If you’re a movie fan, it might not be the first time you notice Willem Dafoe’s name. Although he doesn’t play many leading roles, his portrayal of antagonists and supporting characters are among the industry’s best. However, as he rarely appears as the leading character, many people wonder whether Willem Dafoe net worth is high or not.
We wouldn’t call it just “high” – in fact, this actor’s assets are enormous. Keep reading if you want to know the exact number and dig into his successful journey.
Table of Contents
Willem Dafoe Basic Information
We all want to know about our favorite star’s information, and so do Willem Dafoe fans. Indeed, discussions on the actor’s info like “How tall is Willem Dafoe?” are all over the internet.
Thus, we’ve collected some of his most basic info. If you want to know more about this star’s information, check our table below:
Willem Dafoe Basic Information
| Full Nаmе | Wіllіаm Јаmеѕ “Wіllеm” Dаfое |
| Gеndеr | Маlе |
| Аgе | 66 уеаrѕ оld |
| D.o.B | 22 Јulу 1955 |
| Віrth Рlасе | Аррlеtоn, Wіѕсоnѕіn, Unіtеd Ѕtаtеѕ |
| Nаtіоnаlіtу | Аmеrісаn |
| Неіght | 175 cm |
| Wеіght | 78 kg |
Willem Journey To Become An A-list Actor
From A Wisconsin Boy
The gifted асtоr Wіllіаm Јаmеѕ “Wіllеm” Dаfое came to life оn Јulу 22, 1955, іn Аррlеtоn, Wіѕсоnѕіn, Unіtеd Ѕtаtеѕ to dad Wіllіаm Аlfrеd Dаfое, а ѕurgеоn. His mom is Мurіеl Іѕаbеl Dаfое, a nurse who worked in the same facility with her spouse.
Wіllеm Dаfое hаѕ 5 ѕіѕtеrѕ (Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Nancy Christensen, Diane Fredrickson, and Diane Fredrickson) whо took care of him during his childhood.
He also had 2 brothers: Dоnаld Dаfое (the oldest one) who follows their dad’s career as a surgeon and а rеѕеаrсh аnаlуѕt and Richard Dafoe (his younger brother).
Wіllеm Dаfое spent his childhood peacefully beside his family. Regarding his education, this famous celeb attended and graduated from thе Еіnѕtеіn Міddlе Ѕсhооl аnd thе Аррlеtоn Еаѕt Ніgh Ѕсhооl.
Willem Dаfое’s acting training began with 1.5 years of learning drаmа аt Unіvеrѕіtу оf Wіѕсоnѕіn Міlwаukее. However, later on, hе quit his university to try out for the thеаtеr X experiment.
Following that, he traveled to NYC and met Riсhаrd Ѕсhесhnеr, thе foundеr оf thе еxреrimеntаl project and got his training from their Pеrfоrmаnсе Grоuр.
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First Steps Into The Industry
In 1980, Willem got his first movie debut as a minor character in the iconic “Heaven’s Gate.” His part, unfortunately, was eventually cut from most of the movie after editing, making him unnamed.
After that, Willem landed his initial leading part within “The Loveless,” where he played the head of an illegal biker gang. Later on, he appeared shortly in a sexual horror movie “The Hunger.” Afterward, the star portrayed another motorcycle crew boss in the rock musical “Streets of Fire.”
In 1985, he earned 2 protagonist roles in “Roadhouse 66” and “To Live and Die in L.A.” Moving on to 1986, Willem delivered one of his most notable appearances in a ground-breaking Vietnam War drama, “Platoon.”
Surprisingly, everything worked so well that at the Academy Awards, “Platoon” was awarded Best Picture Of The Year, and Willem was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Willem experienced another successful year in 1988, appearing in 3 movies: “Off Limits,” another Vietnamese War-related movie, was the first. Following that, he played Jesus Christ in Martin Scorsese’s disputed catholic film “The Last Temptation of Christ.”
Lastly, Willem co-starred in the classic cop drama “Mississippi Burning” with Gene Hackman. He ended the year by appearing in 2 historical dramas: “Triumph of the Spirit,” regarding Jewish Greek fighter Salamo Arouch, and “Born on the Fourth of July,” portraying US Marine and campaigner Ron Kovic.
The Glory 90s
Willem opened the 1990s with the movie “Cry-Baby,” followed by the central part in the famous romance crime thriller “Wild at Heart.”
He went on to play major parts in films such as:
- Flight of the Intruder as Lieutenant Commander Virgil “Tiger” Cole
- Light Sleeper as John LeTour
- White Sands as Ray Dolezal
- Body of Evidence as Frank Dulaney (starring with Madonna)
- Tom & Viv as Thomas Stearns Eliot
- Clear and Present Danger as John Clark
- The Night and the Moment as The Writer
- Victory as Axel Heyst
Willem then played a supporting character in the sentimental war blockbuster “The English Patient,” which won him the 2nd Oscar for Best Picture in 1996. The following year, he starred as the wicked John Geiger in the thriller movie “Speed 2: Cruise Control” and in the detective film “Affliction.”
