Willem Dafoe is an American actor with a net worth of $40 million. He is renowned for his performances in films such as “To Live and Die in L.A.,” “Platoon,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Shadow of the Vampire,” “Spider-Man,” “Clear and Present Danger,” and “The Florida Project.” Dafoe frequently collaborates with filmmakers like Abel Ferrara, Julian Schnabel, Paul Schrader, Wes Anderson, and Lars von Trier. He has also lent his voice to animated films including “Finding Nemo” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”
| Willem Dafoe Net Worth | $40 Million |
| Date of Birth | July 22, 1955 |
| Place of Birth | Appleton, Wisconsin |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actor |
Early Life
Willem Dafoe was born on July 22, 1955, in Appleton, Wisconsin, as one of eight children of Muriel and William Dafoe. He is of Scottish, French, English, Irish, and German descent. Dafoe attended Appleton East High School and later studied drama at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He left college after a year and a half to join the experimental theater group Theatre X in Milwaukee. In 1976, he moved to New York City, where he apprenticed under avant-garde theater director Richard Schechner, founder of The Performance Group. From there, Dafoe co-founded The Wooster Group alongside Elizabeth LeCompte, Jim Clayburgh, and others.
Film Career in the 80s
Dafoe made his feature film debut in 1980 with a supporting role in Michael Cimino’s epic Western “Heaven’s Gate,” although his role was mostly cut from the film. He had his first starring role in “The Loveless” and appeared briefly in the 1983 erotic horror film “The Hunger.” Dafoe played a bike gang leader in the 1984 rock musical “Streets of Fire” and had leading roles in “Roadhouse 66” and “To Live and Die in L.A.” (1985). His breakthrough came with Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War film “Platoon” (1986), where he played Sergeant Elias Grodin, earning his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
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In 1988, Dafoe starred in three significant films: the Vietnam War drama “Off Limits,” Martin Scorsese’s controversial “The Last Temptation of Christ,” and the historical crime thriller “Mississippi Burning.” He closed out the decade with roles in the biopics “Triumph of the Spirit” and “Born on the Fourth of July.”
Film Career in the 90s
Dafoe started the 90s with a cameo in John Waters’ “Cry-Baby” and a leading role in David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart.” He starred in “Flight of the Intruder,” “Light Sleeper,” “White Sands,” “Body of Evidence,” “Tom & Viv,” “Clear and Present Danger,” and “The Night and the Moment.” In 1996, Dafoe had a supporting role in “The English Patient,” which won the Oscar for Best Picture. He played the villainous John Geiger in “Speed 2: Cruise Control” (1997) and appeared in “Affliction,” “Lulu on the Bridge,” “New Rose Hotel,” “eXistenZ,” and “The Boondock Saints.”
Film Career in the 2000s
Dafoe’s prolific career continued into the 2000s with roles in “American Psycho” (2000), “Animal Factory,” and “Shadow of the Vampire,” for which he earned his second Academy Award nomination. He played the Green Goblin in “Spider-Man” (2002) and its sequels. Other notable films from this decade include “Finding Nemo,” “The Clearing,” “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” “Control,” “Manderlay,” “Inside Man,” “The Walker,” and “Antichrist.”
In the 2010s, Dafoe appeared in films such as “Miral,” “A Woman,” “The Hunter,” “John Carter,” “Odd Thomas,” “Nymphomaniac,” “A Most Wanted Man,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “John Wick,” and “Pasolini.” He received his third Academy Award nomination for “The Florida Project” (2017) and his fourth for “At Eternity’s Gate” (2018). Recent credits include “The Lighthouse,” “Tommaso,” “Motherless Brooklyn,” “Togo,” “The French Dispatch,” “The Card Counter,” and “Nightmare Alley.”
Personal Life
Dafoe began dating experimental theater director Elizabeth LeCompte in 1977, and they had a son, Jack, in 1982. The couple separated in 2004. In 2005, Dafoe married Italian filmmaker and actress Giada Colagrande. They split their time between Rome, Los Angeles, and New York City.
Real Estate
In 1988, Dafoe bought a home in Accord, New York, listing it in 2008 for $850,000. In 2005, he purchased a condo in New York City for $1.6 million. He also acquired properties in Stone Ridge, New York, in 2008, and listed them for $1.275 million in 2023. In April 2014, he bought a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan for $3.9 million.
Willem Dafoe Net Worth
Willem Dafoe net worth is $40 million.
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