A preference for extreme roles: Willem Dafoe

US director Julian Schnabel knew very well that Willem Dafoe had the necessary depth to portray the troubled final days of painter Vincent van Gogh. The actor offers a mesmerizing performance in "At Eternity's Gate," shot on location in France amid the landscapes that characterized the painter's works.

Willem Dafoe has collected four Oscar nominations, including one for his lead role as Max Schreck in "Shadow of the Vampire," a fictionalized documentary on the making of the classic vampire movie "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" in 1922. The "New York Times" described Dafoe's performance as "creepy, comical and oddly moving."

The film directed by Martin Scorsese famously stirred controversy among religious groups for showing Christ being tempted by sex. Dafoe offered an impressive portrayal of the pain, anguish and mysticism experienced by Jesus fulfilling his mission as "the son of God."

Another film focusing on the final days of a tortured personality: In this film by Abel Ferrara, Willem Dafoe embodies prominent Italian film director and poet Pier Paolo Pasolini, who was controversial for dealing with taboo sexual topics in his works, such as in his last film, "Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom." The unorthodox filmmaker was murdered in 1975.

Willem Dafoe was relatively unknown in Hollywood before he was cast as a counterfeiter in William Friedkin's action thriller "To Live and Die in L.A." With his portrayal effectively blurring the line between good and evil, the role was a milestone in his acting career.

Dafoe's definitive Hollywood breakthrough came a year later in Oliver Stone's Vietnam film "Platoon." His performance as a US soldier stationed for years in the Southeast Asian country was rewarded with an Oscar nomination.

In his second film set during the Vietnam War, Dafoe portrayed agent Buck McGriff, an agent from the criminal investigation division who looks into a series of murders of six Vietnamese prostitutes. The trail leads to the highest military offices of the US Army.

The preparation for his role in the road movie "Wild at Heart," directed by David Lynch, was extremely easy, Dafoe explained in interviews: All he needed to do was put on his false teeth and gel down his hair, and he instantly turned into gangster Bobby Peru.

"The English Patient," adapted from Michael Ondaatje's best-selling novel, was another one of Willem Dafoe's most successful works among the over 100 films he has appeared in. The love drama went on to win a total of nine Academy Awards, including for best director and best picture.

He once said that he definitely preferred to work with visionary, passionate filmmakers like David Lynch, Martin Scorsese or Lars von Trier than with bored careerists — leading Dafoe to take on difficult roles. In Lars von Trier's provocative "Antichrist," a married couple face horror and madness. Dafoe, here with his co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg, mastered the extreme sex scenes brilliantly.

The script for the horror film "The Lighthouse" was a whole new challenge for actor Willem Dafoe. Set at the end of the 19th century, the film tells the story of two lighthouse keepers who start to lose their sanity. Forces of nature as a backdrop and the loneliness of silent, hard-drinking men were ingredients to suit Dafoe's taste. (Adapted by Elizabeth Grenier)