Willem Dafoe
Birthday:
22 July 1955, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
Birth Name:
William J. Dafoe
Height:
175 cm
Willem Dafoe was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, to Muriel Isabel (Sprissler), a nurse, and Dr. William Alfred Dafoe, a surgeon. He is of German, French, English, Irish, and Scottish descent. In 1979, Dafoe was given a small role in Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate (1980) from which he was fired. His first feature role came shortly after in Ka...
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Willem Dafoe was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, to Muriel Isabel (Sprissler), a nurse, and Dr. William Alfred Dafoe, a surgeon. He is of German, French, English, Irish, and Scottish descent. In 1979, Dafoe was given a small role in Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate (1980) from which he was fired. His first feature role came shortly after in Kathryn Bigelow's The Loveless (1981). From there, he went on to perform in over 80 films - in Hollywood (John Carter (2012), Spider-Man (2002), The English Patient (1996), Finding Nemo (2003), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Clear and Present Danger (1994), White Sands (1992), Mississippi Burning (1988), Streets of Fire (1984), American Dreamz (2006)) and in independent cinema in the U.S. (The Clearing (2004), Animal Factory (2000), The Boondock Saints (1999), American Psycho (2000)) and abroad (Theo Angelopoulos' Trilogia II: I skoni tou hronou (2008), Yim Ho's Pavilion of Women (2001), Yurek Bogayevicz's Edges of the Lord (2001), Wim Wenders' Faraway (2011), So Close (2009), Nobuhiro Suwa's segment of Paris, je t'aime (2006), Brian Gilbert's Tom & Viv (1994), Christian Carion's Farewell (2001), _Mr. Bean's Holiday and The Spierig Brothers' Daybreakers_, Daniel Nettheim's The Hunter (2011)). He has chosen projects for diversity of roles and opportunities to work with strong directors. He has worked in the films of Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)), Martin Scorsese (The Aviator (2004), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)), Spike Lee (Inside Man (2006)), Julian Schnabel (Miral (2010), Basquiat (1996)), Paul Schrader (Auto Focus (2002), Affliction (1997), Light Sleeper (1992), The Walker (2007), Adam Resurrected (2008)), David Cronenberg (eXistenZ (1999)), Abel Ferrara (4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011), Go Go Tales (2007), New Rose Hotel (1998)), David Lynch (Wild at Heart (1990)), William Friedkin (To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)), Werner Herzog (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009), Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Platoon (1986)), Giada Colagrande (A Woman (2010) and Before It Had a Name (2005)) and Lars von Trier (Antichrist (2009) and Manderlay (2005)). He was nominated twice for the Academy Award (Platoon (1986) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000)) and once for the Golden Globe. Among other nominations and awards, he received an LA Film Critics Award and an Independent Spirit Award. Upcoming films include Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Anton Corbjin's A Most Wanted Man (2014), Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013), Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace (2013), Josh Boone's The Fault In Our Stars (2014)_, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski's John Wick (2014)_, and Chris Brinker's Bad Country (2014). Dafoe is one of the founding members of The Wooster Group, the New York based experimental theatre collective. He created and performed in all of the group's work from 1977 thru 2005, both in the U.S. and internationally. Since then, he worked with Richard Foreman in Idiot Savant at The Public Theatre (NYC) and most recently the international productions of Robert Wilson's The Life & Death of Marina Abramovic abroad and Robert Wilson's The Old Woman with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Show less «
[on his role in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)]: "To this day, I can't believe I was so brazen to think I could pull off the Jesus rol...Show more »
[on his role in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)]: "To this day, I can't believe I was so brazen to think I could pull off the Jesus role." Show less «
I don't think people want to see me as a regular guy, besides, I'm a regular guy in real life. I guess I just want to be reckless in my work...Show more »
I don't think people want to see me as a regular guy, besides, I'm a regular guy in real life. I guess I just want to be reckless in my work. Show less «
Casting people feel that they have to get someone who looks a certain way, and I think that the jury is still out whether people find me att...Show more »
Casting people feel that they have to get someone who looks a certain way, and I think that the jury is still out whether people find me attractive or not. Show less «
I wish to Christ I could make up a really great lie. Sometimes, after an interview, I say to myself, 'Man, you were so honest - can't you ha...Show more »
I wish to Christ I could make up a really great lie. Sometimes, after an interview, I say to myself, 'Man, you were so honest - can't you have some fun? Can't you do some really down and dirty lying?' But the puritan in me thinks that if I tell a lie, I'll be punished. Show less «
Weirdness is not my game. I'm just a square boy from Wisconsin.
