William James Dafoe[2] was born on July 22, 1955, inAppleton, Wisconsin,[3][4][5] to Muriel Isabel (née Sprissler; 1922–2012) and Dr. William Alfred Dafoe (1917–2014).[6][7] He recalled in 2009, "My five sisters raised me because my father was a surgeon, my mother was a nurse and they worked together, so I didn't see either of them much."[8] His brother,Donald, is a surgeon and research scientist.[9] His surname,Dafoe, is the English version of theSwiss-French surname Thévou. Half of his family pronouncedDafoe as/ˈdeɪfoʊ/DAY-foh, while half pronounced it/dəˈfoʊ/də-FOH; he did go with the former as a young actor, but ultimately settled with the latter.[10] In high school, he acquired the nickname Willem,[11] the Dutch version of the name William.[12] He later grew more accustomed to it than his birth name.[10]
After attendingAppleton East High School, Dafoe studied drama at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,[13] and left after 18 months to join the experimental theater companyTheatre X inMilwaukee, before moving to New York City in 1976.[12] He apprenticed underRichard Schechner, the director of the avant-garde theater troupeThe Performance Group, where he met and became romantically involved with directorElizabeth LeCompte. Following tensions between Schechner and other members after they started staging their own productions outside of the group, Schechner left and the remaining members (including LeCompte and her ex-boyfriendSpalding Gray) renamed themselvesThe Wooster Group.[12] Dafoe joined the new company and is credited as one of its co-founders.[14] He continued his work with the group into the 2000s, well after establishing himself as a mainstream film star.[15]
Dafoe made his film debut in a supporting role inMichael Cimino's 1980 epic Western filmHeaven's Gate.[16] Dafoe was present for the first three months of an eight-month shoot.[17] His role, that of acockfighter who works forJeff Bridges' character, was removed from a majority of the film during editing but was visible during a cockfight scene.[18] Dafoe did not receive a credit for his work on the film.[18] In 1982, Dafoe starred as the leader of anoutlaw motorcycle club in the dramaThe Loveless, his first role as a leading man. The film was co-directed byKathryn Bigelow andMonty Montgomery and paid homage to 1953 filmThe Wild One, starringMarlon Brando in a similar role.[19]
Dafoe's sole film release of 1986 wasOliver Stone'sVietnam War filmPlatoon, gaining him his widest exposure up to that point for playing the compassionate Sergeant Elias Grodin.[23] He enjoyed the opportunity to play a heroic role and said the film gave him a chance to display his versatility, saying "I think all characters live in you. You just frame them, give them circumstances, and that character will happen."[24] Principal photography for the film took place in thePhilippines and required Dafoe to undergoboot camp training.[25]Los Angeles Times writerSheila Benson praised his performance and found it to be "particularly fine" to see Dafoe play "something other than a psychopath".[26] At the59th Academy Awards, Dafoe was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[27] Dafoe provided his voice to the documentaryDear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1987) and, in 1988, Dafoe starred in another film set during the Vietnam War, this time as Buck McGriff in the action thrillerOff Limits.[28][29] His second release of 1988 wasMartin Scorsese's epic dramaThe Last Temptation of Christ, in which Dafoe portrayed Jesus. The film was adapted from thenovel of the same name and depicts his struggle with various forms oftemptation throughout his life. Like the novel, the film sparked controversy for departing from the biblical portrayal of Jesus and was branded as being blasphemous.[30] Dafoe's performance in the film was widely praised, however, with Janet Maslin opining that Dafoe brought a "gleaming intensity" to the role.[31]
