator (voice)
Ballad of a Righteous Merchant as Self
Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait as Self
Mountain as Narrator (voice)
Sanctuary as Narrator
Piazza Vittorio as Himself

2016

Finding Dory as Gill (voice)
The Great Wall as Ballard
A Family Man as Ed Blackridge
Dog Eat Dog as Mad Dog
Sculpt
My Hindu Friend as Diego Fairman
Nelson Algren Live as Role1 / Frankie Machine / Role2 / Blackie Cavanaugh
Mind the Gap as Self
Father as James Verdun

2015

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Zylander Quark
Hot Ones as Self
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
Don't F*#% With John Wick as Self
John Wick: Calling in the Cavalry as Self
The Making of A Most Wanted Man as Self
Fukushima: A Nuclear Story as Narrator

2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self - Guest
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
John Wick as Marcus
The Grand Budapest Hotel as Jopling
The Fault in Our Stars as Peter van Houten
A Most Wanted Man as Tommy Brue
Bad Country as Bud Carter
Pasolini as Pier Paolo Pasolini
SPYMASTER: John le Carré in Hamburg as (archive footage)

2013

Nymphomaniac: Vol. II as L
Odd Thomas as Wyatt Porter
Out of the Furnace as John Petty
The Smile Man as Willem
Love's Routine as Barry
Saving Norman as Lionel Pembrooke

2012

John Carter as Tars Tarkas
4:44 Last Day on Earth as Cisco
Tomorrow You're Gone as The Buddha
Bob Wilson's Life & Death of Marina Abramovic as Self

2011

The Hunter as Martin David

2010

Conan as Self - Guest
Daybreakers as Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done as Detective Hank Havenhurst
Miral as Eddie
The Making of Daybreakers as Self
Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World as Narrator
A Woman as Max Oliver

2009

Fantastic Mr. Fox as Rat (voice)
Antichrist as He
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant as Gavner Purl
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day as Paul Smecker (uncredited)
Farewell as Feeney

2008

Fireflies in the Garden as Charles Waechter
Adam Resurrected as Commandat Klein
Go Go Tales as Ray Ruby
The Dust of Time as A

2007

The Graham Norton Show as Self
Spider-Man 3 as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Mr. Bean's Holiday as Carson Clay
To Each His Own Cinema as (segment "Occupations") (archive footage)
Anamorph as Stan Aubray
Cannes: All Access as Self
On the Set: Spider-Man 3 as Self
The Walker as Larry Lockner
Ripley Under Ground as Neil Murchison
Wintergasten
Voom Portraits as Self
The Procedure as Christopher

2006

Inside Man as John Darius
Paris Je T'aime as Le cow-boy (Place des Victoires)
American Dreamz as Chief of Staff

2005

The Colbert Report
xXx: State of the Union as Gen. George Octavius Deckert
Manderlay as Grace's Father
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood as Willem Dafoe (uncredited)
This Is an Adventure as Self
Before It Had a Name as Leslie
Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal as Self
On the Set: 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' as Self / Klaus D.

2004

Kulturplatz as Self
Spider-Man 2 as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
The Aviator as Roland Sweet
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as Klaus Daimler
The Clearing as Arnold Mack
Control as Dr. Michael Copeland
The Reckoning as Martin
Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart
Behind the Scenes of 'Spider-Man' as Self
Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate as Narrator (voice)
The Misbehavers as Self

2003

Finding Nemo as Gill (voice)
Once Upon a Time in Mexico as Armando Barillo
Overnight as Self
Abel Ferrara: Not Guilty
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.' as Self
Rockets Redglare! as Self

2002

Spider-Man as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Auto Focus as John Carpenter
The Spider-Man Story as Self
Behind the Ultimate Spin: The Making of 'Spider-Man' as Self
Globehunters: An Around the World in 80 Days Adventure as Hunter (voice)
Spider-Mania as Self

2001

Edges of the Lord as Priest
Pavilion of Women as Father Andre
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon' as Self

2000

American Psycho as Donald Kimball
Shadow of the Vampire as Max Schreck
Animal Factory as Earl Copen
Bullfighter as Father Ramirez

1999

The Directors as Self
The Boondock Saints as Paul Smecker
eXistenZ as Gas
New Rose Hotel as X
Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle as Narrator

1998

Lulu on the Bridge as Dr. Van Horn
Affliction as Rolfe Whitehouse

1997

1996

The Daily Show as Self - Guest
The English Patient as David Caravaggio
Basquiat as The Electrician
Victory as Axel Heyst

1995

The Night and the Moment as The Writer

1994

The Kingdom as Grand Duc
Clear and Present Danger as John Clark
Inside the Actors Studio as Self
Tom & Viv as Tom Eliot

1993

Body of Evidence as Frank Dulaney
Faraway, So Close! as Emit Flesti
Rhyme 'Em to Death
Brace Up! as Colonel Alexander Ignatyevich Vershinin
White Homeland Commando as Karl

1992

White Sands as Deputy Sheriff Ray Dolezal
Light Sleeper as John LeTour
Blast 'Em as Self (uncredited)
North on Evers

1991

Flight of the Intruder as Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole
Fishing with John as Self

1990

Wild at Heart as Bobby Peru
Cry-Baby as Hateful Guard

1989

The Simpsons as The Commandant / Jack Lassen (voice)
Born on the Fourth of July as Charlie
Triumph of the Spirit as Salamo Arouch

1988

Mississippi Burning as Agent Alan Ward
The Last Temptation of Christ as Jesus
Off Limits as Buck McGriff
Location Production Footage: The Last Temptation of Christ as Self

1987

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam as Elephant Grass (voice)

1986

Platoon as Sergeant Elias Grodin

1985

To Live and Die in L.A. as Rick Masters
O Panama

1984

Streets of Fire as Raven Shaddock
Atalanta Strategy as Immigration Staff
Roadhouse 66 as Johnny Harte
The Loveless as Vance
New York Nights as Boyfriend

1983

The Hitchhiker as Jeffrey Hunt
The Hunger as 2nd Phone Booth Youth

1980

Heaven's Gate as Willy (uncredited)

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Host

1962

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self

1953

The Oscars as Self