Weirdness is not my game. I'm just a square boy from Wisconsin.
The worst thing is to get involved with people who aren't passionate about what they're doing.
The worst thing is to get involved with people who aren't passionate about what they're doing.
I'm one of those people who when I go over a bridge, I want to jump. It's just this intense tickle in the back of my throat. It's like I'm o...Show more »
I'm one of those people who when I go over a bridge, I want to jump. It's just this intense tickle in the back of my throat. It's like I'm on the verge the whole time I'm walking over that bridge, and I'm not going to get a release until I jump. Show less «
...it's very clear that a lot of people that have really strong instincts as actors are very often inarticulate...Sometimes, you know, class...Show more »
...it's very clear that a lot of people that have really strong instincts as actors are very often inarticulate...Sometimes, you know, classically, if someone's very intellectual, they aren't as connected to the doing of things. And the doing is really the key to finding the emotionality and the spirit of things. Show less «
[on whether good actors help other actors]: "You're always looking for good people to work with, because you feed each other. That's all."
[on whether good actors help other actors]: "You're always looking for good people to work with, because you feed each other. That's all."
[on why he became an actor]: "You know, it shifts. When it starts out in the beginning, I think it's purely a social thing. The thing you ge...Show more »
[on why he became an actor]: "You know, it shifts. When it starts out in the beginning, I think it's purely a social thing. The thing you get reinforcement for, it's a way of acting out. It's a way of getting attention. It's a way of just fitting in socially. And then, as I get older, it transforms into something else." Show less «
I never act. I simply bring out the real animal that's in me.
I never act. I simply bring out the real animal that's in me.
I'm an optimist. I hope if a movie's good that it will be a success, but as we know, that's not always true, just because of popular taste, ...Show more »
I'm an optimist. I hope if a movie's good that it will be a success, but as we know, that's not always true, just because of popular taste, advertising, distribution patterns, there's lots of reasons. When something doesn't do better than it deserves to in your mind, it's pretty transparent, you usually know why. Is that a comfort? Yes, because it's logical. Does it make you happy? No, because if you think a movie is beautiful or interesting, you want to share it. It's really true; there's no accounting for taste. Sometimes you make very interesting movies that aren't meant for everybody. But this is a capitalist society, so everything conspires to put value on whether it sells or not. While we have a very strong popular culture, the roots of our culture are very shallow, and we put emphasis on how a movie does as far as the box office goes. Many years ago, it would have been vulgar to print box-office grosses in the paper. Now The New York Times does it, and it's the big story for people interested in arts and entertainment on Monday. Which is why emphasis has shifted away from filmmakers and fallen on movie stars and business people. Show less «
Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.
Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.
When you look back at your experiences, it's true that sometimes the most horrendous experiences can translate into being your best work.
When you look back at your experiences, it's true that sometimes the most horrendous experiences can translate into being your best work.
