Was involved for decades (from 1977) with theater director and actress Elizabeth LeCompte, who was also a member and director of the Wooster Group. He later married an Italian writer/director in 2005.

Practices Yoga regularly.

He has a son, Jack, born in 1982, with Elizabeth LeCompte.

Was offered the role of Senator Roark in Sin City (2005).

Attended Appleton East High School in Appleton, Wisconsin.

While doing a blocking run-through on Wild at Heart (1990) (for the scene in which Dafoe's character threatens to rape Laura Dern's character), Dafoe playfully sang his lines. Director David Lynch loved this, and wanted Dafoe to actually sing his lines in the scene, when they shot it. The idea did not actually go through, however.

To date he has shot 18 films in Europe. [2007]

He was delirious for 24 hours after coming down with yellow fever on the set of Platoon (1986).

Is a vegetarian.

Was under consideration for Dennis Hopper's role (Frank Booth) in Blue Velvet (1986).

Says he feels like he's missed out on more conventional roles because he's perceived as an eccentric actor in dark little films, kind of the boy-next-door type - if you lived next door to a mausoleum.

Member of Jury for 2007 Berlin International Film Festival.

He did practically all of his own stunts on the glider in Spider-Man (2002). So when you see the Green Goblin moving around on it, when it's not CG, then it's Willem pretty much the whole time.

Often portrays soldiers or eccentric characters.

The only actor to ever be nominated for an Oscar for playing a vampire, for his role as Max Schrek in Shadow of the Vampire (2000).

Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2006 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Supporting Actor category for his performance in the film xXx: State of the Union (2005) However, he failed to receive a nomination. (Had he gotten the nomination, it would have been his third overall. He was previously nominated for Worst Supporting Actor at the 1998 Razzie Awards for his role in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), and for Worst Actor at the 1994 Razzie Awards for his performance in Body of Evidence (1993).)

Was a candidate for the role of the Joker in Batman (1989).

Visited Sarajevo Film Festival (in post-war Bosnia) together with Steve Buscemi in year 2000.

Brother, Donald Dafoe, is an accomplished transplant surgeon.

Quite possibly has the most on-screen deaths of any mainstream actor. His death scenes include Platoon (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), eXistenZ (1999), Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Spider-Man (2002), and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), among others.

He attended Einstein Junior High School in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he was known as "Billy."

Sticks to an all-organic diet.

His high school nickname, Willem, stuck with him.

John Malkovich, Nicolas Cage, and Dafoe were all approached to play the Green Goblin in Spider-Man (2002). Dafoe and Malkovich starred in Shadow of the Vampire (2000) together, while Cage produced the film. Dafoe ended up getting the Spider-Man role.

Provided his voice on Lou Reed's 2003 album 'The Raven'. On it he performs a re-written and reworked, spoken-word version of Edgar Allen Poe's poetry.