In his final release of 1988, Dafoe starred oppositeGene Hackman in the crime thrillerMississippi Burning as a pair of FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers in fictional Jessup County, Mississippi during thecivil rights movement.Variety praised Dafoe's performance, writing, "Dafoe gives a disciplined and noteworthy portrayal of Ward", although they felt it was Hackman "who steals the picture".[32] As withThe Last Temptation of Christ, the film was the subject of controversy, this time among African-American activists who criticized its fictionalization of events.[33] Dafoe was briefly considered for the role of the super-villain theJoker in theTim Burton-directed superhero filmBatman (1989), as screenwriterSam Hamm noticed physical similarities, but was never offered the part that eventually went toJack Nicholson.[34] Dafoe starred in the dramaTriumph of the Spirit in 1989 as Jewish Greek boxerSalamo Arouch, anAuschwitz concentration camp inmate who was forced to fight other internees to death for theNazi officers' entertainment.[35] It was filmed on location at Auschwitz, the first major film to do so.[35] While the film was negatively received, Dafoe's performance was lauded by some critics;Peter Travers ofRolling Stone felt he gave a "disciplined performance" and Janet Maslin thought he was "harrowingly good".[35][36] Dafoe reunited withPlatoon director Oliver Stone for a small appearance in the biographical war dramaBorn on the Fourth of July (1989). Dafoe played a paraplegic, wheelchair-using Vietnam veteran who befriends the film's subjectRon Kovic (played byTom Cruise), another paraplegic veteran.[37]
Dafoe made acameo appearance inJohn Waters' musical comedyCry-Baby (1990) as a prison guard who gives a brief lecture on values to the title character, who is played byJohnny Depp. Rita Kempley ofThe Washington Post found the scene to be one of the film's highlights.[38] In the same year, Dafoe co-starred inDavid Lynch's crime filmWild at Heart withNicolas Cage andLaura Dern. Dafoe played a criminal who engages in a robbery with Cage's character before demonstrating his dark side.[39] He wore fake, corroded teeth and grew apencil moustache that bore resemblance to his previous collaborator, John Waters.[39]Entertainment Weekly criticOwen Gleiberman felt the role proved Dafoe as a "master of leering, fish-faced villainy".[39] In 1991, Dafoe starred withDanny Glover andBrad Johnson in the action filmFlight of the Intruder. The film follows a pair of pilots, played by Dafoe and Johnson, who scheme and participate in an unauthorized air strike onHanoi. Directed byJohn Millius, the film received negative reviews.[40] He was due to star oppositeJoan Cusack in the comedyArrive Alive in 1991, but the film was canceled during production.[41] Dafoe had two lead roles in 1992. The first to be released,White Sands, saw Dafoe a play small-town sheriff who impersonates a dead man after finding his dead body and a suitcase containing $500,000 to solve the case, resulting in an investigation.[42] In his next starring role,Paul Schrader's dramaLight Sleeper, Dafoe played John LeTour, a lonely, insomniac, New Yorker working as a delivery man for a drug supplier, who is played bySusan Sarandon. Roger Ebert praised Dafoe's "gifted" portrayal of LeTour and Owen Gleiberman opined that "even when the film doesn't gel, one is held by Willem Dafoe's grimly compelling performance."[43][44]
Dafoe next starred in the erotic thrillerBody of Evidence (1993) withMadonna. The story concerns a lawyer, played by Dafoe, who engages in a sexual relationship with the woman he is representing in a murder case. The film was panned by critics and performed poorly at the box office, with some audience members laughing during the sex scenes.[45] In his review of the film,Vincent Canby felt that Dafoe lacked sensuality in the role.[46] Later in 1993, Dafoe appeared in a supporting role as Emit Flesti in the German fantasy filmFaraway, So Close!, directed byWim Wenders.[47] Dafoe co-starred in the spy thrillerClear and Present Danger (1994), an adaptation of theTom Clancynovel of the name starringHarrison Ford as operativeJack Ryan. Dafoe playedJohn Clark, a CIA agent conducting acovert operation against a drug cartel in Colombia with Jack Ryan.[48] Dafoe portrayed the poetT. S. Eliot in the dramaTom & Viv (also in 1994), which tells the story of Eliot and his first wife,Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, who was played byMiranda Richardson. The film was met with a mixed reception from critics, althoughCaryn James ofThe New York Times felt that Dafoe's "stunningly sharp, sympathetic portrait raises the film above a script that is full of serious holes and stilted dialogue".[49] In 1995, he played an 18th-century writer in the period dramaThe Night and the Moment.[50]
