Willem Dafoe

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

Known For: Acting

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).

Filmography

2026

Werwulf
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
Zero as (voice)
The Man in My Basement as Anniston Bennett
Pet Shop Days as Francis
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
Finally Dawn as Rufo Priori
Nosferatu: An Inside Look as Self
Can Creativity Save the World? 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
The Wild One as Narrator (voice)
Willem Dafoe
Interior (The Spectator) as Narrator

2019

The Lighthouse as Thomas Wake
Togo as Leonhard Seppala
Motherless Brooklyn as Paul Randolph
Love, Antosha as Self
Manou the Swift as Manou's Father (voice)
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)
Brothers in Arms as Self
Friedkin Uncut as Self
Opus Zero as Paul
Under the Rainbow: Making The Florida Project as Self
Theatron. Romeo Castellucci

2017

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

2016

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

2015

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
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
John Wick as Marcus
The Grand Budapest Hotel as Jopling
Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
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
The Benaki Museum as Narrator (voice)
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
Daybreakers as Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac
Miral as Eddie
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done as Detective Hank Havenhurst
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
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day as Paul Smecker (uncredited)
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant as Gavner Purl
Farewell as Feeney

2008

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

2007

The Graham Norton Show as Self
Spider-Man 3 as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Mr. Bean's Holiday as Carson Clay
Anamorph as Stan Aubray
To Each His Own Cinema as (segment "Occupations") (archive footage)
The Walker as Larry Lockner
Wintergasten
Voom Portraits as Self
Cannes: All Access 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)
Ripley Under Ground as Neil Murchison
On the Set: 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' as Self / Klaus D.
Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal as Self
Before It Had a Name as Leslie
This Is an Adventure as Self

2004

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

2002

Spider-Man as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Auto Focus as John Carpenter
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
The Spider-Man Story as Self

2001

Pavilion of Women as Father Andre
Edges of the Lord as Priest
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
eXistenZ as Gas
The Boondock Saints as Paul Smecker
New Rose Hotel as X
Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle as Narrator

1998

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

1997

1996

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

1995

The Night and the Moment as Lo scrittore

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
Brace Up! as Colonel Alexander Ignatyevich Vershinin
Rhyme 'Em to Death
White Homeland Commando as Karl

1992

White Sands as Deputy Sheriff Ray Dolezal
Light Sleeper as John LeTour
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
Roadhouse 66 as Johnny Harte
The Loveless as Vance
New York Nights as Boyfriend
Atalanta Strategy as Immigration Staff

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