William J. Dafoe was born on the 22nd July 1955, in Appleton, Wisconsin, USA, to a father of French and English descent, and mother of Irish, Scottish and German descent. He is an actor, known for his roles in over 100 films, particularly “Platoon”, “The Last Temptation Of Christ”, “Shadow Of The Vampire”, and “Spider-Man”. He is also recognized as a voice actor, known for providing the voice in “Finding Nemo” and “The Simpsons”.
Have you ever wondered how rich is Willem Dafoe, as of early 2016? According to sources, it is estimated that the overall amount of Willem’s net worth is over $25 million, mainly accumulated from his career in the theatre and movie industries now spanning over 40 years.
Willem Dafoe Net Worth $25 Million
Willem Dafoe was one of seven children, the son of Dr. William Alfred Dafoe, a surgeon, and Muriel Isabel, a nurse. He attended Einstein Junior High School, and then Appleton East High School, from which he was expelled for shooting a pornographic film. Thus, his career began, but he also continued his education, studying Drama at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, but only for a year, in order to join the theatre company Theatre X, and begin his professional acting career. Soon after, he moved to New York and became a part of the theatre troupe The Performance Group. However, Willem soon got involved with Elizabeth LeCompte in a romantic relationship, although she was 11 year older than him. She left the Performance Group, and started her own theatre group, entitled “Wooser Group”, which Willem joined within a year of its creation.
His acting career began back in 1980, when he was selected for a small role in the film “Heaven’s Gate”, but he was edited out. Anyway, he stayed in the acting world, soon acquiring a role in the film “The Loveless” (1981). Since then, his career has only gone upwards, and he has appeared in over 100 film titles, which became the main source of his net worth over the years. During the 1980s, he appeared in films such as “Streets Of Fire” (1984), “Roadhouse 66” (1985), “Platoon” (1986), “Off Limits” (1988), and “Mississippi Burning” (1988), among others. The role of Sergeant Elias in “Platoon” led Willem to a nomination for an Oscar award and added a lot to his overall wealth.
The 1990s only increased the number of films in which Willem appeared, and also increased his overall net worth. He was featured in over 15 films, some of those are “Cry Baby” (1990), “Wild At Heart” (1990), and “Light Sleeper” (1992) – for which he won Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actor – “Clear And Present Danger” (1994), “The English Patient” (1996), “Speed 2: Cruise Control” (1997), and “The Boondock Saints” (1999), among others.
In the 1990s, Willem also began ‘voice acting’, making his debut in the popular TV series “The Simpsons” in 1997, and was soon featured in animated films such as “Globehunters” (2000) and “Finding Nemo” (2003).
In the 2000s, his career became even bigger, as he was in constant demand by directors. Willem was cast in “Shadow of the Vampire” (2000), a horror film directed by E. Elias Merhige, portraying Max Schreck, and being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, plus winning several awards, such as Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, and Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor. Among Other films in which he was cast are “Spider-man” (2002) followed by “Spider-man 2” (2004) and “Spider-man 3” (2007); “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou” (2004), “Before It Had A Name” (2005), “Inside Man” (2006), “Mr. Bean’s Holiday” (2007), , “Go Go Tales” (2007), “Antichrist” (2009), “The Hunter” (2011), “Out OF The Furnace” (2013) his net worth rose steadily.
Most recently, Willem’s net worth has been increased by appearances in films “Bad Country” (2014), “John Wick” (2014), “The Fault In Our Stars” (2014), “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014), “My Hindu Friend” (2015). At the moment, he is filming “The Great Wall”, “The Headhunter’s Calling”, “What Happened To Monday”, and “Dog Eat Dog”, all of which are scheduled to be released by the end of 2016, demonstrating that he is still in high demand, and undoubtedly raising his net worth.
Regarding his personal life, Willem Dafoe has been married to Giada Colagrande, a director and actress, since 2005. With his previous partner, Elizabeth LeCompte (1977-2004), Williem has a son. At the present day, he lives with Giada and they divide their time between New York, Los Angeles, and Italy. Willem spends his free time practicing Yoga.
