The 20 Best Willem Dafoe Movies of All Time

Four Oscar nominations, one Green Goblin and a lighthouse keeper losing an argument with a seagull. No consensus pick anywhere in the filmography.

1

Platoon

Oliver Stone's 1986 Vietnam drama in which Dafoe's Sergeant Elias dies with his arms raised to the sky.

2

The Last Temptation of Christ

Martin Scorsese's 1988 adaptation of the Kazantzakis novel, with Dafoe as a doubting, human Jesus.

3

Spider-Man

Sam Raimi's 2002 blockbuster where Dafoe's Norman Osborn talks himself into becoming the Green Goblin.

4

The Florida Project

Sean Baker's 2017 film about kids living in a budget motel, with Dafoe as its quietly decent manager.

5

The Lighthouse

Robert Eggers' 1890s two-hander in which Dafoe's keeper drinks, curses and guards his lamp.

6

Shadow of the Vampire

A 2000 fiction about the making of Nosferatu, with Dafoe as an actor who may really be a vampire.

7

At Eternity's Gate

Julian Schnabel's 2018 portrait of Vincent van Gogh's final years, carried by Dafoe's face.

8

Wild at Heart

David Lynch's 1990 road movie featuring Bobby Peru, one of the most repellent characters Dafoe ever played.

9

Mississippi Burning

Alan Parker's 1988 civil-rights thriller with Dafoe as the by-the-book FBI agent opposite Gene Hackman.

10

To Live and Die in L.A.

William Friedkin's 1985 crime thriller that gave Dafoe his first great villain, a counterfeiter with taste.

11

The English Patient

The 1996 Best Picture winner, where Dafoe's thief turns up with a secret and no thumbs.

12

Antichrist

Lars von Trier's 2009 grief horror, a punishing two-hander with Charlotte Gainsbourg.

13

Poor Things

Yorgos Lanthimos' 2023 fable with Dafoe as the scarred surgeon who stitches Bella Baxter into being.

14

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson's 2014 comedy, with Dafoe as the knuckle-dustered enforcer Jopling.

15

Nosferatu

Robert Eggers' 2024 remake, with Dafoe as the occultist who knows what is stalking the house.

16

Finding Nemo

Pixar's 2003 hit, in which Dafoe voices Gill, the scarred fish plotting escape from a dentist's tank.

17

John Wick

The 2014 action film that restarted a franchise, with Dafoe as the sniper who owes Wick a favour.

18

Nightmare Alley

Guillermo del Toro's 2021 noir, with Dafoe running the carnival's least wholesome attraction.

19

American Psycho

The 2000 satire in which Dafoe's detective circles Patrick Bateman without ever quite landing.

20

The Boondock Saints

The 1999 cult vigilante thriller that fans quote endlessly and critics mostly did not.