HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: Willem Dafoe attends the Los Angeles Premiere of "The Northman" at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 18, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
MILWAUKEE - Academy Award nominated actor Willem Dafoe returns to his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, on Sunday, May 22, to be the featured speaker at the university’s two commencement ceremonies – and receive an honorary Doctor of Arts degree, the university announced on Friday, April 29.
A news release from UWM says Dafoe will speak at both the 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies, taking place at the UWM Panther Arena, 400 W. Kilbourn Avenue. He will receive his honorary degree at the afternoon ceremony, which includes the Peck School of the Arts.
Dafoe attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1973 and 1974 before leaving to become part of Theatre X, which started as a faculty-student workshop and then became an independent experimental theater company. Some of his first acting work came on UWM stages, when he appeared in Jean Racine’s "Phaedra" and Eugene O’Neill’s "A Moon for the Misbegotten."
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The release says Dafoe has been recognized with four Academy Award nominations: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Oliver Stone’s "Platoon," E. Elias Merhige’s "Shadow of the Vampire," and Sean Baker’s "The Florida Project," as well as Best Leading Actor for Julian Schnabel’s "At Eternity's Gate."