Willem Dafoe
Biography
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). He is known for collaborating with both mainstream and auteur filmmakers, including Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Sam Raimi, Yorgos Lanthimos, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Andrew Stanton, 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), Animal Factory (2000), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Antichrist (2009), The Hunter (2011), John Carter (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), John Wick (2014), The Lighthouse (2019), Togo (2019), Poor Things (2023), and Nosferatu (2024). Dafoe was a founding member of experimental theatre company The Wooster Group. He portrayed Norman Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy (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). Description above from the Wikipedia article Willem Dafoe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
The Simpsons
1989
The Simpsons
1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Daily Show
1996
Conan
2010
Saturday Night Live
1975
Saturday Night Live
1975
The Graham Norton Show
2007
Filmography
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self · 2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Zylander Quark · 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self - Guest · 2015
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self · 1962
The Simpsons
as The Commandant / Jack Lassen (voice) · 1989
The Simpsons
as Commandant (voice) · 1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest · 2014
The Daily Show
as Self - Guest · 1996
Conan
as Self - Guest · 2010
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host · 1975
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Cameo (uncredited) · 1975
The Graham Norton Show
as Self · 2007
The Colbert Report
· 2005
Hot Ones
as Self · 2015
Spider-Man: No Way Home
as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin · 2021
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as Self · 2014
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
as Self · 2015
Spider-Man
as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn · 2002
Finding Nemo
as Gill (voice) · 2003
Off Camera with Sam Jones
as Self · 2014
The Hitchhiker
as Jeffrey Hunt · 1983
Spider-Man 3
as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn · 2007
The Oscars
as Self · 1953
The Oscars
as Self - Presenter · 1953
Poor Things
as Godwin Baxter · 2023
Kulturplatz
as Self · 2004
The Wonderful World of Disney
· 1997
Nosferatu
as Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz · 2024
The Grand Budapest Hotel
as Jopling · 2014
American Psycho
as Donald Kimball · 2000
John Wick
as Marcus · 2014
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
as Jackson · 2024
Zack Snyder's Justice League
as Vulko · 2021
The Legend of Ochi
as Maxim · 2025
The Northman
as Heimir the Fool · 2022
Fantastic Mr. Fox
as Rat (voice) · 2009
Finding Dory
as Gill (voice) · 2016
The Kingdom
as Grand Duc · 1994
Aquaman
as Nuidis Vulko · 2018
Kinds of Kindness
as Raymond / George / Omi · 2024
The Great Wall
as Ballard · 2016
John Carter
as Tars Tarkas · 2012
Inside Man
as John Darius · 2006
The Lighthouse
as Thomas Wake · 2019
Spider-Man 2
as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn · 2004
Nymphomaniac: Vol. II
as L · 2013
The Florida Project
as Bobby · 2017
Murder on the Orient Express
as Gerhard Hardman · 2017
The Fault in Our Stars
as Peter van Houten · 2014
Platoon
as Sergeant Elias Grodin · 1986
The Aviator
as Roland Sweet · 2004
Nightmare Alley
as Clem Hoatley · 2021
Stasera c’è Cattelan su Raidue
as Self · 2022
Asteroid City
as Saltzburg Keitel · 2023
Mr. Bean's Holiday
as Carson Clay · 2007
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
as Albert 'the Abacus' · 2021
The Phoenician Scheme
as Knave · 2025
The English Patient
as David Caravaggio · 1996
xXx: State of the Union
as Gen. George Octavius Deckert · 2005
The Directors
as Self · 1999
What Happened to Monday
as Terrence Settman · 2017
Born on the Fourth of July
as Charlie · 1989
The Boondock Saints
as Paul Smecker · 1999
Werwulf
· 2026
Wild at Heart
as Bobby Peru · 1990
Clear and Present Danger
as John Clark · 1994
Speed 2: Cruise Control
as Geiger · 1997
Death Note
as Ryuk (voice) · 2017
At Eternity's Gate
as Vincent van Gogh · 2018
Saturday Night
as David Tebet · 2024
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
as Armando Barillo · 2003
Mississippi Burning
as Agent Alan Ward · 1988
A Most Wanted Man
as Tommy Brue · 2014
Heaven's Gate
as Willy (uncredited) · 1980
The Card Counter
as Gordo · 2021
Antichrist
as He · 2009
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
as Klaus Daimler · 2004
eXistenZ
as Gas · 1999
Daybreakers
as Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac · 2010
NHK WORLD PRIME
as Self - Narrator (voice) · 2017
The Hunger
as 2nd Phone Booth Youth · 1983
Odd Thomas
as Wyatt Porter · 2013
Motherless Brooklyn
as Paul Randolph · 2019
Out of the Furnace
as John Petty · 2013
A Family Man
as Ed Blackridge · 2016
Shadow of the Vampire
as Max Schreck · 2000
Tenzing
as Colonel John Hunt · 2026
Body of Evidence
as Frank Dulaney · 1993
Streets of Fire
as Raven Shaddock · 1984
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
as Paul Smecker (uncredited) · 2009
Togo
as Leonhard Seppala · 2019
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
as Gavner Purl · 2009
Paris Je T'aime
as Le cow-boy (Place des Victoires) · 2006
Dead for a Dollar
as Joe Cribbens · 2022
The Last Temptation of Christ
as Jesus · 1988
To Live and Die in L.A.
