Brad Dourif
Brad Dourif | |
---|---|
![]() Dourif in 2002 | |
Born |
Bradford Claude Dourif March 18, 1950 Huntington, West Virginia, United States |
Occupation | Actor, voice actor |
Years active | 1975–present |
Spouse(s) |
Janet Dourif (divorced) Joni Dourif (divorced) |
Children | 2, including Fiona |
Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif (/ˈdɔːrᵻf/; born March 18, 1950) is an American stage, film and voice actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which won him a Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He portrayed Charles Lee Ray / Chucky (both live-action and voiceover) in the Child's Play franchise, Deputy Clinton Pell in Mississippi Burning, Younger Brother in Ragtime, Piter De Vries in David Lynch's Dune, Gríma Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings, and Doc Cochran in Deadwood, for which he earned an Emmy Award nomination.
Dourif has worked with director Werner Herzog on many occasions, appearing in Scream of Stone, The Wild Blue Yonder, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?. From June to September 2013, he starred in an Off Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Two-Character Play, his first stage appearance in 29 years.[1]
Early life
Dourif was born in Huntington, West Virginia, on March 18, 1950, one of six children born to Jean Henri Dourif, an art collector who owned and operated a dye factory, and Joan Mavis Felton (née Bradford), an actress.[2][3]
His paternal grandparents emigrated from France, and his paternal grandfather co-founded the Standard Ultramarine and Color Company in Huntington.[4] After Dourif's father died in 1953, his mother remarried champion golfer William C. Campbell, who helped raise Dourif and his five siblings (four sisters and one brother). From 1963 to 1965, Dourif attended the private Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, South Carolina. There, he pursued his interests in art and acting. Although he briefly considered becoming a flower arranger, he was eventually inspired to become an actor by his mother's participation as an actress in a community theater called "Give me Shelter".
After Aiken, he attended Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, graduating in 1968. Dourif attended Marshall University for a time, before quitting college and moving to New York City to study acting on the advice of actress Conchata Ferrell.[5]
Career
Starting in school productions, Dourif progressed to community theater, joining up with the Huntington Community Players while attending Marshall. In New York City, he studied with Sanford Meisner, and worked with Marshall Mason and Lanford Wilson at the Circle Repertory Company. During the early 1970s, Dourif appeared in a number of plays, off-Broadway and at Woodstock, New York, including The Ghost Sonata, The Doctor in Spite of Himself, and When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?, in which he was spotted by director Miloš Forman[5] who cast him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).
Although One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is frequently cited as his film debut, in fact, Dourif made his first appearance in a low-budget film called Split, which was never released.[6] His first studio film was W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) but his bit part was cut. Nevertheless, his portrayal of the vulnerable Billy Bibbit in Cuckoo's Nest was his big break, earning him a Golden Globe Award (Best Actor Debut) and a British Academy Award (Supporting Actor); he was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[5] Skeptical of his instant stardom, Dourif returned to New York, where he continued in theater and taught acting and directing classes at Columbia University until 1988, when he moved to Hollywood.
In 1981, Vincent Canby listed Dourif as one of twelve actors to watch, calling Dourif "one of the most intense, most interesting young film actors of his generation".[7]
Stage
Though Dourif had not been on stage in nearly three decades, he chose to star alongside Amanda Plummer in the Off-Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Two-Character Play that played to critical acclaim at the New World Stages. He explained, in a filmed interview released by the producers, why he broke his 29-year hiatus from acting in live theater: "I hated the stage, did not want to do it. And then somebody said, 'Will you do a play? It's with Amanda Plummer', and I said, 'Oh shit! No. Oh God, I'm gonna have to do this...'".[8] It opened on June 10, 2013 and closed on September 29, 2013.[9] The play was subject to a number of performance cancellations, one relating to Dourif's absence, due to a death in the family. Plummer refused to perform without Dourif, notwithstanding the presence of an understudy.[10]
Film and television
Dourif has often played eccentric or disturbed characters, starting in Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), John Huston's Wise Blood (1979), Forman's Ragtime (1981), and Marc Didden's Istanbul. Dourif then teamed up with director David Lynch for Dune (1984) and Blue Velvet (1986). He also appears in the 1984 music video for the single "Stranger in Town" by Toto.
