Profile photo of Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe

William James "Willem" Dafoe (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 the Volpi Cup for Best Actor as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, four Golden Globe Awards, four Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has frequently collaborated with filmmakers Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, and Robert Eggers. Dafoe was a founding member of experimental theatre company The Wooster Group. He made his film debut with an uncredited role in Heaven's Gate (1980). Dafoe's early career includes credits for The Loveless (1982), Streets of Fire (1984), and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He earned his first Academy Award nomination for the war drama Platoon (1986), followed by nominations for his roles in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), The Florida Project (2017), and the Vincent van Gogh biopic At Eternity's Gate (2018). He also gained acclaim and wide recognition for his roles as Jesus Christ in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and as the supervillain Norman Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), a role he reprised in its sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). His other film appearance include roles in Mississippi Burning (1988), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Wild at Heart (1990), Light Sleeper (1992), Body of Evidence (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The English Patient (1996), Affliction (1997), New Rose Hotel(1998), Existenz (1999), The Boondock Saints (1999), American Psycho (2000), Auto Focus (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Inside Man (2006), Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), Antichrist (2009), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Nymphomaniac (2013), The Fault in Our Stars (2014), John Wick (2014), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Aquaman (2018), The Lighthouse (2019), Nightmare Alley (2021), Poor Things (2023), and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

Filmography

2025
The Phoenician Scheme

as Knave

Movie
2014
John Wick

as Marcus

Movie
2024
Nosferatu

as Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz

Movie
2007
Spider-Man 3

as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn

Movie
2021
Spider-Man: No Way Home

as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin

Movie
2003
Finding Nemo

as Gill (voice)

Movie
2018
Aquaman

as Nuidis Vulko

Movie
2021
Zack Snyder's Justice League

as Vulko

Movie
2023
Poor Things

as Godwin Baxter

Movie
2009
Fantastic Mr. Fox

as Rat (voice)

Movie
2004
The Aviator

as Roland Sweet

Movie
2016
Finding Dory

as Gill (voice)

Movie
2025
The Legend of Ochi

as Maxim

Movie
2006
Inside Man

as John Darius

Movie
1999
The Boondock Saints

as Paul Smecker

Movie
2022
The Northman

as Heimir the Fool

Movie
2026
Werwulf
Movie
2009
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

as Gavner Purl

Movie
2000
American Psycho

as Donald Kimball

Movie
2002
Spider-Man

as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn

Movie
2017
What Happened to Monday

as Terrence Settman

Movie
2019
Togo

as Leonhard Seppala

Movie