Following that, Willem ended the decade by appearing in 4 movies:
- Lulu on the Bridge as Dr. Van Horn
- New Rose Hotel as X
- eXistenZ as Gas
- The Boondock Saints as Paul Smecker
A Miilion Dorlar Star
During the 2000s, Willem developed his career copiously. His decade-opening job was in the parody “American Psycho” with Christian Bale. The star then landed a starring part in the murder thriller “Animal Factory.”
Subsequently, in “Shadow of the Vampire,” Willem featured a fictional depiction of renowned German star Max Schreck; thanks to this role, he once again got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
After major appearances in “Pavilion of Women” and “Edges of the Lord,” Willem played the antagonist Green Goblin in the 2002 Marvel blockbuster “Spider-Man.”
This role, in the end, became one of the most famous performances in his career. Eventually, Green Goblin also got reprised by the star in 3 “Spider-Man” sequels: Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, and recently, Spider-Man: No Way Home which received lots of good reviews.
The fact that it isn’t a hot take to call Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin the best CBM villain of all time ??? pic.twitter.com/lFwJCUPcOY
— Block A | NWH 10/10 (@ChildishSpector) December 17, 2021
The way Willem Dafoe blew his own performance out of the water should be impossible.
— Tessa Smith – Mama’s Geeky (@MamasGeeky) December 19, 2021
That man is brilliant. #SpiderManNoWayHome pic.twitter.com/KQbnl6VfKo
Still thinking about #NoWayHome
— Austin Burke (@theBurk3nator) December 15, 2021
I can’t get over how good Willem Dafoe is in this movie. He delivers a performance that even further confirms how perfect he is for the character of Green Goblin… Absolutely PERFECT. A top-notch villain. pic.twitter.com/QQdRcboLcQ
A few more successes of Willem in the decade relate to:
- Finding Nemo as Gill voiceover
- The Clearing as Arnold Mack
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as Klaus Daimler
- Control as Dr. Michael Copeland
- Manderlay as Mr. Mulligan
- Inside Man as Captain John Darius
- The Walker as Senator Larry Lockner
- Antichrist as He
His beginning of the 2010s was pretty quiet as Willem only appeared in less-known projects like:
- Miral as Eddie
- A Woman as Max Oliver
- The Hunter as Martin David (the Hunter)
- John Carter as as Tars Tarkas
- Tomorrow You’re Gone as The Buddha
- Odd Thomas as Wyatt Porter
- Nymphomaniac as L
However, he soon made his comeback in 2014, marking once again a successful period. In that single year, he took part in 6 movies, in which there were up to 4 projects that smashed the box offices. They are:
- A Most Wanted Man as Tommy Brue
- The Grand Budapest Hotel as J.G. Jopling
- John Wick as Marcus
- Pasolini as Pier Paolo Pasolini
After that, Willem was nominated for his subsequent Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2017 owing to his portrayal as hotel operator Bobby Hicks in “The Florida Project.”
The following year, he received an additional nomination for Best Actor with his excellent depiction of Vincent van Gogh in “At Eternity’s Gate.” From then till now, Willem also took part in a few movies, notably:
- The Lighthouse as Thomas Wake
- Tommaso as as Tommaso
- Motherless Brooklyn as Paul Randolph
- Togo as Leonhard Seppala
- The French Dispatch as Albert “the Abacus”
- The Card Counter as Major John Gordo
- Nightmare Alley as Clement “Clem” Hoately
Willem Dafoe Net Worth: You Will Not Believe In Your Eyes
As of now, Willem Dafoe possesses an enormous fortune of about $35 to $40 million. Unlike other actors who stumble on different side jobs, Willem earned such an amount of money only from his acting career.
Indeed, many films with Wіllеm Dаfое’s appearance smashed the box office and earned hundreds of millions. For example, “Ѕріdеr-Маn” gained a gross of more than $821 mіllіоn from the box office.
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Is Willem Dafoe gay?
With the long-standing topic of Willem’s sexual preference, we can’t tell for sure whether he’s gay or not. Yet, based on the looks of everything and the background of his romantic life, it wouldn’t be entirely wrong to state that this legendary star is straight.
Furthermore, having been quite busy with ladies and having a kid to speak for it, the issue regarding his sexuality may be a fake news story. However, only Willem Dafoe knows the answer.
Wrapping Up
There you know it – the unbelievable Willem Dafoe net worth. Although this isn’t the highest figure in the industry, he is undoubtedly among the most successful actors, considering that he only earned it from acting.
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