Willem Dafoe
Description
Willem Dafoe is an acclaimed American actor whose distinctive voice and dramatic range have led to select but memorable performances in animated features, including the English-language adaptation of the Studio Ghibli film Tales from Earthsea. While primarily known for his extensive live-action career in films such as Platoon and the Spider-Man trilogy, his forays into voice acting demonstrate the same intensity and commitment he brings to his on-screen roles.
In the 2006 animated fantasy film Tales from Earthsea, directed by Goro Miyazaki, Dafoe provided the voice for the main antagonist, Lord Cob. Cob is a powerful and sinister wizard who has been banished for practicing dark magic and is obsessed with gaining eternal life by opening the door between the worlds of the living and the dead. Dafoe's vocal performance captures the character's malevolent and manipulative nature, contributing to the film's atmosphere. The English-language dub of the film featured a notable cast, including Timothy Dalton as Sparrowhawk and Cheech Marin as Hare. This role represents a key example of Dafoe's work within the anime genre, lending his talents to a production from the renowned Studio Ghibli.
Beyond this specific anime credit, Dafoe's career in voice acting spans various other animated projects and video games. He voiced the character Gill in the Pixar film Finding Nemo and its sequel Finding Dory. He also portrayed the villainous Rat in Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox. His work extends to television, with voice roles in multiple episodes of The Simpsons. In the video game realm, he provided both the likeness and voice for the antagonist Nikolai Diavolo in the James Bond game Everything or Nothing and performed voice and motion capture for the character Nathan Dawkins in Beyond: Two Souls. He also voiced the character Ryuk in the 2017 Netflix live-action adaptation of Death Note. His involvement in Tales from Earthsea remains a notable instance of his contribution to anime, connecting his powerful screen presence with the world of Japanese animation.
In the 2006 animated fantasy film Tales from Earthsea, directed by Goro Miyazaki, Dafoe provided the voice for the main antagonist, Lord Cob. Cob is a powerful and sinister wizard who has been banished for practicing dark magic and is obsessed with gaining eternal life by opening the door between the worlds of the living and the dead. Dafoe's vocal performance captures the character's malevolent and manipulative nature, contributing to the film's atmosphere. The English-language dub of the film featured a notable cast, including Timothy Dalton as Sparrowhawk and Cheech Marin as Hare. This role represents a key example of Dafoe's work within the anime genre, lending his talents to a production from the renowned Studio Ghibli.
Beyond this specific anime credit, Dafoe's career in voice acting spans various other animated projects and video games. He voiced the character Gill in the Pixar film Finding Nemo and its sequel Finding Dory. He also portrayed the villainous Rat in Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox. His work extends to television, with voice roles in multiple episodes of The Simpsons. In the video game realm, he provided both the likeness and voice for the antagonist Nikolai Diavolo in the James Bond game Everything or Nothing and performed voice and motion capture for the character Nathan Dawkins in Beyond: Two Souls. He also voiced the character Ryuk in the 2017 Netflix live-action adaptation of Death Note. His involvement in Tales from Earthsea remains a notable instance of his contribution to anime, connecting his powerful screen presence with the world of Japanese animation.
All Characters
- EnglishAnime overview: Tales from Earthsea
- EnglishAnime overview: The Boy and the Heron
- EnglishAnime overview: Death Note