Willem Dafoe - ©Theda Bara

The name I want to highlight in this post is that of the excellent American actor Willem Dafoe. Known for his prolific career, the actor became famous for the variety of characters he plays, possessing the ideal appearance to portray everything from hero antagonists to demented individuals, corrupt police officers, and traumatized or troubled people.

Despite being very talented, awards are not Willem Dafoe’s strong suit. He received four Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, but never won.

Dafoe has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6271 Hollywood Boulevard, in the film category.

William James “Willem” Dafoe was born on July 22, 1955, in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, and is 70 years old.

Willem Dafoe had a long 27-year relationship with the American director of experimental theater, dance, and media, Elizabeth LeCompte (1944-), a founding member of The Wooster Group, but they never married. The couple has one son, actor Jack Frank Dafoe (1982-). Dafoe is currently married to Italian director and actress Giada Colagrande (1975-), a relationship that began in 2005. A curious detail: Dafoe and Giada were having lunch together when he suddenly asked, “Do you want to get married tomorrow?”. The next day, they held a small ceremony with only two friends as witnesses and were married in the presence of a notary and a priest.