ALUMNI SNAPSHOTS
AN ACTOR’S HOMECOMING Willem Dafoe’s theatrical career began at UWM. He’s been embracing the calling ever since. By John Schumacher
Sitting in his crash pad while attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in a room he’d later vacate because the ceiling crashed down on him during a rainstorm, theater student Willem Dafoe wasn’t dreaming of conquering Hollywood or Broadway, or even of making a life out of acting. He just knew that he liked everything about theater and wanted to do it as long as he could. Yet here he is, almost five decades later, with four Academy Awards nominations and well over 100 movie credits in a breathtaking variety of roles. Not only a stage and film actor, but one so revered that in 2020, The New York Times named him one of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. He’s also one who retains a remarkable humility that’s grounded in his Midwestern roots. “I went from situation to situation, and after many years of doing it, I have to admit finally I’m an actor,” Dafoe says. “I found making theater stimulating socially at first and later, intellectually – and then later, for lack of better word, spiritually. I felt like this was my calling. My identity as a theater actor started when I was at UWM.” Dafoe returned to where it all started for UWM’s Spring 2022 graduation festivities. On May 22, he accepted an honorary Doctor of Arts degree and gave speeches at the morning and afternoon commencement ceremonies. He was a picture of genuine and modest joy as the hood was placed upon his shoulders and as UWM Chancellor Mark Mone introduced him as Dr. Willem Dafoe. He advised graduates to be at peace with themselves, find what they loved and practice it however they could. He shook hands with and fist-bumped the grads as they walked across the stage. The day before, Dafoe met 600 students at the Helene Zelazo Center for a question and answer session about his life and career. They erupted in applause and cheers when he arrived onstage. Many nodded knowingly when he spoke of sleeping on a couch in the theater lounge – affectionately known as “the fishbowl” – rather than at home. And they soaked up the words and wisdom he shared about the craft of theater. Now 66, Dafoe is still going strong. He appeared in six films released in 2021 – including Academy Awards best picture nominee “Nightmare Alley” and