He appeared in a number of horror films, notably as the voice of Chucky in the Chucky franchise. He portrayed the Gemini Killer in The Exorcist III (1990), Death Machine (1994), but has broken from the horror genre with roles in Fatal Beauty (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), Hidden Agenda (1990), and London Kills Me (1991). Dourif also played Gríma Wormtongue in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
On television, Dourif appeared in The X-Files episode "Beyond the Sea" as the psychic serial killer Luther Lee Boggs. He also portrayed Lon Suder in a 3-episode story arc on Star Trek: Voyager and has guest starred as a troubled monk haunted by visions in Babylon 5. In 1984, Dourif played a suspected serial killer in the episode "Number Eight" of Tales of the Unexpected.
Dourif was cast as the Scarecrow in Batman Forever while Tim Burton was attached to the project. However, Joel Schumacher eventually took over the project and instead cast Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Jim Carrey as the Riddler. Other roles Dourif has played are Doc Cochran in Deadwood, receiving a 2004 Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series." He also appeared in Sinner and portrayed Sheriff Lee Brackett in Halloween and Halloween II. In 2013, Dourif reprised his voice role as Chucky in Curse of Chucky, which has been released to DVD. His daughter Fiona Dourif starred with him in the 6th installment of the Child's Play franchise. He guest starred in the third-season finale of Fringe.[11]
He also had a brief scene in one episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.[12]
Personal life
Dourif has been married twice. He has one daughter, Fiona, with his former wife Joni, and adopted Joni's daughter, Kristina Dourif Tanoue.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings | N/A | Uncredited |
1975 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Billy Bibbit | BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1977 | Group Portrait with Lady | Boris Koltowski | |
1978 | Eyes of Laura Mars | Tommy Ludlow | |
1979 | Studs Lonigan | Danny O'Neill | |
1979 | Wise Blood | Hazel Motes | |
1980 | Heaven's Gate | Mr. Eggleston | |
1981 | Ragtime | Younger Brother | |
1984 | Dune | The Mentat Piter De Vries | |
1985 | Istanbul | Martin Klamski | |
1986 | Blue Velvet | Raymond | |
1986 | Impure Thoughts | Kevin Harrington | |
1987 | Fatal Beauty | Leo Nova | |
1988 | Child's Play | Chucky (voice)/Charles Lee Ray | |
1988 | Mississippi Burning | Deputy Clinton Pell | Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1989 | Sonny Boy | Weasel | |
1990 | Child's Play 2 | Chucky (voice) | |
1990 | Spontaneous Combustion | Sam | |
1990 | Horseplayer | Bud Cowan | |
1990 | Graveyard Shift | Tucker Cleveland | |
1990 | The Exorcist III | James Venamun | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1990 | Hidden Agenda | Paul Sullivan | |
1990 | Chaindance | Johnny Reynolds | Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
1990 | Grim Prairie Tales | Farley | |
1991 | Murder Blues | John Barnes | |
1991 | Child's Play 3 | Chucky (voice) | |
1991 | Jungle Fever | Leslie | |
1991 | Body Parts | Remo Lacey | Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1991 | Scream of Stone | Fingerless | |
1991 | London Kills Me | Hemingway | |
1992 | Final Judgement | Father Tyrone | |
1992 | Critters 4 | Al Bert | |
1993 | Trauma | Dr. Lloyd | |
1993 | Amos & Andrew | Officer Donnie Donaldson | |
1994 | Color of Night | Clark | |
1995 | Babylon 5: Passing Through Gethsemane (S3E4) | Brother Edward | |
1995 | Death Machine | Dante | |
1995 | Murder in the First | Byron Stamphill | |
1995 | Phoenix | Reiger | |
1996 | Sworn to Justice | Teddy | |
1996 | Star Trek Voyager, Seasons 2–3 | Lon Suder, Betazoid | |
1996 | A Step Toward Tomorrow | Kirby | |
1997 | Jamaica Beat | Tom Peterson | |
