Logo

CritifyHub

Home Reviews Blogs Community Movie Suggestions Movie Room Sign in

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe

Biography

William James "Willem" Dafoe (/dəˈfoʊ/də-FOH or /ˈdeɪfoʊ/ DAY-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 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).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Willem Dafoe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

CritifyHub Reviews Featuring Willem Dafoe

A Bullet Ballet of Grief and Grit

on John Wick | Aug 27, 2025

Why does John Wick (2014) still hit like a perfectly aimed headshot? It’s not just Keanu Reeves’ stoic scowl or the neon-drenched chaos it’s the primal pulse of a man turning loss into legend. Directe... Read more

Snyder’s Epic Unleashed: A Cosmic Rebirth for Justice League

on Zack Snyder's Justice League | Aug 26, 2025

Why does Zack Snyder’s Justice League feel like a mythic scroll unrolled in a world craving heroes? This 2021 reimagining isn’t just a director’s cut it’s a four-hour odyssey that demands your attenti... Read more

Stargazing Through Tears: The Delicate Balance of "The Fault in Our Stars"

on The Fault in Our Stars | Jul 16, 2025

In The Fault in Our Stars (2014), director Josh Boone crafts a tender yet unflinching exploration of love shadowed by mortality, adapting John Green’s novel with a delicate hand. The film’s strength l... Read more

A Noir Carnival of Broken Souls and Poisonous Illusions

on Nightmare Alley | Jun 15, 2025

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley is a film that slithers a gorgeously grotesque descent into the abyss of human deception, where every character is both predator and prey. This isn’t the 1947 orig... Read more

The Northman: A Blood-Soaked Ode to Fate and Fury

on The Northman | Jun 09, 2025

Robert Eggers’ The Northman is not a film it’s a primal scream carved into celluloid, a berserker rage of mythic proportions that drags you by the hair into its world and leaves you breathless. This i... Read more

Acted Movies