Willem Dafoe – the rise of the Oscar-nominated actor and his best 5 movies
The award-winning actor is the first ever star to be nominated for an Oscar for playing a vampire
WILLEM has recently been the talk of the town recently thanks to his Best Actor Oscars nomination.
Here’s everything you need to know about the talented actor from his background to some of his best movies to date.
Who is Willem Dafoe?
Willen Dafoe, born as William James Dafoe, is an American character actor.
The 63-year-old was born on July 22, 1955, in Appleton, Wisconsin.
He acquired the nickname Willem in high school, as Willem is the Dutch version of his first name William.
The famous star studied drama at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee but decided to leave after a year and a half to join Theatre X before eventually moving to New York.
Since starting his acting career he has secured countless awards and nominations thanks to his breathtaking talent.
Why has he been nominated for an Oscar?
Willem has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor thanks to his part in At Eternity’s Gate.
He played the iconic artist Vincent van Gogh in the movie that takes a look at his time in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise in France.
The film is yet to be released in the UK. However, it will be available from March 29, 2019, on.
Willem has received four Academy Award nominations to date, but will this be the year that he takes it home?
We’ll have to wait and see.
What are his 5 best movies?
Willem literally has over a hundred acting credits to date.
So, his best five films is a bit of a subjective topic.
But here are five box office hits that got Willem’s fans raving.
Spider-Man
Willem jawdroppingly portrayed the villain Green Goblin and Norman Osborn in Spider-Man back in 2002.
If there was ever a time the audience fell in love with the bad guy, this was definitely it.
Add Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco to the line-up and it is no surprise how successful the movie was.
He returned to the role in 2004 thanks to Spider-Man 2.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Willem took on the role of Jopling, the henchman of Adrien Brody’s character.
The movie told the story of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at the fictionally famous hotel in the Republic of Zubrowka.
The 2014 film was awarded the Best Motion Picture Golden Globe, and four Academy Awards.
The Florida Project
The star played Bobby the hotel manager in the Sean Baker drama.
His performance received enormous critical acclaim, earning him his third Academy Award nomination, as well as Golden Globes, SAG and BAFTA nominations.
Set over a summer break, the movie sees six-year-old Moonee’s adventures and mischief.
Aquaman
This was a recent box office hit for Willem.
He played Aquaman’s secret trainer and educator Nuidis Vulko.
The movie starring Jason Momoa and Amber Heard has earned over a billion dollars in the box office so far.
It told the story of Arthur Curry who struggled to accept and embrace his role as the heir to the kingdom of Atlantis.
Murder on the Orient Express
The acclaimed actor played Gerhard Hardman in the 2017 Kenneth Branagh film.
As many people know, the story is about a murder on a train journey and how detective Hercule Poirot tries to solve the mystery.
The movie was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award and Teen Choice Award among many others.