1997 | Nightwatch | Duty Doctor | |
1997 | Best Men | The Vet | |
1997 | Alien: Resurrection | Dr. Gediman | |
1998 | Brown's Requiem | Edwards | |
1998 | Senseless | Dr. Wheedon | |
1998 | Progeny | Dr. Bert Clavell | |
1998 | Urban Legend | Michael McDonnell | Uncredited |
1998 | Bride of Chucky | Chucky (voice) | |
1999 | The Diary of the Hurdy-Gurdy Man | Gabriel | |
1999 | Cypress Edge | Colin McCammon | |
1999 | Interceptors | David M. Webber | |
1999 | Silicon Towers | Alton | |
2000 | Shadow Hours | Roland Montague | |
2000 | The Prophecy 3: The Ascent | Zealot | |
2001 | The Ghost | Lt. Garland | |
2001 | Soulkeeper | Mr. Pascal | |
2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Gríma Wormtongue | |
2003 | The Box | Stan | |
2003 | Vlad | Radescu | |
2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Gríma Wormtongue | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (Extended Edition only) |
2004 | Seed of Chucky | Chucky (voice) | |
2004 | The Devil's Due at Midnight | The Dark One | |
2004 | The Hazing | Professor Kapps | |
2004 | El Padrino | Cyrus | |
2005 | Drop Dead Sexy | Herman | |
2005 | The Wild Blue Yonder | The Alien | |
2005 | Man of Faith | B. B. Gallen | |
2006 | Pulse | Thin Bookish Guy | |
2007 | Sinner | Caddie | |
2007 | The List | Johan Gabini | |
2007 | The Wizard of Gore | Dr. Chong | |
2007 | Halloween | Sheriff Lee Brackett | |
2008 | Touching Home | Clyde Winston | |
2008 | Humboldt County | Jack | |
2009 | Born of Earth | Mayor | |
2009 | Lock and Roll Forever | Zee | |
2009 | The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | Ned Schoenholtz | |
2009 | Halloween II | Sheriff Lee Brackett | |
2009 | My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? | Uncle Ted | |
2010 | Chain Letter | Mr. Smirker | |
2010 | Junkyard Dog | Sheriff Holk | |
2011 | Fading of the Cries | Mathias | |
2011 | Priest | Salesman | |
2011 | Catch .44 | Sheriff Connors | |
2011 | Death and Cremation | Stan | |
2012 | Last Kind Words | Wylon | |
2012 | Black Box | Tom | |
2013 | Santa Monica | Stan | Short film |
2013 | Gingerclown | Worm Creature (voice) | |
2013 | Blood Shot | Bob | |
2013 | Curse of Chucky | Chucky (voice)/Charles Lee Ray | |
2013 | Malignant | The Man | |
2014 | The Control Group | Dr. Broward | |
2015 | Rosemont | Abe | |
2017 | Chucky 7 | Chucky (voice) / Charles Lee Ray | |
2017 | Wildling | Daddy / Gabriel Hanson |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | The Mound Builders | Chad Jasker | Television film |
1977 | The Gardener's Son | Robert McEvoy | Television film |
1978 | Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force | Sgt. Leonard Matlovich | Television film |
1980 | Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones | David Langtree | Television film |
1982 | Desire, the Vampire | Paul | Television film |
1986 | The Equalizer | Fenn | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
1986 | Spenser: For Hire | Maxie Lyons | Episode: "Rage" |
1986 | Rage of Angels | Seymour Bourne | Television film |
1986 | Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo | Lamar Sands | Television film |
1987 | Moonlighting | Father McDonovan | Episode: "All Creatures Great...and Not So Great" |
1987 | Miami Vice | Joey Wyatt | Episode: "Theresa" |
1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Dr. Warren Overman | Episode: "Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble" |
1989 | Desperado: The Outlaw Wars | Camillus Fly | Television film |
1989 | Terror on Highway 91 | Keith Evans | Television film |
1993 | Wild Palms | Chickie Levitt | 3 episodes |
1993 | Tales from the Crypt | Virgil | Episode: "People Who Live in Brass Hearses" |
1994 | The X-Files | Luther Lee Boggs | Episode: "Beyond the Sea" |
1994 | A Worn Path | Hunter | Television film |
1995 | Babylon 5 | Charles Dexter/Brother Edward | Episode: "Passing Through Gethsemane" |