as Rick Masters · 1985
Mostra, Venise
as Self · 2022
The Clearing
as Arnold Mack · 2004
Cry-Baby
as Hateful Guard · 1990
Dog Eat Dog
as Mad Dog · 2016
Inside
as Nemo · 2023
Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home
as Self · 2022
Manou the Swift
as Manou's Father (voice) · 2019
The Last Thing He Wanted
as Richard McMahon · 2020
Wim Wenders - Von Filmen und Träumen
as Self · 2020
Bad Country
as Bud Carter · 2014
Manderlay
as Grace's Father · 2005
Fireflies in the Garden
as Charles Waechter · 2008
Fishing with John
as Self · 1991
Off Limits
as Buck McGriff · 1988
To Each His Own Cinema
as (segment "Occupations") (archive footage) · 2007
Flight of the Intruder
as Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole · 1991
White Sands
as Deputy Sheriff Ray Dolezal · 1992
The Hunter
as Martin David · 2011
The Souffleur
as Lucius · 2026
Animal Factory
as Earl Copen · 2000
Late Fame
as Ed Saxberger · 2026
Vox Lux
as Narrator (voice) · 2018
Adam Resurrected
as Commandat Klein · 2008
The Man in My Basement
as Anniston Bennett · 2025
The Birthday Party
as Marcos Timoleon · 2026
Faraway, So Close!
as Emit Flesti · 1993
Can Creativity Save the World?
as Self · 2024
4:44 Last Day on Earth
as Cisco · 2012
Light Sleeper
as John LeTour · 1992
Affliction
as Rolfe Whitehouse · 1998
Auto Focus
as John Carpenter · 2002
American Dreamz
as Chief of Staff · 2006
Zero
as (voice) · 2025
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
as Detective Hank Havenhurst · 2010
Love, Antosha
as Self · 2019
Cannes: All Access
as Self · 2007
Lulu on the Bridge
as Dr. Van Horn · 1998
Triumph of the Spirit
as Salamo Arouch · 1989
Edges of the Lord
as Priest · 2001
Control
as Dr. Michael Copeland · 2004
Ripley Under Ground
as Neil Murchison · 2007
Finally Dawn
as Rufo Priori · 2024
Creation of the Kingdom of Exodus
as Self / Grand Duc · 2022
Basquiat
as The Electrician · 1996
Inside the Actors Studio
as Self · 1994
The Walker
as Larry Lockner · 2007
Pet Shop Days
as Francis · 2025
Ballad of a Righteous Merchant
as Self · 2017
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
as Willem Dafoe (uncredited) · 2005
Wintergasten
· 2007
New Rose Hotel
as X · 1999
Siberia
as Clint · 2020
Anamorph
as Stan Aubray · 2007
Tomorrow You're Gone
as The Buddha · 2012
Go Go Tales
as Ray Ruby · 2008
Gonzo Girl
as Walker Reade · 2023
Farewell
as Feeney · 2009
On the Set: Spider-Man 3
as Self · 2007
The Reckoning
as Martin · 2004
Overnight
as Self · 2003
Before It Had a Name
as Leslie · 2005
The Resurrection of Christ
· 2026
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
as Elephant Grass (voice) · 1987
Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait
as Self · 2017
Lincoln in the Bardo
Nosferatu: An Inside Look
as Self · 2024
White Lies
Roadhouse 66
as Johnny Harte · 1984
Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious
as Self · 2022
Finding Satoshi
as Narrator · 2022
Babenco: Tell Me When I Die
as Self · 2020
Time Out
Tropico
as Raymond
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
as Self · 2001
Friedkin Uncut
as Self · 2018
The Night and the Moment
as The Writer · 1995
Wim Wenders, Desperado
as Self · 2020
Why Are We (Not) Creative?
