Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe
Dafoe in 2024
Born	William James Dafoe (1955-07-22) July 22, 1955 (age 69) Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.
Citizenship	United States Italy
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1975–present
Works	Full list
Spouse	Giada Colagrande ​ (m. 2005)​
Partner	Elizabeth LeCompte (1977–2004)
Children	1
Relatives	Donald Dafoe (brother)
Awards	Full list

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).^[1] He is known for collaborating with auteur filmmakers such as Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, 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), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Antichrist (2009), John Carter (2012), The Lighthouse (2019), Poor Things (2023), and Nosferatu (2024).

Dafoe was a founding member of experimental theater company The Wooster Group. He portrayed Norman Osborn in the superhero film trilogy Spider-Man (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).