Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, William James Dafoe was the son of a surgeon and a nurse and the seventh of eight children. The name Willem was given as a nickname in high school, which he then adopted full time. Initially studying drama at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he then dropped out to join the experimental theatre company Theatre X. Dafoe would stay on the experimental theatre scene well into his Hollywood career and is credited as the co-founder of the company The Wooster Group.
His debut film role came in 1980 with an uncredited role in Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate. 1982 saw the actor in his first leading role as the leader of an outlaw motorcycle gang in Kathryn Bigelow and Monty Montgomery’s The Loveless. His breakthrough came in 1986 with the Vietnam War film Platoon, which earned him critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The rest of the 80s saw Dafoe go from strength to strength – from portraying Jesus in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ to an FBI agent in Mississippi Burning.
The early 2000s saw Dafoe star in some of his most beloved roles yet. A supporting role as a private detective in American Psycho, before moving on to Shadow of the Vampire, earning him his second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 2002, he starred as the villainous Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, and terrified children (including myself) everywhere.
Having achieved status as one of the most respected actors in the industry, Dafoe has continued to showcase his incredible range and talent over recent years, with films such as The Florida Project, The Lighthouse and his work with Wes Anderson bringing him both critical acclaim and the adoration of fans (I am very much amongst that number). Dafoe is staying booked and busy; along with the upcoming release of Nosferatu, he will be starring in A24’s The Legend of Ochi and Wes Anderson’s new project The Phoenician Scheme. And of course, he will continue his crazy magazine poses.