Willem Dafoe was born on July 22, 1955, in Appleton, Wisconsin, as William James Dafoe. He studied drama at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee but left to join the experimental theater group Theatre X. In 1979, he co-founded the Wooster Group in New York City, where he honed his craft in avant-garde performances. His early film roles in the 1980s, like Heaven’s Gate (1980) and The Loveless (1982), marked his entry into cinema. Dafoe’s career soared with his role as Sergeant Elias in Platoon (