In his first of three film appearances in 1996, Dafoe made a cameo appearance as an electrician in the biographical dramaBasquiat.[51] Next, he played an operative in the romantic war dramaThe English Patient.The English Patient was filmed inTuscany, where Dafoe said he particularly enjoyed the "quiet moments in the monastery between shoots".[52] In the period dramaVictory—which was filmed in 1994 and premiered in Europe in 1996, but was not released until 1998—Dafoe played a European living on an island in the Southeast Asia who becomes the target of redemption after preventing a woman, played byIrène Jacob, from being raped.[53]
"I really made a conscious effort to mix it up, not because in itself it's not the job of an actor to do all different things, but for me that's what I'm interested in. You've got to be careful because you've got to work with what you have, not just for vanity's sake, but I think the best part of being an actor sometimes is the opportunity to transform yourself superficially, and deeply."
— Dafoe on his avoidance of beingtypecast as a villain, 1998[54]
In 1997, Dafoe returned to playing a villainous role in the action thrillerSpeed 2: Cruise Control, expressing the necessity of appearing in both independent andblockbuster films.[55] The film starredSandra Bullock andJason Patric as a couple vacationing on a luxury cruise that has been hijacked by Dafoe's character, Geiger, a hacker that has programmed the ship to crash into an oil tanker.Speed 2 was met with negative reviews from critics,[56] with Dafoe himself receiving aRazzie Award nomination forWorst Supporting Actor.[57] For his next film,Affliction (1997), Dafoe worked with Paul Schrader for a second time, playing the brother ofNick Nolte's character and served as the film's narrator.[58] Also in 1997, Dafoe took on a voice acting role in an episode of the animated sitcomThe Simpsons titled "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson", voicing the commandant of a military academy thatBart andLisa Simpson are attending.[59] Following a villainous supporting role in the romantic mystery dramaLulu on the Bridge,[60] Dafoe starred alongsideChristopher Walken andAsia Argento inAbel Ferrara'scyberpunk dramaNew Rose Hotel in 1998. It follows X (Dafoe) and Fox (Walken), a pair of corporate raiders attempting to lure a Japanese scientist from one megacorporation to another. Although the film was largely dismissed by critics,[61] criticDavid Stratton found there to be "compensation" in the performances.[62]
In 1999, Dafoe gave a supporting performance inDavid Cronenberg'sExistenz, a science fiction thriller in which he played a gas station owner named Gas.[63] Later in the year, Dafoe starred in the action filmThe Boondock Saints. He played an eccentric, gay FBI agent assigned with investigating a series of murders committed by the MacManus twins (played bySean Patrick Flanery andNorman Reedus) who are acting as vigilantes after an act of self-defense.The Boondock Saints was negatively received by film critics, largely for its extreme violence and lack of emotional depth, though some critics praised Dafoe's role in the film.[64][65] The film performed poorly at the box office, but has since been branded as being acult film.[66]
In his first film of the 2000s, Dafoe was featured in a supporting role inAmerican Psycho (2000) as a private investigator investigating the disappearance of a co-worker ofPatrick Bateman (played byChristian Bale), an investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer.[67] He then acted inSteve Buscemi's crime dramaAnimal Factory, starring as an incarcerated veteran con-man who takes a young inmate (played byEdward Furlong) under his wing and introduces to him to his gang. The film was positively received by critics andElvis Mitchell ofThe New York Times wrote that "Dafoe steals the picture with his comic timing".[68]
