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Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe

Actor·b. 1955·Appleton, Wisconsin, USA

18 horror credits

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).

Actor18 films

Werwulf

Werwulf

2026
The Man in My Basement

The Man in My Basement

Anniston Bennett

2025
Nosferatu

Nosferatu

Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz

2024 3.9
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Jackson

2024 3.1
Poor Things

Poor Things

Godwin Baxter

2023 4.2
The Northman

The Northman

Heimir the Fool

2022 3.7
Siberia

Siberia

Clint

2020
The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse

Thomas Wake

2019 4.3
Death Note

Death Note

Ryuk (voice)

2017 3.0
Daybreakers

Daybreakers

Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac

2010 3.8
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Gavner Purl

2009
Antichrist

Antichrist

He

2009 4.0
Paris Je T'aime

Paris Je T'aime

Le cow-boy (Place des Victoires)

2006
Shadow of the Vampire

Shadow of the Vampire

Max Schreck

2000 4.3
American Psycho

American Psycho

Donald Kimball

2000 4.0
eXistenZ

eXistenZ

Gas

1999 3.8
Wild at Heart

Wild at Heart

Bobby Peru

1990 4.0
The Hunger

The Hunger

2nd Phone Booth Youth

1983 3.7

Producer1 film

The Man in My Basement

The Man in My Basement

Executive Producer

2025