Movies & Series

Willem Dafoe

Charismatic star with breathtaking acting range

It all began with a failed cult film: After Willem Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) had moved to New York only a few years earlier and joined the Wooster theater troupe (of which he is still a member today!), he starred in Michael Cimino's Wester opus "Heaven's Gate" in 1980. It was not until much later that the work, reviled as a disastrous "millionaire's grave," came to deserved honors, but by then Dafoe was already a celebrity, celebrated for his charismatic roles as well as his intensity, sometimes extroverted, sometimes seething from deep within. The number of his films is hard to count, as are his awards. WHEN he received the honorary "Bear" at the Berlinale in 1982 for his expressive acting, the festival praised Dafoe's immense acting range, which extended from the portrayal of abysmal evil to the role of Jesus of Nazareth.

It all began with a failed cult film: After Willem Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) had moved to New York only a few years earlier and joined the Wooster theater troupe (of which he is still a member today!), he starred in Michael Cimino's Wester opus "Heaven's Gate" in 1980. It was not until much later that the work, reviled as a disastrous "millionaire's grave," came to deserved honors, but by then Dafoe was already a celebrity, celebrated for his charismatic roles as well as his intensity, sometimes extroverted, sometimes seething from deep within. The number of his films is hard to count, as are his awards. WHEN he received the honorary "Bear" at the Berlinale in 1982 for his expressive acting, the festival praised Dafoe's immense acting range, which extended from the portrayal of abysmal evil to the role of Jesus of Nazareth.

It all began with a failed cult film: After Willem Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) had moved to New York only a few years earlier and joined the Wooster theater troupe (of which he is still a member today!), he starred in Michael Cimino's Wester opus "Heaven's Gate" in 1980. It was not until much later that the work, reviled as a disastrous "millionaire's grave," came to deserved honors, but by then Dafoe was already a celebrity, celebrated for his charismatic roles as well as his intensity, sometimes extroverted, sometimes seething from deep within. The number of his films is hard to count, as are his awards. WHEN he received the honorary "Bear" at the Berlinale in 1982 for his expressive acting, the festival praised Dafoe's immense acting range, which extended from the portrayal of abysmal evil to the role of Jesus of Nazareth.