That same year he starred inShadow of the Vampire, his final film of the year. He portrayed a fictionalized version of the German actorMax Schreck during the production of the 1922 horror filmNosferatu, in which Schreck starred as the vampireCount Orlok. Dafoe's co-starJohn Malkovich portrayed the film's director,F. W. Murnau. The film delves into fiction when, over the course ofNosferatu's production, the cast and crew come to discover that Schreck is actually a vampire himself. Much of the film's critical praise went to Dafoe; Roger Ebert wrote that Dafoe "embodies the Schreck ofNosferatu so uncannily that when real scenes from the silent classic are slipped into the frame, we don't notice a difference".[69] TheChicago Reader criticJonathan Rosenbaum felt the film's "only redeeming quality" was Dafoe's "enjoyably over-the-top, eye-rolling performance".[70] Dafoe received numerous awards and nominations for his performance, including his secondAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.[71] Dafoe took on two leading roles in 2001, both of which were as priests. In the dramaPavilion of Women, he played an American priest living in China who falls in love with a local married woman (played by the film's screenwriterLuo Yan) while giving her son a Western education.[72] He starred oppositeHaley Joel Osment inEdges of the Lord, playing a compassionate priest helping a young Jewish boy pose as aCatholic to protect him during Nazi Germany's occupation of Poland.[73]
Dafoe played the supervillain theGreen Goblin inSam Raimi's 2002 superhero filmSpider-Man, starringTobey Maguire as the titularMarvel Comics superhero. Dafoe played theNorman Osborn incarnation of the Green Goblin, the billionaire founder and owner of the corporationOscorp, becoming the Green Goblin after testing an unstable strength enhancer on himself, turning him insane and making him extremely powerful. Osborn is a family friend of Spider-Man's secret identityPeter Parker as Osborn's son,Harry Osborn (played byJames Franco), is a close friend of Parker. The role required Dafoe to wear an uncomfortable costume and mask that made it impossible to emote using his face, confining Dafoe to convey emotion through his voice and head movements. Dafoe also had to wear a prosthetic teeth for his part as Norman whereas the hallucinations of the character had Dafoe in his natural teeth.[74] Dafoe's role in the film was generally well-received, including aNew York Daily News reviewer who felt he put "the scare in archvillain" andPeter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian who deemed him "strong support".[75][76] Conversely, criticA. O. Scott wrote that his performance was "uninspired and secondhand".[77]IGN's Richard George commented that Green Goblin's armor, particularly the helmet, was "almost comically bad... Not only is it not frightening, it prohibits expression".[78] Steven Scaife atVice wrote that Dafoe's Goblin "represents everything that's fun about superhero villains, as well as everything that's great about Raimi's campy films", also commending Dafoe's voice and body language, which helped overcome the bulky Green Goblin costume that he compared to that of aPower Rangers villain.[79]
Later in 2002, Dafoe starred withGreg Kinnear in Paul Schrader's biographical filmAuto Focus, Dafoe's third collaboration with Schrader. Dafoe portrayedJohn Henry Carpenter, an electronics expert who develops a strange friendship with the actorBob Crane, leading Crane into a downward spiral.[80] Dafoe provided his voice to the animatedPixar filmFinding Nemo in 2003. Dafoe voiced Gill, amoorish idol fish who helps Nemo, aclownfish, in his struggle to return home to the ocean.[81] In the same year, Dafoe appeared in a small but pivotal role as a drug lord planning a coup d'état against the President of Mexico inRobert Rodriguez's action filmOnce Upon a Time in Mexico.[82] He acted in the murder mystery filmThe Reckoning (2004), in which he starred withPaul Bettany. The film takes place during the Middle Ages and saw Dafoe play the leader of acting troupe that recreate the events surrounding a woman accused of witchcraft and murder, who they believe is innocent.[83] Dafoe lent his voice and likeness to theJames Bond video gameJames Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (2004) as the villainNikolai Diavolo.[84]