as Self · 2021
This Is an Adventure
as Self · 2005
Brothers in Arms
as Self · 2018
The Loveless
as Vance · 1984
The Lighthouse: A Dark & Stormy Tale
as Self · 2020
Don't F*#% With John Wick
as Self · 2015
Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart
· 2004
Pasolini
as Pier Paolo Pasolini · 2014
Tom & Viv
as Tom Eliot · 1994
Atalanta Strategy
as Immigration Staff · 1984
John Wick: Calling in the Cavalry
as Self · 2015
Jesus Goes to Hollywood
as Self (archive footage) · 2024
The Spider-Man Story
as Self · 2002
Mountain
as Narrator (voice) · 2017
Bullfighter
as Father Ramirez · 2000
Sculpt
· 2016
Voom Portraits
as Self · 2007
Abel Ferrara: Not Guilty
· 2003
Behind the Ultimate Spin: The Making of 'Spider-Man'
as Self · 2002
Location Production Footage: The Last Temptation of Christ
as Self · 1988
Spider-Mania
as Self · 2002
Pavilion of Women
as Father Andre · 2001
Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate
as Narrator (voice) · 2004
Miral
as Eddie · 2010
Globehunters: An Around the World in 80 Days Adventure
as Hunter (voice) · 2002
Behind the Scenes of 'Spider-Man'
as Self · 2004
The Dust of Time
as A · 2008
Victory
as Axel Heyst · 1996
Blast 'Em
as Self (uncredited) · 1992
Cuddle
as Dante
American Nails
Tommaso
as Tommaso · 2020
The Smile Man
as Willem · 2013
Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World
as Narrator · 2010
Under the Rainbow: Making The Florida Project
as Self · 2018
River
as Narrator · 2021
Roy's World: Barry Gifford's Chicago
· 2020
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
as Self · 2003
Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal
as Self · 2005
Willem Dafoe
· 2023
Vincent van Gogh Superstar
as Vincent van Gogh (archive footage) · 2019
On the Set: 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'
as Self / Klaus D. · 2005
The Making of Daybreakers
as Self · 2010
run 002
· 2024
Franco Battiato - La voce del padrone
as Self · 2022
Sanctuary
as Narrator · 2017
Bob Wilson's Life & Death of Marina Abramovic
as Self · 2012
Maresco / Pasolini
as Self · 2021
7 Deaths of Maria Callas
as Film Actor · 2022
Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle
as Narrator · 1999
Love's Routine
as Barry · 2013
A Woman
as Max Oliver · 2010
My Hindu Friend
as Diego Fairman · 2016
The Making of A Most Wanted Man
as Self · 2015
New York Nights
as Boyfriend · 1984
Grande Envie
as Count · 2025
North on Evers
· 1992
Nelson Algren Live
as Role1 / Frankie Machine / Role2 / Blackie Cavanaugh · 2016
Rhyme 'Em to Death
· 1993
Il coraggio di essere Franco
as Sé stesso · 2022
Opus Zero
as Paul · 2018
Theatron. Romeo Castellucci
· 2018
Rockets Redglare!
as Self · 2003
The Procedure
as Christopher · 2007
The Wild One
as Narrator (voice) · 2023
Piazza Vittorio
as Himself · 2017
SPYMASTER: John le Carré in Hamburg
as (archive footage) · 2014
The Sleeping Shepherd
Sportin' Life
as Self · 2020
The Misbehavers
as Self · 2004
Avrio Vrady
as Dancing man · 2025
A Christmas Carol
as Ebenezer Scrooge
Father
as James Verdun · 2016
Brace Up!
as Colonel Alexander Ignatyevich Vershinin · 1993
Wrong Guys
as Jack Straw · 1997
Mind the Gap
as Self · 2016
Saving Norman
as Lionel Pembrooke · 2013
Fukushima: A Nuclear Story
as Narrator · 2015
White Homeland Commando
as Karl · 1993
Interior (The Spectator)
as Narrator · 2023
O Panama
· 1985