WILLEM DAFOE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Willem Dafoe was born on July 22nd, 1955 in Appleton, Wisconsin, born to Muriel Isabel and Dr. William Alfred Dafoe.  He was one of seven children and after receiving his early years education at  Einstein Junior High School in Appleton, Wisconsin he went on to study at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but prior to earning a college degree he dropped out in order to join an experimental theater company called Theatre X.
 
In 1976, Dafoe relocated to New York City and worked at the avant-garde theatre troupe, The Performance Group where he gained quite a bit of experience as a stage actor.
 
Dafoe then decided to break into the film industry adding such film roles to his resume as, "Heaven's Gate" (1981), "The Loveless" (1982), "Streets of Fire" (1984) and "To Live and Die in L.A" (1985).
 
Soon he began to make a name for himself in Hollywood and was appearing in more prominent films such as, "The Clearing" (1988), "White Sands" (1992), "Faraway, So Close" (1993), "Clear and Present Danger" (1994) starring Harrison Ford and James Earl Jones, "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988), "Mississippi Burning" (1988), "eXistenZ" (1999), "Animal Factory" (2000), "Edges Of the Lord" (2001), "Spiderman" (2002), "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" (2003) and "American Dreamz" (2006).
 
Dafoe was honored with two Academy Award nominations for his role in the films, "Platoon" (1986) starring Charlie Sheen and "Shadow Of the Vampire" (2000). 
 
In addition to his career in films, Dafoe is also one of the founding members of, The Wooster Group, which is a New York based experimental group.  He has worked with them from 1977 through 2005.  He also worked briefly as a model during the 90's on a Prada campaign and has done some voice over work for such projects as the James Bond video game, Everything or Nothing.  His voice was also used in a number of commercials for the Greek Yogurt company called Fage.    
 
Willem Dafoe has married only once to Giada Colagrande in 2005 and they remain together today and reside on both Los Angeles, California as well as owning a residence in New York.  He has one son, Jack from a relationship with Elizabeth LeCompte.  Most recently, he has appeared on, "The Hunter" (2011), "4:44, The Last Day on Earth" (2011), "John Carter" (2012), "Odd Thomas" (2012), "Tomorrow You're Gone" (2012) and soon to release, "Out of the Furnace" (2013) and "The Nymphomaniac" (2013). 

 
Filmography

2013   The Nymphomaniac

2013   Out of the Furnace

2012   Tomorrow You're Gone 

2012   Odd Thomas 

2012   John Carter 

2011   The Hunter

2011   4:44 Last Day on Earth

2010   A Woman 

2010   Miral

2009   Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant 

2009   The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day 

2009   Fantastic Mr. Fox 

2009   Daybreakers 

2009   My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done 

2009   Farewell 

2009   Antichrist 

2008   The Dust of Time 

2008   Adam Resurrected

2008   Fireflies in the Garden

2007   Anamorph 

2007   Go Go Tales

2007   Spider-Man 3

2007   Mr. Bean's Holiday 

2007   The Walker

2007   The Procedure

2006   Tales from Earthsea

2006   Paris, je t'aime 

2006   Inside Man 

2006   American Dreamz

2005   Ripley Under Ground 

2005   Before It Had a Name 

2005   Manderlay

2005   xXx: State of the Union

2004   The Aviator

2004   Control

2004   The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

2004   Spider-Man 2

2004   The Clearing 

2003   Camel Cricket City 

2003   James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing 

2003   Once Upon a Time in Mexico

2003   Finding Nemo 

2003   The Reckoning

2002   Auto Focus

2002   Spider-Man 
 
2001   Edges of the Lord 

2001   Pavilion of Women 

2000   Bullfighter 

2000   Shadow of the Vampire 

2000   Animal Factory

2000   American Psycho

2000   Globehunters

1999   The Boondock Saints

1999   eXistenZ 

1998   New Rose Hotel 

1998   Lulu on the Bridge

1997   Affliction

1997   Speed 2: Cruise Control 

1997   The Simpsons 

1996   Victory 

1996   The English Patient 

1996   Basquiat 

1995   The Night and the Moment 

1994   Clear and Present Danger 

1994   Tom & Viv 

1993   Faraway, So Close!

1993   Body of Evidence 

1992   White Sands 

1992   Light Sleeper 

1991   Flight of the Intruder 

1990   Wild at Heart 

1990   Cry-Baby

1989   Born on the Fourth of July 

1989   Triumph of the Spirit 

1988   Mississippi Burning 

1988   The Last Temptation of Christ

1988   Off Limits 

1986   Platoon 

1986   The Hitchhiker 

1985   To Live and Die in L.A. 

1985   Roadhouse 66 

1984   Streets of Fire 

1984   New York Nights
 
1983   The Hunger 

1982   The Loveless 

1980   Heaven's Gate