Dafoe in 2006
The following year, Dafoe took on another villainous role inThe Clearing, albeit with a more sympathetic approach. Dafoe co-starred as a man who kidnaps his former boss (played byRobert Redford) in exchange for a ransom. The film received mixed reviews, although Peter Travers felt that he added a note of "vulnerability to the menace he has made his stock in trade".[85] Dafoe reprised his role as Norman Osborn inSpider-Man 2 (2004), appearing to his son Harry in an hallucination. The cameo was suggested by Dafoe, comparing it to theghost of Hamlet's father visiting his son to ask him to avenge his death.[86] Dafoe was next seen in the comedy-dramaThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), his first of three films with directorWes Anderson. He played the "hilariously doltish" German first mate of a research vessel owned by the eponymous lead character, who is played byBill Murray.[87][88]
Dafoe had a small role as a tabloid magazine editor in Martin Scorsese'sThe Aviator (2004), a biographical film aboutHoward Hughes starringLeonardo DiCaprio.[89] Also in 2004, Dafoe narrated the documentaryFinal Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate, chronicling the production ofHeaven's Gate and co-starred in thedirect-to-video thrillerControl (2004) alongsideRay Liotta andMichelle Rodriguez.[90][91] Dafoe co-starred inXXX: State of the Union (2005), an action film sequel starringIce Cube in which Dafoe played a U.S. Secretary of Defense attempting a coup d'état against the President of the United States.[92] It was largely panned by critics, although Dafoe stated he did not regret appearing in the film.[93]
With theavant-garde dramaManderlay in 2005, Dafoe began another actor-director collaboration, this time with Danish filmmakerLars von Trier. Dafoe co-starred in the film as the father ofBryce Dallas Howard's character, a woman who discovers a plantation still thriving as if slavery had never been abolished.[94] Along with his wifeGiada Colagrande, Dafoe co-wrote and starred inBefore It Had a Name (2005), which Colagrande directed. Dafoe played the caretaker of a house that is inherited by the lover of its deceased owner, engaging in a sexual relationship with her. The film was excoriated by aVariety reviewer as a "wannabe haunted house tale laced with silly sex scenes" and an "embarrassment".[95] His fourth and final film appearance of 2005 was the crime thrillerRipley Under Ground, in which he played amuseum curator.[96] Dafoe had a supporting role inSpike Lee's 2006 crime thrillerInside Man, playing a veteran captain helping with a hostage negotiation during a bank heist on Wall Street.[97] Dafoe co-starred as the White House Chief of Staff inAmerican Dreamz, a comedy satirizing both popular entertainment and American politics. His character was described as a "diminutive version ofDick Cheney, with wire-rimmed glasses and a fringe of white hair" byThe Times writerCaryn James.[98] He starred withJuliette Binoche in a short film directed byNobuhiro Suwa as part of the 2006anthology filmParis, je t'aime.[99]
In 2007, Dafoe played a pretentious film director in the British comedy filmMr. Bean's Holiday, starringRowan Atkinson asMr. Bean.The Hollywood Reporter thought that Dafoe appeared to think he was "in apantomime",[100] while aNew York Times reviewer felt he was "amusing" in the role.[101] Dafoe starred as the owner of a strip club in Abel Ferrara'sGo Go Tales (2007);Manohla Dargis praised his "twitchy, sympathetic performance" in the film.[102] In the same year, Dafoe voiced the main villain, an evil wizard, in the Englishdub of the Japanese animated fantasy filmTales from Earthsea,[103] had a supporting role as a US Senator in the dramaThe Walker, his fourth collaboration with Paul Schrader,[104] and took on the lead role in the psychological thrillerAnamorph, in which Dafoe played a detective who notices the case he is investigating bears similarities to a previous case of his.[105] He reprised his role again as Norman Osborn inSpider-Man 3 (2007) in a brief cameo.