Brad Dourif Biography
Summary
"Bradford Claude Dourif" (March 18, 1950) is an American Academy Award-nominated film and television actor.
Biography
Early life
Dourif was born in Huntington, West Virginia. His father, Jean Dourif, was an art collector and owned and operated a dye factory. After Dourif's father died in 1953, his actress mother, Joan (née Bradford), remarried champion golfer William C. Campbell, who helped raise Dourif and his five siblings (three sisters and two brothers). From 1963 to 1965, Dourif attended Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, South Carolina. There he pursued his interests in art and acting. Although he briefly considered becoming an artist, he eventually settled on the path to becoming an actor. This was inspired by his mother's participation as an actress in a community theater. After Aiken Prep, he attended Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, graduating in 1969.
Early career
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 "The Ghost Sonata", "The Doctor in Spite of Himself", and "When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?", in which he was spotted by director Milo? 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 (Best Actor Debut) and a British Academy Award (Supporting Actor): he was also nominated for an Academy Award 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.
Film & television
Despite his attempts to avoid typecasting, he frequently plays demented, deranged, or disturbed characters, starting in "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978), John Huston's "Wise Blood" (1979), and Forman's "Ragtime" (1981). Dourif then teamed up with director David Lynch for "Dune" (1984) and "Blue Velvet" (1986).
He has appeared 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). He also played Gríma in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
On television, Dourif appeared in "The X-Files" episode Beyond the Sea, for which he received an Emmy nomination. He played Lon Suder, a murdering psychopath who eventually redeems himself, in a three-episode story arc on "Star Trek: Voyager", and has guest-appeared in shows such as "Babylon 5".
He is a fan of video games and appeared as Saavedro in "Myst III: Exile" (2001), the third game in the popular "Myst" franchise, and as the sadistic preacher Reed in "GUN" (2005).
In 1986, Dourif played Father McDonovan in the episode 'All Creatures Great... and Not So Great,' of the television series 'Moonlighting.' McDonovan was a Catholic priest who wanted to find and marry a troubled woman who came to him in confession.
Dourif was cast for the role of The Scarecrow who was set to appear in "Batman Forever", while Tim Burton was attached to the project. However, Burton reportedly decided to use The Riddler as the main villain.
Dourif played Doc Cochran in the HBO series "Deadwood". He recently voiced Chucky in fifth "Child's Play" film, "Seed of Chucky", appeared in the film "Sinner", and played Sheriff Brackett in the remake of John Carpenter's Halloween, Rob Zombie's "Halloween".
Personal life
Dourif was formerly married to businesswoman and self-proclaimed psychic Joni Dourif with whom he has two daughters, Kristina and Fiona. He lives in Manhattan and plays the didgeridoo, an Australian musical instrument.
Filmography
Television
"The X-Files - Beyond the Sea" as Luther Lee Boggs
"Deadwood - as Doc Cochran"
"Star Trek: Voyager - as Lon Suder"
External links
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Brad Dourif.
