It's really a life's work, maybe I'll never get there, but I'll try. In embodying them, he's also known to push his limits: "As an actor you always try to get to the point where you merge with the material, with the role, and that's exactly what I want to work towards," Dafoe said. His role as the manager of a motel in 'The Florida Project' (2018) earned him an Oscar nomination The actor has portrayed all kinds of characters, from brutal murderers and treacherous villains to respectable family men and courageous anti-heroes. Among his collaborations with the Danish director was the controversial Antichrist from 2009, where he starred alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg. The actor with German, English, Irish, Scottish and French roots has worked with renowned directors from the US and Europe, such as Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson and Lars von Trier. You never know exactly what a role is until you play it." Pushing his limits "Of course I take a close look at the script and the role, but the environment and director of the film is also important. To Dafoe, difficult characters are a challenge, like climbing mountains. "I do it purely intuitively," he told DW during the Berlinale in 2018. Beyond these, Dafoe is a stage actor and co-founder of the successful experimental theater company The Wooster.ĭafoe in 'Mississippi Burning,' a 1988 biographical crime thriller involving the Ku Klux KlanĬonsidered one of the most versatile actors of his generation, he's often embodied difficult, introverted and headstrong characters such as the taciturn lighthouse keeper in The Lighthouse (2019). He even felt that winning the Golden Raspberry, the infamous "award for the worst actor," in 1993 was an incentive to keep going.īuilding an impressive and unique acting career over the years, he's appeared in over 100 films. Acting as an intuitive challengeĭafoe, born William James in Appleton, Wisconsin on July 22, 1955, never let setbacks stand in his way. He didn't get a credit for his brief appearance in the final cut.ĭafoe then gained renown with the action film Streets of Fire (1984), in which he portrayed the cool leader of a motorcycle gang. Two years later, his part in the Vietnam drama Platoon earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
But Dafoe was fired from the production, and his supporting role was removed from the movie during editing.
US director Michael Chimino offered him a first film role in the Western Heaven's Gate (1980). The varied work - not only on stage, but also behind the scenes - enabled him to develop concentration and precision in his acting. He decided to join an experimental theater group instead that toured the US and Europe. At age 17, he started studying theater but found the program too theoretical. Willem Dafoe was still a teenager when he decided to become an actor.