Brad Dourif Biography




Brad Dourif
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Brad Dourif

Dourif at the Lord of the Rings Convention in Bonn, Germany
Born Bradford Claude Dourif
March 18, 1950 (1950-03-18) (age 58)
Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
Spouse(s) Joni Dourif (divorced)

Bradford Claude Dourif (born March 18, 1950) is a BAFTA-winning and Academy Award- and Emmy-nominated American film and television actor, best known for his roles as Younger Brother in Ragtime, Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Gríma Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Doc Cochran in the HBO television series Deadwood and as the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play series.

Contents

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),1 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 was eventually inspired to become an actor 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 Miloš 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 and television

Despite his attempts to avoid typecasting, he frequently plays 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 has appeared in a number of horror films, notably as the voice of the evil killer doll Chucky in Child's Play (1988) and its sequels, as well as in "Exorcist III" as the Gemini Killer (1990). 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 Wormtongue in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

On television, Dourif appeared in The X-Files episode "Beyond the Sea" as Luther Lee Boggs. He also played Lon Suder, a murderous 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. In 1984 he played a suspected serial killer in an episode of the British TV series Tales of the Unexpected called "Number Eight" .

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).

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.

Dourif played Doc Cochran in the HBO series Deadwood, receiving a 2004 Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series." He recently voiced Chucky in the fifth Child's Play film, Seed of Chucky, appeared in the film Sinner, and played Sheriff Brackett in Rob Zombie's version of Halloween.

Personal life

Dourif was formerly married to businesswoman and remote viewer Joni Dourif, with whom he has two daughters, Kristina and Fiona. He lives in Manhattan and plays the didgeridoo, an Australian Aboriginal musical instrument.

Filmography

Movies

Year Title Role Notes
1975 W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings uncredited
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Billy Bibbit Academy Award nomination
1976 The Mound Builders Chad Jasker (made for television)
1978 Eyes of Laura Mars Tommy Ludlow
Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich (made for television)
1979 Studs Lonigan Danny O'Neill (made for Television)
Wise Blood Hazel Motes
1980 Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones David Langtree (made for television)
Heaven's Gate Mr. Eggleston
1981 Ragtime Younger Brother
1982 Desire, the Vampire Paul (made for television)
1984 Dune The Mentat Piter De Vries
1985 Istanbul Klamski (Belgian movie)
1985 Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo Lamar Sands (made for television)
1986 Blue Velvet Raymond
Rage of Angels Seymour Bourne (made for television)
1987 Fatal Beauty Leo Nova
1988 Child's Play Charles Lee Ray (Chucky) (character and voice of Chucky)
Mississippi Burning Deputy Clinton Pell
1989 Desperado: The Outlaw Wars Camillus Fly (made for television)
Terror on Highway 91 Keith Evans (made for television)
1990 Child's Play 2 Chucky (voice only)
Spontaneous Combustion Sam
Graveyard Shift Tucker Cleveland
The Exorcist III James Venamun
Hidden Agenda Paul Sullivan
1991 Critters 4 Al Bert
Child's Play 3 Chucky (voice only)
Jungle Fever Leslie
1992 Final Judgement Father Tyrone
1993 Wild Palms Chickie Levitt television miniseries
Amos & Andrew Officer Donnie Donaldson
1994 Color of Night Clark
A Worn Path Hunter (Made for Television)
1995 Death Machine Dante
Murder in the First Byron Stamphill
1997 Alien: Resurrection Dr. Gediman
1998 Senseless Dr. Wheedon
Urban Legend Michael McDonnell, gas station attendant (uncredited)
Bride of Chucky Chucky (voice only)
2000 Shadow Hours Roland Montague
The Prophecy 3: The Ascent Zealot
2001 Myst III: Exile Saavedro
Soulkeeper Mr. Pascal
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Gríma Wormtongue
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Gríma Wormtongue (extended version only)
2004 Seed of Chucky Chucky (voice only)
The Hazing Professor Kapps
2005 Drop Dead Sexy Herman
The Wild Blue Yonder The Alien
GUN Reverend Josiah Reed (voice only)
Man of Faith B.B Gallen
2006 Pulse Thin Bookish Guy
2007 Sinner Caddie
The Wizard of Gore Dr. Chong
Halloween Sheriff Leigh Brackett
2008 Humboldt County Jack
Touching Home Clyde Winston
Born of Earth Mayor
Lock and Roll Forever Zee
Chain Letter Mr. Smirker
Junkyard Dog Sheriff Holk
2009 Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans TBA
2009 Childs Play Remake Chucky

Television

References

  1. ^ Brad Dourif Biography (1950-)

External links

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Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Fred Astaire
for The Towering Inferno		 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1977
for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest		 Succeeded by
Edward Fox
for A Bridge Too Far
v • d • e
Child's Play series
Films
Characters
Cast and Crew