Willem Dafoe Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Family, Facts, Biography

Posted by Zora Stowers on Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Willem Dafoe Quick Info
Height5 ft 9 in
Weight78 kg
Date of BirthJuly 22, 1955
Zodiac SignCancer
SpouseGiada Colagrande

Willem Dafoe is an American actor who is best known for portraying roles such as John Geiger in Speed 2: Cruise Control, Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire, Barillo in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Norman Osborn / Green Goblin in Spider-Man, General George Deckert in XXX: State of the Union, Carson Clay in Mr. Bean’s Holiday, Tars Tarkas in John Carter, Peter Van Houten in The Fault in Our Stars, and Bobby in The Florida Project. He has also appeared in a variety of other TV shows and films such as Streets of Fire, Platoon, Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam, Flight of the Intruder, The Night and the Moment, Lulu on the Bridge, Edges of the Lord, American Psycho, Before It Had a Name, The Grand Budapest Hotel, John Wick, Murder on the Orient Express, Nightmare Alley, Globehunters, The Kingdom, and many more. For his acting skills, Willem has been honored with numerous awards such as the Independent Spirit Award and Critics’ Choice Super Award.

Born Name

William J. Dafoe

Nick Name

Willem (a nickname received in high school), Billy

Sun Sign

Cancer

Born Place

Appleton, Wisconsin, United States

Nationality

American

Education

He attended the Appleton West High School in Appleton, Wisconsin. He was expelled from high school for shooting a p*rnographic film.

He studied drama at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

Occupation

Stage, film and voice actor

Family

  • Father – William Alfred Dafoe (Doctor) (Died in 2014)
  • Mother – Muriel Isabel Dafoe (née Sprissler) (Nurse) (Died in 2012)
  • Siblings – Donald Cameron Dafoe (Brother) (Surgeon and Research Scientist), Richard George Dafoe (Brother), Barbara Ellen Dafoe (Sister), Nancy Jane Dafoe (Sister), Sarah Beth Dafoe (Sister), Diane Elaine Dafoe (Sister), Jane Collins Dafoe (Sister)

Manager

Circle of Confusion, LLC manages Willem Dafoe

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 9 in or 175 cm

Weight

78 kg or 172 pounds

Girlfriend / Spouse

Willem Dafoe has dated –

  • Wendy Witt (1970-1972) – Willem dated Wendy in high school for 2 years from the ages of 15 to 17.
  • Elizabeth LeCompte (1977-2004) – The two met at the Performance Group and began dating in 1977. Elizabeth, who is a theater director of The Wooster Group, and Willem were together for 27 years. They also have a son named Jack Dafoe who was born in 1982. He is an environmental lawyer.
  • Mira Sorvino (2003) – Willem had a low-profile relationship with actress Mira Sorvino in 2003.
  • Giada Colagrande (2004–Present) – Willem met the actress, director and screenwriter Giada in Rome in 2004. They soon began dating, and a year later, Willem asked Giada to marry him casually, and she said yes. They soon made arrangements at the City Hall and got married the next day. His manager and her editor acted as the wedding witnesses. They both acted in the film Before It Had a Name in 2005. It was directed by Giada and written by both the actors. The film was retitled as The Black Widow and released on DVDs.

    • Race / Ethnicity

    White

    He has German, French, English, Scottish and Irish ancestry.

    Hair Color

    Dark Brown

    Eye Color

    Blue

    Sexual Orientation

    Straight

    Distinctive Features

    • Gravelly voice
    • Deeply lined face
    • Prominent cheekbones
    • Gapped tooth

    Brand Endorsements

    Willem has done voice-over work in TV commercials for several brands including

    • Buick Century (1998)
    • Qwest Internet Service Provider (1999)
    • Salomon Smith Barney Stock Brokers (1999)
    • Domestos Bleach in UK (2005)
    • Jaguar Cars (2006)
    • Merrill Lynch Stockbrokers
    • Birdseye (UK) (voice of a polar bear) (2010)
    • Fage Greek Yogurt (2012-2013)

    Additionally, he has appeared in TV ads like

    • Filmfour Television Channel (UK) (2006)
    • Steinlager Pure (New Zealand) (2008)
    • Jim Beam’s “Bold Decisions” (2011)
    • 2014 Mercedes Benz CLA (super bowl ad also featured Usher and Kate Upton) (2013)
    • BT (UK) (2015)
    • Snickers Candy Bars (2016)

    He also did print ads for Prada fashion catalog in 1996.

    Best Known For

    • Playing the role of Sergeant Elias in Oliver Stone’s movie Platoon in 1986.
    • Playing Jesus in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988.
    • Playing Max Schreck in the comedy-horror film Shadow of the Vampire in 2000.

    First Film

    His first theatrical appearance was in the 1980 movie Heaven’s Gate. His role was uncredited and finally edited out of the film.

    His first credited feature film role came in 1982, as the character Vance in the director Kathryn Bigelow’s movie The Loveless.

    First TV Show

    He first acted on television for the series The Hitchhikers (later known as Deadly Nightmares) in 1986. He appeared as the character Jeffrey Hunt in the episode named ‘Ghostwriter”.

    Personal Trainer

    Willem focuses on an all organic diet. But since 2008, he is no longer a vegetarian.

    Willem is a firm believer in the benefits of yoga and practices it daily.

    Willem Dafoe Favorite Things

    • Musician – Bob Dylan
    • Documentaries – The War Room, Don’t Look Back

    Source – Men’sJournal.com, NY Mag

    Willem Dafoe Facts

  • He played the role of Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin in the Spider-Man trilogy from 2002 to 2007.
  • He received Italian citizenship after marrying Giada Colagrande in 2005.
  • Willem is a founding member of the experimental theater company The Wooster Group. He participated in all of the group’s artistic work as a creator and performer from 1977 through 2005.
  • As of 2017, he has received 2 Oscar nominations; Best Actor for Platoon and Best Supporting actor for Shadow of the Vampire, winning neither.
  • He co-starred with Madonna in the 1991 erotic drama Body of Evidence.
  • He lent his voice to the movie Finding Nemo (2003) for the character Gill. He reprised his voice-over role for the sequel Finding Dory in 2016.
  • In 1990, he worked briefly as a model for the Prada campaign.
  • The 2004 James Bond video game “Everything or Nothing” had Willem lend his voice and likeness to the villainous character Nikolai Diavolo.
  • Willem appeared in 3 short films for Hanneke Schutte, but Saving Norman (one of those three films) won the Jameson First Shot competition.
  • Willem was a part of a controversy in June 2016 when he visited The Floating Piers on Lake Iseo, in Italy. Thousands of people were denied access while the actor enjoyed the installation without crowds.
  • He voiced the character of Nathan Dawkins in the 2013 interactive video game Beyond: Two Souls.
  • He likes doing his own stunts and did most of his stunts on the glider in the Spider-Man movie in 2002.
  • He contracted yellow fever while shooting for Platoon (1986) and as a result was delirious for 24 hrs.
  • He was a contender to play the role of Joker in Batman (1989). A role which eventually went to Jack Nicholson.
  • Raquel Welch was his childhood celebrity crush.
  • He is not on social media.

    • Featured Image by Siebbi / iPernity / CC BY 3.0

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