Willem Dafoe

Dafoe was in a relationship with director Elizabeth LeCompte for many years before breaking up in 2004. They have one son. Currently he is married to Italian actress, director and screenwriter Giada Colagrande.

He was born as William Dafoe to William Alfred Dafoe, doctor, and his wife Muriel Isabel. He has five sisters and one brother. He is of mixed ancestry.

After studying in Appleton East High School, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee to study drama when he was 17, but soon grew tired of the university’s theatre department. He left the university and joined the experimental theatre company ‘Theatre X’ in Milwaukee.

Dafoe was cast in a minor role in Michael Cimino's ‘Heaven's Gate’ in 1981, but his screen time was cut from the film during editing. He got a role in an independent film ‘The Loveless’ in 1982 which is about a motorcycle gang.

He played a minor part in the romantic horror ‘The Hunger’ in 1983. He acted in three movies in 1984, but none of them did well at the box office.

He got his breakthrough in the 1985 thriller film ‘To Live and Die in L.A’ where he played the role of counterfeiter Rick Masters. The film was a success and Dafoe got noticed for his acting skills.

Dafoe’s portrayal of Sergeant Elias in the Academy Award winning war film ‘Platoon’ (1986) cemented his reputation as a character actor. He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

His experimented with a variety of roles in some of his next films, notably as Jesus Christ in ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ (1988), a Jewish boxer in ‘Triumph of the Spirit’ (1989), and a Lieutenant Commander in ‘Flight of the Intruder’ (1991).

Dafoe’s role as the compassionate sergeant Elias in the 1986 war film ‘Platoon’ is considered one of his best character portrayals. He earned a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this film and was also nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

David Lynch’s crime thriller ‘Wild at Heart’ (1990) had Dafoe playing the role of the criminal Bobby Peru, who is hired to kill the lead character. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Male at the Independent Spirit Awards.

He was nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for his role of David Caravaggio, a former thief in the romantic drama ‘The English Patient’ (1996).

‘Shadow of the Vampire’ (2000), is perhaps Dafoe’s most appreciated film. His portrayal of Max Schreck, a vampire in the guise of a theatre performer, won him several awards, notably, Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, The Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, and The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He played the role of ‘He’ in the dark art film ‘Antichrist’ (2009), a role for which he won the Bodil Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film reaffirmed Dafoe’s reputation as an unconventional actor who prefers to play dark and unstable characters.