Born:
July 22, 1955
in
Appleton, Wisonsin
Best Known For:
Playing the Green Goblin in Spider-Man.
Early-life:
Born William Dafoe on July 22, 1955, in Wisconsin, he picked up the nickname Willem in high school. He was the son of a surgeon and a nurse. He's the second youngest of eight children, which he believes may have fuelled his desire to act, as he was used to fighting for attention. After leaving school, Willem went on to study drama at the University of Wisconsin, but felt he didn't fit in there, and dropped out early to join an experimental acting group Theatre X.
Career:
Willem toured with Theatre X for four years, before joining avant garde New York company The Performance Group. He made his first venture into film acting with a role in Heaven's Gate, but was cut from the finished movie. He went on to win parts in To Live and Die in LA and The Loveless, but his big break came with Platoon, which earned him an Oscar nomination. He also made headlines in 1988 when he took the lead role in the controversial The Last Temptation of Christ. Since then, his movies have included Mississippi Burning, Born on the Fourth of July, The English Patient, Shadow of the Vampire (for which he received another Oscar nod) and Spider-Man. His more recent films include Antichrist, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Daybreakers and Miral.
Quote:
"Weirdness is not my game. I'm just a square boy from Wisconsin."
Trivia:
His voice and likeness featured in the 2013 video game Beyond: Two Souls with Ellen Page.