The Untold Truth of Willem Dafoe’s Wife
Known from movies
Early life, family, educational background
Italian actress and director Giada Colagrande was born on October 16, 1975 in Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy. She studied in Italy, Australia and Switzerland, and in 1995 she moved to Rome and started making documentaries and video art about contemporary art.
Nothing is known about her family or upbringing.
Career
Giada’s films are known for their unique take on the human condition of modern healthcare. She joined the art project VOLUME from 1997 to 2000 and made a series of video portraits of seven contemporary artists, including Bernhard Rüdiger, Gianni Dessí, Sol LeWitt, Alfredo Pirri, Raimund Kummer, Jannis Kounellis, gaining international recognition from them.
She made three short movies – “Carnival” in 1997, “Fetus – 4 brings death” in 1999 and “n.3” in 2000.
She appeared in her first feature film in 2002, “Aprimi il Cuorse” (Open My Heart), acting, producing, writing and directing the drama. The film premiered at the 2002 Venice Film Festival and was subsequently selected by several other international film festivals, including the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. It won universal acclaim and accolades, including the Best Director Award at the 2003 Sulmonacinema Film and the Paris International Cinema Meeting in 2002. She was also nominated for Best New Director in 2003 at the Silver Ribbon.
In 2005, she co-starred in and co-wrote the movie “Before It Had a Name” with her husband – the international title is “Black Widow”; the film was her first English script. The film premiered in 2005 at the Venice Film Festival and screened at other international festivals, including San Sebastian.
In 2010 she wrote and directed ‘A Woman’, in which Willem starred alongside Stefania Rocca and Jess Weixler. The film received a Controcamp Italiano award at the 2010 Venice Film Festival.
In 2012, she created the third short film of the PRADA series “The Miu Miu Women’s Tale” – “The Woman Dies.”
#domani ‘The Magic Door’, il trio a Milano – Musica @the_magic_door @giadacole @VincenzoZitello – https://t.co/icOPWBJzOX https://t.co/QaxcoHGwq5
— spiritdemilan (@spirit_de_milan) November 21, 2018
That same year, she also wrote and directed “Bob Wilson’s Life & Death of Marina Abramović” – the documentary follows theater icons, including Marina Abramović and Bob Wilson, and starred Willem Dafoe, Abramovic, and Antony Hegarty. Festival, and was screened at the Louvre in Paris and MoMA in New York.
Giada and Abramovic teamed up again in 2013 in the short film “The Abramovic Method”, which was screened in various art museums around the world, as well as the Venice Film Festival.
In 2014, she appeared in ‘Castello Cavalcanti’, a short film by Wes Anderson and ‘Pasolini’ by Abel Ferrara.
She wrote, starred in and directed “PADRE” in 2016, starring Willem Dafoe, Franco Battiato and Marina Abramović. The film premiered at the Morelia International Film Festival in October 2016 and continues to screen at film festivals around the world.
She made her composition, singing and writing debut in the 2017 project ‘THE MAGIC DOOR’, which she created with Vincenzo Zitello and Arthuan Rebis.
Who is Willem Dafoe?
William ‘Willem’ James Dafoe was born on July 22, 1965 in Appleton, Wisconsin, USA; he is known for his distinctive hoarse voice. Over the course of his acting career, he has received numerous accolades, including nominations for three Golden Globe and four Academy Awards. He has worked with filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, Abel Ferrara, Paul Schrader and Lars von Trier.

He was an early member of the Wooster Group, an experimental theater company, with which he appeared in a number of productions, and toured America and Europe with the group before entering the film industry.
In 1980, he was supposed to make his film debut in ‘Heaven’s Gate’, but was replaced during production. In the 1982 movie “The Loveless” he landed his first starring role, which helped him land two other roles; as the lead antagonist in 1984’s “Streets of Fire” and in 1985’s “To Live and Die in LA.” In 1986, he received his first Academy Award nomination for his role as Sergeant Elias Gordon in Oliver Stone’s war film, “Platoon.” . .
In 1988, he appeared in two controversial films – in “Mississippi Burning” and in Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” as Jesus. After playing only minor roles, he teamed up with director Paul Schrader on a six-film series, beginning in 1992 with “Light Sleeper.” “Clear and Present Danger,” 1996’s “The English Patient,” 1997’s “Speed 2: Cruise Control,” and 1999’s “The Boondock Saints.”
