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Willem Dafoe began his career as an artist in the theater, where he challenged himself to perform a variety of roles that shaped him to take on any challenges. He gained recognition during the mid-1980s for his performances as a supporting actor, which earned him critical appraise and Oscar nominations. After working in a series of independent movies, he came to big-budget film in 2002 with Spider-Man, which shot him to instant popularity. Over the years, Dafoe has portrayed the protagonist, antagonist, and comedy characters that have always entertained audiences worldwide. Through his work, he got recognized as one of the most dynamic actors in Hollywood.
Starring in drama movies to mainstream action movies, the actor has been a part of some of the critically and commercially successful, highest-grossing movies. Entertaining audiences through his engaging and awe-inspiring performances, let’s take a look at his highest-grossing film.
The English Patient (1996)
One of the most acclaimed movies on the list, The English Patient, was awarded nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress for Juliette Binoche, and collected $231.7 million in theaters. According to Variety, the film is based on the 1992 Booker Prize-winning novel and is a story about personal betrayal and unexpected passion. Dafoe played the role of Canadian Intelligence officer David Caravaggio.
Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007)
An adventure comedy based on Mr. Bean's popular television character, Mr. Bean’s Holiday, is a delightful action comedy film starring Rowan Atkinson in the titular role. Dafoe stars in a supporting role as Carson Clay, an acclaimed actor premiering his movie at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie was made on a $25 million budget, grossed $232.2 million at the box office.
John Carter (2012)
Adapted from a 1912 novel called A Princess Of Mars, John Carter is a science-fiction action movie by Andrew Stanton. Produced by Disney Pictures, the film saw Dafoe portraying another supporting character, Tars Tarkas, the father of one of the lead characters. The movie was a moderate success, produced on a $300 million budget, and managed to earn $284.1 million worldwide.
The Fault In Our Stars (2014)
Willem Dafoe’s performance in The Fault In Our Stars is one of the movie's highlights as he plays the role of the reclusive author Peter Van Houten, as noted by Empire. The heartfelt movie based on the novel by John Green went on to collect $307.2 million against a $12 million budget. The authentic performances of the young lead actors Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort shot them to fame.
The Great Wall (2016)
The Great Wall is an American and Chinese co-production by acclaimed director Zhang Yimou. The movie garnered $335 million at the worldwide box office with high production and marketing costs; furthermore, Dafoe played the supporting role of Sir Ballad, a teacher in China of European descent. The film was highly praised for its action sequences and starred Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, and Jing Tian.
Murder On The Orient Express (2017)
A movie that needs no introduction, Murder On The Orient Express, famously based on Agatha Christie’s best-selling novel of all time with the same title. The Guardian mentions that the movie is directed by and stars Kenneth Branagh as the famous detective Hercule Poirot. Dafoe stars as Hardman, a mysterious Austrian professor. The movie made $352.8 million along with the cast, including Johnny Depp, Dame Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, and Leslie Odom Jr.
Spider-Man (2002)
Willem Dafoe jumped early on the comic book movie adaptations adventure when he bagged the role of the antagonist Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. Dafoe showed his excellent acting range playing a sincere and terrifying character on the screen, which is still considered one of his best performances. The movie was a box office triumph and raked $821.7 million worldwide.
Finding Nemo (2003)
Finding Nemo became the second highest-grossing movie in 2003 when it earned $940.3 million in theaters. The computer-animated movie by Pixar saw Dafoe lending his voice to the character Gill, the leader of the Tank Gang, and teaches Nemo about self-reliance and courage.
Finding Dory (2016)
A much-anticipated spin-off, Finding Dory focused on the blue tang forgetful fish voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. While the lead voices in the first movie took a back seat with the spin-off, all the actors reprised their roles for it. Dafoe returned to the series to voice Gill, and the film collected a whopping $1.029 billion worldwide.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
The movie that proved Willem Dafoe as one of the best comic book supervillains of all time, Spider-Man: No Way Home, saw him reprise as the Green Goblin when he enters the multiverse and teams up with previous supervillains to fight against Spider-Man. Despite the pandemic, the movie became the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time, collecting $1.8 billion at the box office, as reported by Deadline.
His other notable movies include The Grand Budapest Hotel, Platoon, and John Wick. Willem Dafoe, an actor who approaches his work one project at a time, continues to pick diverse roles and star in arthouse and mainstream movies. He will be next seen starring in Robert Eggers’ 2022 revenge thriller The Northman.
Sources: Variety, Empire, The Guardian, Deadline
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