[106] Dafoe starred withRyan Reynolds,Julia Roberts, andEmily Watson in the dramaFireflies in the Garden, which premiered atBerlinale in 2008 but was not released theatrically until 2011. Dafoe played a cold, domineering English professor who has a strained relationship with his family. The film received mostly negative reviews, although the performances were generally praised.[107] Roger Ebert thought that Dafoe was "fearsome" in the role,[108] while Manohla Dargis felt he and Roberts were "awkwardly matched" as a married couple.[109] Dafoe co-starred as a Nazi officer in Paul Schrader'sAdam Resurrected (2008), which starredJeff Goldblum as a concentration camp internee.[110] In his final release of 2008, Dafoe starred in the Greek dramaThe Dust of Time as an American film director of Greek descent making a film his mother's (played byIrène Jacob) life. The criticPeter Brunette felt the cast's performances, especially Dafoe's, were unconvincing.[111]
Dafoe appeared in seven films in 2009, the first of which was in Lars von Trier'sexperimental filmAntichrist. Dafoe andCharlotte Gainsbourg played a couple whose relationship becomes increasingly sexually violent and sadomasochistic after retreating to a cabin in the woods following the death of their child. The film received a polarized response from critics and audiences,[112] receiving both applause and boos at theCannes Film Festival and was called the "most shocking movie" to be shown at the festival because of its graphic sex scenes.[113][114] Roger Ebert commended Dafoe's and Gainsbourg's performances as being "heroic and fearless".[115] During an interview withL Magazine, it was revealed Dafoe had a stand in for scenes where his character's penis was on screen as his own was too big.[116] Dafoe next had a small role in the French thrillerFarewell as theDirector of the Central Intelligence Agency and co-starred oppositeMichael Shannon inWerner Herzog'sMy Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?, in which he played a detective attempting to figure out why a troubled man killed his own mother.[117][118] Dafoe played a former vampire who has a cure that can save the human species in the science fiction horror filmDaybreakers.Richard Corliss ofTime magazine wrote that Dafoe "triumphs over some awful dialogue by giving the role his nutsy-greatsy weirdness".[119] Dafoe had a voice role in Wes Anderson'sstop-motion animated filmFantastic Mr. Fox starringGeorge Clooney as the titularRoald Dahl character.Fresh Air criticDavid Edelstein felt Dafoe was one of the film's highlights as a "hep-cat, knife-wielding rat security guard".[120] Dafoe reprised his role fromThe Boondock Saints inThe Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, making a brief cameo appearance.[121] His final appearance of the year was inCirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, another film centring around vampires in which Dafoe played the foppish vampireGavner Purl.[122] Between October and December 2009, Dafoe appeared inRichard Foreman's surrealist playIdiot Savant atThe Public Theater.[123]
Dafoe's first of two leading roles in 2011 was in Abel Ferrara's apocalyptic drama4:44 Last Day on Earth, his third film with Ferrara. He played an actor spending his last hours on Earth before the end of the world with his much-younger lover (played by Shanyn Leigh). The film garnered a poor reaction critics, with a reviewer forPaste stating "there's only so much depth [Dafoe] can bring to such a shallow character".[129] Dafoe starred in the Australian dramaThe Hunter, playing a professional hunter who travels toTasmania to hunt down the world's only remainingthylacine. CriticStephen Holden wrote in his review of the film, "Even in the "toughest, most macho roles... [Dafoe] retains a tinge of Christ-like sweetness and vulnerability".[130] In 2011, Dafoe began narrating a series of television commercials for the companyFage and starred in aJim Beam commercial titled "Bold Choices".[131][132][133] Dafoe starred alongsideMarina Abramović andGretchen Mol in the playThe Life and Death of Marina Abramović, where he played six different roles including Abramović's father Vojin, Abramović's brother Velimir and Abramović's partnerUlay, and which premiered atThe Lowry in 2011.[134][135]
