About
| Birth Name: | Bradford Claude Dourif |
| Birth Notes: | 18 March 1950, Huntington, West Virginia, USA |
| Height: | 5' 9" |
| Family: | * 'Joni Dourif' (? - ?) (divorced); 2 children |
| Biography: | The character actor Brad Dourif was born in 1950 in Huntington, West Virginia, where his father owned and operated a dye factory. His father died when Dourif was 3 years old, after which his mother married Bill Campbell, a champion golfer, who helped raise Brad, his brother, and his four sisters. From 1963 to 1965, Dourif attended Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, SC, where he pursued his interests in art and acting. Although he briefly considered becoming a professional artist, he finally settled on acting as a profession, inspired by his mother's participation as an actress in community theater. Starting in school productions, he progressed to community theater, joining up with the Huntington Community Players, while attending Marshall University of Huntington. At age 19, he quit his hometown college and headed to New York City, where he worked with the Circle Repertory Company. During the early 1970s, Dourif appeared in a number of plays, off-Broadway and at Woodstock, New York, including Milos Forman who cast him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Although this film is frequently cited as his film debut, in fact, Dourif made his first big-screen appearance with a bit part in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975). Nevertheless, his portrayal of the vulnerable Billy Bibbit in Forman's film was undoubtedly his big break, earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Acting Debut, a British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. 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. Despite his attempts to avoid typecasting, his intensity destined him to play demented, deranged, or disturbed characters, starting in Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), John Huston 's Wise Blood (1979) (arguably his best performance to date), and Milos Forman's Ragtime (1981). Dourif then teamed up with director David Lynch for Dune (1984) and Blue Velvet (1986). His high-strung style also served him well in a number of horror films, notably as the voice of the evil doll Chucky in Child's Play (1988) and its sequels. Dourif broke from the horror genre with roles in Fatal Beauty (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), Hidden Agenda (1990), and London Kills Me (1991). Recent film work includes the role of Grima Wormtongue in Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since his television debut in the PBS film The Mound Builders (1976) (TV), Dourif has made sporadic appearances in a number of television series, such as "The X Files" (1993), "Babylon 5" (1994), "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995) and "Ponderosa" (2001) (in the recurring role of Frenchy). |
Filmography
| Alien: Resurrection (1997) as Dr. Jonathan Gediman |
| Amos & Andrew (1993) as Officer Donnie Donaldson |
| Chaindance (1991) as Johnny Reynolds |
| Child's Play (1988) as Charles Lee Ray/Chucky |
| Child's Play 2 (1990) as Chucky |
| Child's Play 3 (1991) as Chucky |
| Color of Night (1994) as Clark |
| Critters 4 (1992) as Al Bert |
| Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) as Tommy Ludlow |
| Graveyard Shift (1990) as Tucker Cleveland/The Exterminator |
| Grim Prairie Tales: Hit the Trail... to Terror (1990) as Farley |
| Halloween (2007) as Sheriff Lee Brackett |
| Halloween II (2009) as Sheriff Lee Brackett |
| Heaven's Gate (1980) as Mr. Eggleston |
| Hidden Agenda (1990) as Paul Sullivan |
| Humboldt County (2008) as Jack |
| Lock and Roll Forever (2009) as Zee |
| My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009) as Uncle Ted |
| Nightwatch (1997) as Duty Doctor |
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) as Billy Bibbit |
| Progeny (1998) as Dr. Bert Clavell |
| Pulse (2006) as Thin Bookish Guy |
| Seed of Chucky (2004) as Chucky |
| Senseless (1998) as Dr. Wheedon |
| Soulkeeper (2001) as Mr. Pascal |
| The Exorcist III (1990) as The Gemini Killer |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as Grima Wormtongue (extended edition) |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) as Grima Wormtongue |
| Urban Legend (1998) as Michael McDonnell, gas station attendant |
| A Step Toward Tomorrow (1996) as Kirby |
| A Tekerölantos naplója (1999) as Gabriel |
| A Worn Path (1994) as Hunter |
| Best Men (1997) as The Vet |
| Blood Shot (2010) as Bob |
| Blue Velvet (1986) as Raymond |
| Body Parts (1991) as Remo Lacey |
| Born of Earth (2008) as Mayor |
| Brew (2007) as Adolphus Rhinehart |
| Bride of Chucky (1998) as Chucky |
| Brown's Requiem (1998) as Edwards |
| Catch .44 (2010) as Sheriff Connors |
| Cerro Torre: Schrei aus Stein (1991) as Fingerless |
| Chain Letter (2010) as Mr. Smirker |
| Child's Play (2011) as Chucky |
| City of Shoulders and Noses (2010) as Dr. Hodder |
| Cypress Edge (2000) as Colin McCammon |
| Death and Cremation (2010) as Stan |
| Death Machine (1994) as Jack Dante |
| Drop Dead Sexy (2005) as Herman |
| Dune (1984) as Piter De Vries |
| El padrino (2004) as Cyrus |
| Fading of the Cries (2010) as Mathias |