All the time, as an actor, you want to be asking what's next and where things are going. If you're not asking those questions you're not gro...Show more »
All the time, as an actor, you want to be asking what's next and where things are going. If you're not asking those questions you're not growing. Show less «
Sometimes I have a desire to control what I do a little bit, especially when I do a smaller movie. But basically, my impulses are the impuls...Show more »
Sometimes I have a desire to control what I do a little bit, especially when I do a smaller movie. But basically, my impulses are the impulses of a child. I like being the thing itself. I don't like thinking about it. And that doesn't mean I'm not analytical or that I'm anti-intellectual. I'm not trying to say I'm a totally intuitive kind of guy. It's just that my real pleasure, where I feel vital and everything drops away, is when I'm in the middle of doing it, and I look for that opportunity untainted by other responsibilities. But I'm getting too serious. When I try to explain what I do, I get a little bit disgusted with myself because I come off too earnest. In the simplest terms, it's a pleasure to borrow someone else's body and someone else's life. That's the craft, and it's a bit like voodoo, because you don't know exactly how you do it. - On his acting style. Show less «
It's one of those invented things. I spend a lot of time in Germany so it's in my head. I didn't feel the need to go to a dialogue coach and...Show more »
It's one of those invented things. I spend a lot of time in Germany so it's in my head. I didn't feel the need to go to a dialogue coach and be very strict with it because that's not in the spirit of how it should be approached. My take was that it should be played with and invented. It's my idea of a Germanish accent - On his accent in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). Show less «
Sometimes I envy their power and money, and other times I feel sorry for them since they have a gun to their head. They have so much to prot...Show more »
Sometimes I envy their power and money, and other times I feel sorry for them since they have a gun to their head. They have so much to protect that they have to be very careful, thus very certain every step of the way, and that leaves out a lot of work of any freshness. I don't want to do that - I'm not that kind of actor. - On top Hollywood actors. Show less «
On principle I don't have favorites. To pass judgment on something you've done is a face-saving act, and I think it kinda stinks. There are ...Show more »
On principle I don't have favorites. To pass judgment on something you've done is a face-saving act, and I think it kinda stinks. There are all kinds of movies, all kinds of impulses and all kinds of needs for people watching movies, and sometimes I'll do a movie that I don't particularly care for, but then I'll run into someone that it speaks to and they love it. So for me, to give my personal take on it, could mean ruining that movie for someone else, because they can find pleasure where I can't. - On his favorite roles. Show less «
Most of the work happens when you're on the set. It's like going to a cocktail party - you know who's going to be there, you have certain ex...Show more »
Most of the work happens when you're on the set. It's like going to a cocktail party - you know who's going to be there, you have certain expectations about the topics of conversation and the social dynamic. At the same time, when you arrive, you've got to be able to abandon those preconceptions and be mercurial. But sometimes the most important thing is just having a good costume. - On preparation for the characters he plays. Show less «
I always like to mix it up. It's like anything. If you're eating pasta for a week, eventually, you crave something else. A balanced diet of ...Show more »
I always like to mix it up. It's like anything. If you're eating pasta for a week, eventually, you crave something else. A balanced diet of different roles and different stories and movies - I think it's the way to stay healthy artistically and career wise. It does a funny thing because you're not refining one way of seeing you. That's one way to have a career. You can make a persona, corner a market, and make yourself almost a thing. You can use that and that can be interesting iconographical but I still am that actor who likes to bend myself to the material rather than find material to support some idea of who I am or some persona that I've made, or some mask that I've made. - On his career. Show less «
On The Last Temptation of Christ (1988): It had a profound influence on me. Marty [Scorsese] had made this movie in his head for years, and ...Show more »
On The Last Temptation of Christ (1988): It had a profound influence on me. Marty [Scorsese] had made this movie in his head for years, and I felt privileged to be involved. Show less «
[2004, on selection parts] I'm always looking for an adventure-I try not to work just to work. I always try to find people that are burning ...Show more »
[2004, on selection parts] I'm always looking for an adventure-I try not to work just to work. I always try to find people that are burning to tell a story and then help them do it. I try to avoid anyone that pokes around-filmmaking should be an opportunity to make something that's very thrilling and, you know, exciting. On some level, I'm a sensation junkie. Show less «
I'm always very fond of laconic, cut-off characters that have a rich inner life, and you have to restrain that.
I'm always very fond of laconic, cut-off characters that have a rich inner life, and you have to restrain that.
There's a funny perception that I play bad guys, but if you really know my movies, the big and small ones, the truth is often I play good gu...Show more »
There's a funny perception that I play bad guys, but if you really know my movies, the big and small ones, the truth is often I play good guys. But they're good guys that are flawed, good guys who are outside of society. They're odd or they're criminals, but morally they tend to function as good people. Show less «
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