Dafoe played Martian chieftainTars Tarkas in theDisney filmJohn Carter (2012), usingmotion capture to portray the multi-limbed character.[136] The film was a box office failure and ranks among thebiggest box-office bombs of all time.[137] Later in 2012, Dafoe co-starred in the low-budget crime thrillerTomorrow You're Gone withStephen Dorff andMichelle Monaghan.[138] In 2013, Dafoe played a police officer in the supernatural thrillerOdd Thomas, starringAnton Yelchin as thetitular character that possesses supernatural powers to see the dead.[139] Usingmotion-capture acting technology, Dafoe co-starred alongsideElliot Page inDavid Cage's video gameBeyond: Two Souls (2013) as a paranormal activity researcher who acts as the surrogate-father-figure to a girl who possesses supernatural powers.[140] The game polarized reviewers, although Dafoe and Page's performance were widely praised.[141] InScott Cooper'sOut of the Furnace (2013), starringChristian Bale, Dafoe played the supporting role of a bookmaker running an illegal gambling operation.[142] Dafoe next appeared in Lars von Trier's two-part erotic art filmNymphomaniac, his third and final film release of 2013. In the film, Dafoe played a perverse businessman who hires Charlotte Gainsbourg's character to work as a debt collector using sex and sadomasochism.[143] Also in 2013, Dafoe played the devil in aMercedes-BenzSuper Bowl commercial[144] and starred in three short student films as part of a competition sponsored byJameson Irish Whiskey.[145]
In May 2014, Dafoe served as member of the main competition jury at the2014 Cannes Film Festival.[149] He was next featured in a supporting role as a mean-spirited, alcoholic author who is visited by a pair of cancer patients, who are played byShailene Woodley andAnsel Elgort, in the romantic dramaThe Fault in Our Stars.[150] Dafoe once again collaborated with Ferrara on the dramaPasolini, in which he played Italian filmmakerPier Paolo Pasolini during his last days before his murder in 1975. Film critic Peter Bradshaw noted the physical similarities between Dafoe and Pasolini, although felt Dafoe had too little screen time in the film.[151] His final film of 2014 was the action thrillerJohn Wick starringKeanu Reeves, in which Dafoe appeared as the mentor to the titular character, a former hitman who is forced out of retirement to seek vengeance for the killing of his puppy.[152] Dafoe stated he found the use ofgun fu combat created an interesting mix of action, stating "you have the grace of martial arts, but then the bang of the gun".[153] His performance in the film was generally well received by critics, including Peter Travers who felt he provided "ample compensation".[154] Dafoe made his second guest appearance onThe Simpsons in November 2014, voicing a new school teacher who bulliesBart Simpson profusely.[155] Dafoe starred in director'sHéctor Babenco's final filmMy Hindu Friend (2015) as a film director close to death who befriends aHindu 8-year-old boy while hospitalized.[156]
The black comedyDog Eat Dog (2016), Dafoe's sixth film with Paul Schrader, starred Dafoe andNicolas Cage as a pair of ex-convicts hired to kidnap a baby.[157] In the same year, Dafoe reprised his voice role as Gill, a Moorish idol fish, fromFinding Nemo in its sequelFinding Dory.[158] He next played the boss ofGerard Butler's character in the dramaA Family Man and starred inLoris Gréaud's arthouse science fiction filmSculpt, which was only screened at theLos Angeles County Museum of Art for one person at a time.[159][160] His final film of the year was the monster filmThe Great Wall, a Chinese-American co-production directed byZhang Yimou starringMatt Damon as an Irish mercenary in China defending theGreat Wall of China from a horde of monsters, in which Dafoe played a former adventurer working as a teacher in China.[161] Also in 2016, Dafoe appeared in another Super Bowl commercial, this time forSnickers, recreatingMarilyn Monroe's iconicwhite dress scene from the filmThe Seven Year Itch.[162]