| Fatal Beauty (1987) as Leo Nova |
| Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate (2004) as Himself |
| Final Judgement (1992) as Father Tyrone |
| Gruppenbild mit Dame (1977) as Boris Koltowski |
| Halloween III (2011) as Sheriff Lee Brackett |
| Horseplayer (1990) as Bud Cowan |
| Impure Thoughts (1986) as Kevin Harrington |
| Interceptors (1999) as Weber |
| Istanbul (1985) as Martin Klamski |
| Jamaica Beat (1997) as Tom Peterson |
| Jungle Fever (1991) as Leslie |
| Junkyard Dog (2010) as Sheriff Holk |
| London Kills Me (1991) as Hemingway the Restaurant Manager |
| Medium Rare (1987) as Mitch |
| Mississippi Burning (1988) as Deputy Clinton Pell |
| Murder Blues (1991) as John Barnes |
| Murder in the First (1995) as Byron Stamphill |
| Phoenix (1995) as Reiger |
| Playing Patti (1998) |
| Priest (2011) as Salesman |
| Ragtime (1981) as Younger Brother |
| Shadow Hours (2000) as Roland Montague |
| Silicon Towers (1999) as Alton |
| Sinner (2007) as Caddie |
| Sonny Boy (1989) as Weasel |
| Spontaneous Combustion (1990) as Sam |
| Sworn to Justice (1996) as Teddy |
| Tattoos: A Scarred History (2009) |
| The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009) as Ned Schoenholtz |
| The Beautiful Outsiders (2010) as Mike Davies |
| The Box (2003) as Stan |
| The Calling (2002) as B.B. Gallen |
| The Ghost (2001) as Lt. Garland |
| The Great War of Magellan (2005) |
| The Hazing (2004) as Professor Kapps |
| The Kentucky Fried Horror Show (2009) as Rev. Elias Moses |
| The List (2007) as Johan Gabini |
| The Storytellers (1999) |
| The Wild Blue Yonder (2005) as The Alien |
| The Wizard of Gore (2007) as Dr. Chong |
| Touching Home (2008) as Clyde Winston |
| Trauma (1993) as Dr. Lloyd |
| Vlad (2003) as Radescu |
| W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) |
| Wise Blood (1979) as Hazel Motes |
| Zombieland (2010) |
Trivia
|
* Has heard his own movie Dune (1984) described as "science fiction's answer to Heaven's Gate (1980) (which Dourif also starred in)," and he agrees totally with this summation. * Was considered for the role of the Riddler in Batman Forever (1995). * Made five trips to New Zealand while the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was being filmed. He had to shave his eyebrows off each time. * Has two daughters Fiona Dourif and Kristina Dourif Tanoue. * Grandchild: Caden Kalani Kahalewai Dourif-Tanoue (born 2001). * Many of his co-stars in "The Lord of the Rings" film series were under the impression that he was actually English because of the British accent he used as Wormtongue throughout filming. They were shocked to hear him speak in an American accent after filming was complete. * Was considered for the role of Max Cady in Cape Fear (1991),. * Taught acting and directing classes at Columbia University. * He headed to New York City at 19 and worked with the Circle Repertory Company, appearing in many off-Broadway and Woodstock, NY productions. * His father, who owned and operated a dye factory, died when Brad was 3. * Dropped out of Marshall University of Huntington, West Virginia, at 19. |
Quotes
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* [on if he prefers to play edgier twisted characters] Well, I've been cast as them . . . and I like to work, so I take those roles. You know, you try to be diverse, and try to have fun and round things out. * I'm formally trained, I don't know what classically trained really means. I've worked with Sanford Meisner. And I've worked at Circle Rep with Marshall W. Mason and Lanford Wilson and some really good people. I was lucky. I had a lot of really good influences. * I prefer film to the stage. I always like the rehearsal better than I like performing. * I'm a whore. If they have a check and camera and a script and stuff for me to say, I am mostly there, unless I just can't take it. No, really, I do like to work. It just depends on whether there is a whole lot of stuff for me to choose from, because if there is I am choosy. If there's not a lot of work, then I try to find some redeeming value in the parts being offered. If it is awful, then, of course, I can't do it. But I have to say, I am pretty lucky in that there are usually things coming in. That said, sometimes it is slow. * I am good when there is something central about the character. There is always a human theme I attach myself to. I am really looking for something that is moving or enlightening or something with depth as an actor. I look for these kinds of roles. * I am they type of person that once I make a decision, I must execute. Maybe I am a perfectionist in this way. change I am the type of person that once I make a decision, I must execute. Maybe I am a perfectionist in this way. * There is nothing wrong with horror films. Their existence has definitely had an impact on me. It is important to have scary demons in our world on film. We have them in the world. That is why we are afraid, it is nice to have a visual and to have a confrontation with it. * I told Michael, you know man... This thing better be good, because if it isn't, they're gonna kill ya! --To Michael Cimino during post production on Heaven's Gate (1980) |
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