He was nominated for his second Academy Award for his portrayal of Max Schreck in the 2000 film ‘Shadow of the Vampire’. In 2002 he played Norman Osborn in ‘Spider-Man’ and in 2003 the villain in ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’.
He played Carson Clay in the 2007 movie titled “Mr. Bean’s Holiday”, and in 2009 he starred in one of his three films with Lars von Trier, the experimental film ‘Antichrist’. In 2014, he appeared in popular films including ‘John Wick’, ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and ‘ The Grand Budapest Hotel’.
Most recently, he starred in the highly anticipated 2017 film ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and co-starred in ‘The Lighthouse’ in 2019 alongside Robert Pattinson.
He has also dabbled in voice acting – in 2003 he voiced Gill in ‘Finding Nemo’ and reprized his role in the 2016 sequel ‘Finding Dory’. He has also lent his voice to video game adaptations such as ‘Finding Nemo’ in 2003 , “James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing” 2004 and “Beyond: Two Souls” in 2013.
Willem has also portrayed some real people – in 1994 he played TS Eliot in ‘Tom & Viv’, in 2014 he played Pier Paolo Pasolini in ‘Pasolini’ and in 2018 he played Vincent van Gogh in ‘At Eternity’s Gate’. ; for the latter, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
His net worth is estimated to be $24 million as of mid-2020.
Private life
Giada met Willem through mutual friends in 2004 while he was in Rome. On March 24, 2005, after a year of dating, Willem proposed, and they married the next day, with her editor and his manager as witnesses.
She is the stepmother of Willem’s son, Jack Dafoe, who was born in 1982; his mother is theater director Elizabeth LeCompte. Giada and Willem have no children together and divide their time between New York City and Italy
She is very quiet about her personal life and likes to keep it private.
Appearance
Giada has dark brown eyes and black hair. She is 5ft 5in (1.65m) tall.
Wealth and salary
Her net worth is estimated at $6 million.
General information
First and last name | Giada Colagrande |
Profession | Actor, Film Director, Film Producer, Screenwriter |
Nationality | Italian |
Family
Performance
Nominations | Controcampo Prize for Narrative Feature Films |
Movies | Pasolini, Castello Cavalcanti, Bob Wilson’s life and death of Marina Abramovic, A woman before it had a name, open my heart |
Pictures
Movies
Director
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Chaplain | 2016/II | ||
The Abramovic method | 2013 | Documentary short | |
Bob Wilson’s Life and Death of Marina Abramovic | 2012 | Documentary | |
The woman’s dress | 2012 | Short | |
A woman | 2010 | ||
Before it had a name | 2005 | ||
Aprimi il cuore | 2002 | ||
Carnival | 1998 | Short |
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Chaplain | 2016/II | ||
Bob Wilson’s Life and Death of Marina Abramovic | 2012 | Documentary | |
The woman’s dress | 2012 | Short | |
A woman | 2010 | written by | |
Before it had a name | 2005 | ||
Aprimi il cuore | 2002 | screenplay/story | |
Carnival | 1998 | Briefly written by |
Actress
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Chaplain | 2016/II | Juliet Fontana | |
Pasolini | 2014 | Graziella Chiarcossi | |
Castello Cavalcanti | 2013 | Short | Bartender |
Before it had a name | 2005 | Eleanor | |
Aprimi il cuore | 2002 | Catherine |
Producer
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Aprimi il cuore | 2002 | producer | |
Carnival | 1998 | Short producer |
Thank you
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Paris, je t’aime | 2006 | Thank you |
Yourself
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Register | 2014 | Documentary | herself |
Premium Donostia and Willem Dafoe | 2005 | TV special | herself |
Awards
Awards won
Year | Price | Ceremony | Presentation | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Prix de l’Avenir | International cinema meeting in Paris | Aprili il cuore (2002) | |
2002 | Dear Director | Sulmonacinema Film Festival | Aprili il cuore (2002) |
Nominated awards
Year | Price | Ceremony | Presentation | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Controcampo Italiano Prize | Venice Film Festival | A Woman (2010) | |
2003 | Silver ribbon | Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists | Best New Director (Migliore Regista Esordiente) | Aprili il cuore (2002) |
2003 | Prize of the jury | Tribeca Film Festival | Best Narrative Feature Film | Aprili il cuore (2002) |
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