In 2019, he had a supporting role inEdward Norton's period crime dramaMotherless Brooklyn where he played powerful developer Moses Randolph's "beaten and broken" brother.[171] In the same year, he played a lighthouse keeper on a storm-swept island inRobert Eggers' psychological horrorThe Lighthouse oppositeRobert Pattinson. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where the film and Dafoe's performance received high praise.[172] Owen Gleiberman ofVariety said "Both actors are sensational (and they work together like one), but in terms of sheer showboating power it's Dafoe's movie."[173] Dafoe portrayed sled dog breeder, trainer, and musherLeonhard Seppala inTogo. Dafoe acted inWes Anderson's ensemble period comedyThe French Dispatch andGuillermo del Toro's neo-noir thrillerNightmare Alley, which were both released in 2021, andRobert Eggers's historical epicThe Northman, released in 2022. All projects pushed their release dates due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[174][175] Dafoe voiced the Australian ABC-television documentaryRiver in 2021,[176] which was written to highlight the precaricity of rivers worldwide. In 2020,The New York Times ranked him No. 18 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.[177]
Dafoe reprised his role as Green Goblin from Sam Raimi'sSpider-Man trilogy in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmSpider-Man: No Way Home (2021). To avoid having his role in the film prematurely revealed, Dafoe wore a cloak on-set to conceal his appearance from being outed publicly. The star of the film,Tom Holland, said that he got scared after bumping into Dafoe by accident one day on set and only then found out about his role in the film.[178][179] Also, likeAlfred Molina (who reprised his role asOtto Octavius/Doctor Octopus in the film), Dafoe wasdigitally de-aged for the character's 2002 self.[180] Upon release ofNo Way Home, Dafoe's reprisal was met with universal acclaim.The Lantern's Brett Price wrote that Dafoe was "on another level" inNo Way Home and not having his mask made him even more intimidating than he was in the 2002 film.[181]Peter Travers ofGood Morning America and Jade King atThe Gamer praised Dafoe and Molina, with King asserting that the two "stole the show as Green Goblin and Doc Ock" and described the depictions as brilliant.[182][183] Amelia Emberwing ofIGN praised Dafoe, Molina, and Foxx inNo Way Home,[184] whileVulture's Bilge Ebiri said Dafoe "once again gets to have some modest fun with his character's divided self".[185]
In 1977, Dafoe began a relationship with directorElizabeth LeCompte. Their son, Jack, was born in 1982.[202][203][204] They separated in 2004 and were never married, with Dafoe later explaining that he and LeCompte "never married because to her marriage represented ownership, and I respected that".[205]
Dafoe met Italian actressGiada Colagrande on the set ofWes Anderson's film,The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. They were married on March 25, 2005. Dafoe recalled in 2010, "We were having lunch and I said, 'Do you want to get married tomorrow?'" They did so the following afternoon at a small ceremony with two friends as witnesses.[202] They have since worked together on her filmsBefore It Had a Name andA Woman.[202] They split their time betweenRome andNew York City.[202][206] Dafoe acquired Italian citizenship through the marriage.[206]
On May 22, 2022, Dafoe was invited back to hisalma mater theUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee by Chancellor Mark Mone to serve as the keynote speaker for the university's commencement ceremony and to receive an honoraryDoctor of Arts degree.[210]
^Finally, The Truth Behind Willem Dafoe's First NameArchived March 13, 2021, at theWayback Machine, interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (LSSC YouTube channel, published January 25, 2018) Quote: "[I'm from a] big family. [My] father's called William. Love the guy, but I don't want to be Billy. I don't want to be William Junior. You know, you want your own identity. And when I was a kid, I was always seeking the nickname. And then I finally found one, where a friend of mine just started calling me 'Willem'. Like a lazy way of saying William. I didn't even know how to spell it. And the irony was by the time I became an actor, to go back to my birth name felt like a stage name. So the truth is I just stuck with the name that I felt like."
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