Willem Dafoe is 60!
They say the seventh son in the family is special. Who knows, but for a simple couple from Wisconsin, this omen turned out to be true. All children (and there were eight of them in total) chose the profession of lawyers and doctors. And only one, the seventh, named in honor of his father William , went on a different path. Dissatisfied with his name, while still at school, the boy began to call himself in the Scottish manner - Willem . Under this name, he entered the history of cinema.Today the famous actor Willem Dafoe turns 60 years old. Interestingly, he never received an acting education. After studying at the University of Milwaukee for some time, the guy went on tour with the theater Theater X , and then joined the New York The Performance Group . Apparently, despite the lack of specialized education, the young man turned out to be talented enough to be invited to shoot the drama "The Gates of Paradise" by Michael Cimino. Alas, during the editing, all the episodes with the participation of the novice actor were cut out. Nevertheless, proposals continued to come. "Without Love" by Catherine Bigelow and Monty Montgomery, "Live and Die in Los Angeles" by William Friedkin, "Streets on Fire" by Walter Hill and, finally, Oliver Stone's war drama "Platoon" - this is a partial list of Dafoe's early works. . The last of the films listed with a burst of fireworks propelled the career of Defoe to the top. For his work in it, the actor received his first nomination for " Oscar ". And soon after that he played one of the brightest roles in his life - Jesus in the painting "The Last Temptation of Christ" by Martin Scorsese. Willem Dafoe confidently took his place on the Hollywood Olympus.  Since then, Defoe has played many roles of very different kinds. Of course, the actor's peculiar appearance left an imprint on the character of the images offered to him. In the absence of classical beauty, Willem is distinguished by undoubted magnetism. Appearing on the screen, he immediately attracts the eye, not giving the slightest opportunity to break away from his acting. At the same time, Defoe himself is ironic about how they demonize his appearance: “I don't think that people want to see me in the image of a simple guy. In everyday life I am a simple guy. That is why it is so nice to be carefree thanks to my work”.  One of the best performances of Willem Dafoe was his role in the movie The Boondock Saints. Despite the low ratings from critics, the crime-fighter has earned a cult status - thanks in large part to the game Defoe . In his performance, the FBI agent Paul Smecker , investigating the case of two brothers who think they are divine punishers, acquired an unexpected depth. The scenes in which the protagonist reconstructs the scene of the crime, playing the roles of all the participants in turn, seem to be a bizarre dance, and their expression hypnotizes. The second nomination for " Oscar " - for shooting in the horror film "Shadow of the Vampire" does not seem unexpected either. Interestingly, the role of a vampire, who, ironically, plays a vampire, was written specifically for Willem Dafoe . For his participation in this film, he was also nominated for the " Golden Globes ", " Actors Guild Award " and won the " Saturn " statuette.  Thanks to his work in " Shadow of the Vampire ", Dafoe got one of the main roles in the blockbuster "Spider-Man", which became an instant box-office hit. Perhaps the colorful villain Green Goblin performed by Willem was remembered by the audience no less than the main character. Willem Dafoe is quite multifaceted: he always looks good both in light films and in serious films, both in major and minor roles. After " Spider-Man ", the actor once again starred with Martin Scorsese - in the movie "Aviator". Three times he had a chance to work with the controversial director Lars von Trier. The best results of their cooperation can be seen in the films "Manderlei" and "Antichrist". Several times Defoe returned to mysticism - in such films as "The Story of a Vampire" and "Warriors of Light".  Now Defoe is busy with several projects at once and, despite his considerable age, is clearly not going to retire. And this means that the actor will please us with his works more than once. The Topic of Article: Willem Dafoe is 60!. |