1995 | Escape from Terror: The Teresa Stamper Story | Sheriff Bill Douglass | Television film |
1995 | Escape to Witch Mountain | Luther/Bruno | Television film |
1996 | Star Trek: Voyager | Lon Suder | 3 episodes |
1996 | Blackout | Thomas Payne | Television film |
1996 | If Looks Could Kill | M. Eugene 'Gene' Hanson | Television film |
1997 | Millennium | Dennis Hoffman | Episode: "Force Majeure" |
2001–2002 | Ponderosa | Maurice Deveraux | 8 episodes |
2004–2006 | Deadwood | Dr. Amos 'Doc' Cochran | 33 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series |
2008 | Law & Order | Dr. David Lingard | Episode: "Called Home" |
2010 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Iggy Drexel | Episode: "Torch" |
2011 | Fringe | Moreau | Episode: "The Day We Died" |
2011 | Psych | Bernie Bethel | Episode: "Shawn, Interrupted" |
2011 | Miami Magma | Jacob Capilla | Television film |
2012 | Wilfred | P.T. | Episode: "Questions" |
2012–2014 | Once Upon a Time | Zoso | 2 episodes |
2012 | Criminal Minds | Adam Rain | Episode: "The Lesson" |
2013 | End of the World | Dr. Walter Brown | Television film |
2014 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Thomas Nash | Episode: "End of the Beginning" |
Video games
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2001 | Myst III: Exile | Saavedro |
2002 | Run Like Hell | Fred (voice) |
2005 | GUN | Reverend Josiah Reed (voice) |
2012 | Dishonored | Piero Joplin (voice) |
Discography
He released an LP called Misery Together in 2012. Dourif contributed spoken words to three songs on this album by the Norwegian duo Thinguma*jigSaw. He was also featured in the video to "Drinking from the Bottle" by Calvin Harris. [13]
References
- ↑ Dourif (on camera interview), Brad (May 7, 2013). "Video: Press" (Video). Amanda Plummer & Brad Dourif in Tennessee Williams' The Two Character Play. TwoCharacterPlayNYC. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Brad Dourif profile, filmreference.com; accessed February 18, 2015.
- ↑ "Bradford-Dourif". The New York Times. 1944-06-11. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ↑ Baptista, Robert J. (2006-09-22). "Henry Dourif Biography". Colorants Industry History. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- 1 2 3 Roberts, Jerry (1990-10-26). "CRAZED - With two Hollywood films opening today and seven more in the can, Brad Dourif may just be Hollywood's busiest actor". Daily Breeze. p. E3.
- ↑ Taylor, Brett (Summer 2004). "From Cuckoo Patient to Deadwood Doc: An Interview with Brad Dourif". Shock Cinema (25): 32–34, 47.
- ↑ Canby, Vincent (1981-01-18). "Film View - Speculating on Talent: 12 Actors to Watch in 1981". New York Times. p. D19. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
- ↑ Dourif (on camera interview), Brad; Two Character Play LLC (7 May 2013). "Amanda Plummer & Brad Dourif in Tennessee Williams' Two Character Play" (Video). Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ 'Two Character Play, starring Amanda Plummer and Brad Dourif, will end run in September', Playbill, 28 August 2013, Andrew Gans. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ↑ Michael Riedel, Diva Amanda Plummer ‘a nightmare’ backstage. New York Post, September 5, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ↑ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (2011-04-05). "Fringe's Latest Casting Told You To Take The Wizard's Staff". UGO Networks. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ↑ Ocampo, Shane. /episode-16-end-of-the-beginning-guide "Agents of SHIELD Episode 16" Check
|url=
value (help). Retrieved 2014-04-01. - ↑ Profile, desertedvillage.bandcamp.com; accessed February 18, 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brad Dourif. |
- Brad Dourif at the Internet Movie Database
- Brad Dourif at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Brad Dourif at the TCM Movie Database
- Brad Dourif at AllMovie